Welcome to Llanover Garden School’s programme of forthcoming events.

I have lined up a mixture of exciting new speakers and of old friends. Each is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable expert in their field, as you will discover when hearing them lecture or asking them questions over coffee, lunch and tea. The morning talks tend to be illustrated with images, while afternoon speakers often use fresh plant material.

Our season opens on October 10, with the long-awaited visit of John Massey, whose popularity as a speaker and plantsman is so overwhelming that it’s taken me three years to get a date in his diary. He will be followed later in the month by the remarkable Sarah Price, co-designer of the London Olympic Park and designer of the Daily Telegraph Garden at RHS Chelsea, where it was awarded a prestigious Gold medal.

Regulars at Catriona Boyle’s garden school may remember meeting Tim Miles, creator of the innovative and much-admired garden at Cotswold Wildlife Park, and Stephen Lacey, columnist for the Daily Telegraph. Both will be at Llanover for the first time on October 30.

The Christmas workshops under the guidance of Emma and Kirsten from Abergavenny’s Love-Lily continue to be deservedly popular. They use a generous range of flowers and foliage of a quality and variety which is not matched elsewhere. If you fear the creative gene may have passed you by, then book one of these days, and surprise yourself at your ability to make a stunning Christmas wreath for the table or door. They make marvellous presents, too.

A typical Garden School day starts at 10 am with coffee by a blazing fire, followed by a talk and questions in the lecture theatre. We then move to tables in the drawing room for a delicious two course lunch – cooked by Pav Taruschio – before another talk and a home-made afternoon tea. The garden is yours to explore, and the lecture room is one of the best you will see in a private house with comfortable, tiered seating and a huge screen, making it easy for everyone to see and hear the speaker. If you wish to use it for a Garden Society meeting together with a tour of the garden, please do contact me.

As ever I want to keep the cost reasonable, mainly through the use of email rather than postage, so please do give me your email address. If you have enjoyed yourself here, “like” Llanover Garden School on Facebook, and send an email link to anyone you think might be interested. Birthday, Christmas and gift vouchers are available.

I look forward to welcoming you to Llanover House and Garden.