Winning photo for the 2020 Photo Competition taken by Helen Powell

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CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
All our events for 2020 have now been cancelled as a result of the Coronavirus Outbreak. We are disappointed and so sorry that we have had to take this decision. Should things change then we shall always update this website and contact our members so please keep checking. So let's hope we shall all meet up in January 2021


Welcome to the website of the Hardy Plant Society Dorset Group. We are a Group of gardening enthusiasts, of all levels of expertise, who enjoy listening to excellent speakers regularly, growing and  buying plants, and visiting beautiful gardens and nurseries. We welcome new members and visitors to all our events. The Group 
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We are one of the regional groups of the Hardy Plant Society, whose aims include stimulating interest in growing hardy perennials. In fact last year, 2018, we celebrated our 20th anniversary year since we were formed, by 21 members breaking away from the Hampshire Group in 1998. 


Our Coronavirus Photo Competition

MARCH PHOTOS

​PROJECTS IN MARCH
From Helen (McIllmurray)
An old chair found in a skip was smartened up, given a lick of paint and planted up with a selection of houseleeks.
APRIL PHOTOS
MAY PHOTOS
JUNE PHOTOS
JULY PHOTOS
OUR AUGUST PROJECT - THE BARBARA GOOCH MEMORIAL GARDEN
AUGUST PHOTOS
SEPTEMBER PHOTOS
​​NEWS UPDATES
  • 22nd November 2020 - The winner of the Photo Competition for this year is Helen Powell, see photo above. "Bees on Eryngium Silver Ghost" taken on the 4th August. Well done Helen! She won a £25 National Garden Voucher.  
  • 30th September 2020 - The Photo Competition has now been closed and the winner will be announced in the November Hardy Times. 
  • 22nd August 2020 - "Barbara's Garden" is all but complete! With bulbs and hellebores to plant later, the rest has all been planted and is there for everyone to pop along and have a look, outside Colehill Library - on BOTH sides. Thank you to all those who worked so hard clearing and building the garden, and also those who donated plants as well. It has been a busy 3 weeks. Diana Guy, who co-designed the garden with Barbara, is already looking for another project! 
  • 13th August 2020 - Our Hardy Times has been issued to members confirming the Day Trip to West Dean and ALL remaining Speaker Meetings in 2020 have been cancelled due to the Coronavirus restrictions as our members' health is our prime concern 
  • 10th August 2020 - The sleepers arrived and the raised beds were made, see pictures below
  • 1st August 2020 - The Barbara Gooch Memorial Garden is started. Colehill Community Library have asked us to convert the design that Barbara, and Diana Guy, had designed about a year ago, before her serious illness. It is to follow along 2 sides of the library where Barbara had been involved for many years. A team 16 strong started clearing the land - all in a morning's work! See pictures below. Next stage - putting the sleepers in. 
  • 20th July 2020 - We are selling plants at Manor Farm, Hampreston, on the 25th and 26th July as they open under the NGS Yellow Book Scheme. If you are interested in attending please contact the NGS on ngs.org.uk/shop/garden-tickets/south-west/dorset-manor-farm-hampreston-saturday-25th-july/   or   ngs.org.uk/shop/garden-tickets/south-west/dorset-manor-farm-hampreston-sunday-26th-july/  depending on which day you would like to attend. Lupus will also be selling teas and cakes as usual.This is open to all. See the poster below.
  • 21st June 2020 - Both Wildside Trips, at the end of July, have had to be cancelled. All refunds will be paid direct to the relevant bank accounts.
  • 13th May 2020 - National AGM and Lecture Day, due 5th September, has now been cancelled.
  • 23rd March 2020 - Following a suggested period of 12 weeks isolation by the government, our 2 trips to Encombe and Eastington Farm have had to be cancelled. Full refunds are being paid to everyone affected by this.
  • 20th March 2020 - We have also postponed our annual holiday, this year travelling to Cheshire. It will now depart on the 11th July 2021, for 4 days. The hotel has been confirmed but other elements of the holiday may be subject to change. Those already booked on the trip this year will have priority booking for next holiday. 
  • 20th March 2020 - We have had to cancel our Plant Fayre on the 9th May
  • 18th March 2020 - We have received notification that the Colehill Memorial Hall will be closed until the end of April. The April Speaker Meeting, with Terry Baker, and Seedling Swap have therefore been cancelled.
  • 17th March 2020 - Email sent out to all members confirming we are keeping a close eye on things for Speaker Meetings, Day Trips and Holiday. Regular updates will be given via the website, especially with regard to cancellations. However assurances were given that should any Day Trips be cancelled, as a result of the coronavirus, we shall refund in full any payments made.
  • 14th March 2020 - The ALD/AGM on 28th March, hosted by Dorset Group, has been postponed in the light of the potential spread of coronavirus. The new date will be 5th September 2020, with everything else remaining the same. Both Keith Wiley and Mat Reese will be speaking at the new event which will still be held at the Allendale Centre, Wimborne. Any ticket holder will automatically have their ticket switched to the new event, or may claim a refund if preferred. National Office will be contacting all ticket holders so please do not ring them unless absolutely necessary.
  • 8th March 2020 - Following a Trustee Meeting of the National Hardy Plant Society, they have released the following statement  "The ALD/AGM on 28th March will be held as planned although we are monitoring the Coronavirus situation and will follow advice from government and health authorities. Attendees will be notified of any change."
  • 28th February 2020 - We have had to abandon our hopes to visit Wildside on 2nd August but instead, have managed to secure 2 new Day Trips to Wildside on July 22nd and 26th. Both will be identical trips. For the first month this will only be available to members, plus up to 1 guest, but will then be open to all afterwards. Full details will be put on the website long before the month is up, but if you would like to know more, please contact us via the website.
  • 28th February 2020  - As a result of the lengthy Reserve List for our Day Trip to Encombe/Eastington, we are now in a position to offer a second date for this trip 1 week later. The second trip will run on the 10th June and will depart half an hour earlier than the trip on the 3rd June. The gardens will be visited in reverse order. Once again we are offering this just to our members, plus 1 guest, for the next month, before we welcome applications from all. If you would like to know more beforehand please make contact via the website.
  • 22nd February 2020 - Following our A.G.M. Barbara Gooch, Jane Norris, Janice Walters and Janet Riggs have all retired from our Committee with our thanks for everything they have done for the Group. New members voted on are Helen McIllmurray, who will be coordinating our team of volunteers, Rowena Jecock, who will be our new Membership Secretary and Liz Underwood. Sheila Westgate will be responsible for refreshments whilst not being on the committee.  
  • 1st February 2020 - the results of our                         1st January Flower Count WINNER - Elaine Lofthouse and Diana Guy (42 flowers). Those who also entered were Sue Hough (32), Helen Powell (8), Leonie Oldfield (16), Penny Cleaver (7), Pat Osman (25+), Anne Butler (11), Margaret Hobson (17), Maggie Webb (20), Ann Broscomb (14), Eric Watson (22),  Hilary Hanbury (6). Thanks to all of you , and to Diana Guy for collating all this information.
  • 30th January 2020 - our holiday is now SOLD OUT but please contact us if you would like to go on the Wait List
  • 25th January 2020 - our Day Trip to Encombe/Eastington is now sold out but please contact us if you would like to go as we may try to set up a second visit on another day if there is sufficient demand. At the meeting it was announced that we are proposing a third Day Trip, on 2nd August, to WILDSIDE in Devon for an exclusive visit. The full details are not complete yet but we have asked for people to register their interest in the trip. Tickets should then be on sale at the February meeting.
  • 3rd January 2020 - As the applications for the 2020 Holiday and Day Trips flood in, there is now only 1 place available for the Holiday. Please make contact if you are interested in coming along or going on our Wait List. 
Picture
Our 2019 Celebrity, Fergus Garrett, with our Chair, Debbie, Committee Member Judy Spratley, and local celebrity Neil Lucas from Knoll Gardens, who came along to enjoy the afternoon

Upcoming events, for Hardy Plant Society (Dorset & other Groups) and other local gardening events

Go to Calendar of Events to see what other gardening events are happening.
COLEHILL MEMORIAL HALL
Cannon Hill Road
Colehill, Wimborne
Dorset, BH21 2LR
Email: dorsethps@gmail.com
Last updated 22/11/20 15:46