Download PDFSpring 2011 Programme

Each day at Llanover Garden School begins at 10am with coffee or tea, ahead of the morning session at 10.30am. A seated two course lunch will be served with wine or elderflower, before the afternoon presentation. The day will end at with homemade teas and another opportunity to talk and walk around Llanover Gardens.

Wednesday 9th March Sold Out
Anna Pavord – Bulbs for all seasons
Now is the time to order and plants bulbs for a display which can last through the summer. Anna – the best selling author of Bulb and acclaimed gardening correspondent will speak about bulbs to give year-round interest, and more specifically about bulbs which you still have time to buy and plant now for a display in the summer. The talk will be illustrated with images taken by Andrew Lawson.

Kim Hurst – The true cottage garden
Herbs are an integral part of the cottage garden as a whole, contributing scent, foliage and form. Mix this with the colourful spectrum of cottage garden annuals, biennials and perennials and add the third dimension of vegetables to create a true cottage garden. An illustrated talk with images and fresh material by Kim who established the Cottage Herbery in 1976 and has since won Gold medals at RHS shows including Chelsea.

Tuesday 15th March
Nick Macer – Celebrations of a plant hunter
Thanks to the enthusiasm, knowledge and skill of Nick, Pan-Global Plants has been named as one of Britains top nurseries due to its inspiring selection of some of the finest, rarest and most desirable plants. Using his superb images Nick will show and talk about a range of plants which he admires and knows are suitable for a variety of British gardens in the UK.

Matthew Wilson – Landscape Man: Making a Garden
Formerly Head of Gardens Creative Development at the RHS, and now working for the Landscape Agency inbetween his numerous media commitments, Matthew, will draw on his knowledge, experience and humour to encourage everyone to capture their vision and create their dream garden by maximizing space, working with the surrounding landscape, enhancing light levels and choosing plants for colour, texture and form.

Wednesday 23rd March
Neil Lucas – Ornamental grasses in the garden
‘Grasses are the singlemost successful group of plants on the planet. They are a diverse group that can cope with a variety of conditions’ says Neil, who is the UK’s leading ornamental grass specialist, owner of Knoll Gardens and holder of eight consecutive Chelsea Gold Medals. Using his experience of selecting then growing the best grasses and experimenting with different planting combinations he has learnt how to grow grasses to give the WOW factor for the majority of the year.

Graham Rankin – The Flowering of Aberglasney
As Director of the gardens and an experienced plantsman Graham has transformed Aberglasney from an overgrown wilderness into a fascinating garden with an enamelled lawn, cloister, woodland and walled gardens. Using superb images, Graham will talk about the history and planting of the gardens, including some of the 40 different Magnolias cultivars which he has selected as the best from the 400 known to him. His book about Aberglasney won the Inspirational Book of the Year Award at the Garden Media Guild Awards 2009.