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Dorset Hardy Plant Society

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Our History
The Hardy Plant Society itself is a national registered charity, and exists to promote hardy herbaceous plants, to grow and study them as plants in our own gardens, and try to keep rarer varieties in cultivation.  Our knowledge and love of these plants is shared with other gardeners whether they're experts, beginners or somewhere in between.

The Dorset Group of the Hardy Plant Society is registered with the national Hardy Plant Society, but is not a charity... we operate as a separate and non-profit organisation, and our aims are the same as the national HPS.

We started when a group of national Hardy Plant members first met in July 1998 to consider setting up a new local Group in the Dorset area... it felt like a leap in the dark! The parent organisation had grown steadily over some 40 years and many other groups already existed, including the well-established Hampshire Group. However in practical terms we started with a clean sheet, no officers, no base and just £100 from national HPS to get us off the ground. The first year was pretty hectic and full of uncertainties – would anyone apart from the committee turn up to our meetings?

​In hindsight the steady growth of our membership, talks on a wide range of subjects, outings and plant sales have attracted a good number of both experienced and less expert gardeners.

COLEHILL VILLAGE HALL
Cannon Hill Road
Colehill, Wimborne
Dorset, BH21 2LR