Tuesday 28th January 2025 – Speaker Martin Fish: Containers for All Season. Doors open St James Village Hall 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Tuesday 25th February 2025 – AGM & General Knowledge Gardening Quiz at St James’s Village Hall – (this years membership can be paid on the night) Non members are welcome. Doors open St James Village Hall 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Tuesday 25th March 2025 – Joseph Bagley – The Houseplant Doctor, Orchids & Houseplants. Non members are welcome. Doors open St James Village Hall 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Saturday 29th March – Spring Show Village Hall
Five Gardens to visit, third Sunday of each month Feb to June
Tuesday 22nd April 2025 – Jonathan Sheppard – Hollyhocks & Cosmos. Non members are welcome. Doors open St James Village Hall 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Saturday 17th May 2025 – Plant Sale outside Methodist Chapel
Tuesday27th May – Evening Garden visit: Hill Top House, Balderton Lane, Coddington NG24 2QE. Peter & Veronika Robinsons eco house & gardens. Meet there 6pm. There will be refreshments, but you need to bring a mug/cup. There is no admission charge, but a donation to their chosen charity MIND would be appreciated.
Tuesday 24th June 2025 – Yvette’s Design Solutions – a talk on planting design. Non members are welcome. Doors open St James Village Hall 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Sunday 29th June 2025 – Long Bennington Gardening Club Open Gardens, 10am – 4pm
Tuesday 22nd July, 6.30pm – Evening Garden Visit. If you would like to take part please contact Catherine Sheen, she needs to know numbers & likewise – if you have any special dietary needs. email: catherinesheen@hotmail.com mob: 07860 692529
Tuesday 26th August 2025 – Sarah Algar – a talk on Plants for Pollinators Non members are welcome. Doors open St James Village Hall 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Saturday 6th September 2025 – Summer Show
Summer Show 2025 schedule
Tuesday 23rd September 2025 – Andrew Mikolajski – Gardening in the 2020s Non members are welcome. Doors open St James Village Hall 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Tuesday 28th October 2025 – Rob Potterton – A Beginners Guide to Gardening with Alpines, Bulbs & Woodland Plants. Non members are welcome. Doors open St James Village Hall 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Tuesday 25th November 2025 Christmas Social. PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE – this event will now take place at The Methodist Chapel, Main Rd, long Bennington 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Tuesday 24th February 2026 – AGM & General Knowledge Gardening Quiz at St James’s Village Hall – (this years membership can be paid on the night) Non members are welcome. Doors open St James Village Hall 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
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January 2024
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
February 2024
AGM at St James’s Village Hall – ( this years membership can be paid on the night)
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Open Spring Show 2024 – Saturday 16 March
Tuesday 26th March 2024 – Speaker Steve Hickman: The Cultivation & Propagation of Agapanthus & Nerines. Doors open St James Village Hall 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Tuesday 30th April 2024 – Speaker Joe Whitehead, Head Gardener at Burghley House: Burghley Past, Present & Future. Doors open St James Village Hall 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Saturday 18th May 2024
May – following on from Andrew Wards January talk, an evening visit
THIS VISIT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED TO WEDS 29th MAY DUE TO HEAVY RAIN, SAME TIME ETC For more information: amyhodson4@gmail.com
Saturday 15th June at 2.30 pm Maureen’s LAST EVER Strawberry Tea fund raiser
Tuesday 23rd July Day trip to Coughton Court – contact: amyhodson4@gmail.com
Tuesday 27th August – Speaker Don Whitton: Late Herbaceous Perennials. Doors open St James Village Hall 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Saturday 7th Sept 2024 – Summer Show
Tuesday 24th Sept 2024 – Speaker Debbie Cook: Gardening With Wildlife In Mind. Doors open St James Village Hall 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Tuesday 22nd October 2024 – Speaker Simon Smith: Vegetables, Judges Vs Exhibitors. Doors open St James Village Hall 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Tuesday 26th November 2024 Christmas Social – details to follow
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January 2023
Club Meeting St James’s Hall – Tues 24th. Speaker: Alan Clements – Creating The Cascades Gardens
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
February 2023
AGM & Membership – St James’s Hall – Tues 28th.
Followed by Gardening General Knowledge Quiz
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
March 2023
Club Meeting St James’s Hall – Tues 28th. Speaker: Michael Myers – Snowdrops & Snowflakes
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Spring Show – St James’s Hall Sat 25th. The show is a celebration of the beginning of the gardening year and is free for all to enter. Doors open at 9am for entries to be staged by anyone who would like to have a go! There are lots of classes to enter including spring flowers, pot plants and flower arrangements. Doors open again from 3pm, after the judging has taken place, to view the lovely results – there will be cakes and hot drinks on sale too. The presentation of the awards will be around 3.45pm. Do come and visit and enjoy our wonderful display of Spring! The schedule for the show can be found below:
April 2023
Club Meeting St James’s Hall – Tues 25th. Speaker: Sally Smith – Vegetable Inspirations
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
May 2023
Club Meeting St James’s Hall – Tues 23th. Speaker: Stephen Lovell – Bamboo – Pandas to Garden Canes
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
June 2023
No meeting
July 2023
Annual Day Trip – following on from Alan Clements very popular January talk on “Creating the Cascades Garden”, tues 25th July the club is organising a trip to Bonsall in Derbyshire, so we can see it for ourselves. The coach will leave Long Bennington at 9am & return approx. 5pm. The cost of the trip is £20 or £27.50 if you would like lunch included. Pick ups – 9am Woods Close, then Village Hall, Whittackers. Members of Bottesford u3A Gardening Club will also be joining us. Pick up from Bottesford – opposite The Thatch, time to be confirmed. Tickets can be obtained from Fiona Shilling.
August 2023
80th Club Anniversary Evening – St James’s Hall Tues 22nd. There will be competitions, a fish & chips supper & entertainment provided by Melody Flyte. Ticket price is £6, which can be obtained from Fiona shilling or Amy Hodson – contact detail’s can be found on website. There is no bar so please bring your own.
September 2023
Club Meeting St James’s Hall – Tues 26th. Speaker: Colin Deeley – Tresco Abbey Gardens
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Summer Show – Sat 2nd
October 2023
Club Meeting St James’s Hall – Tues 24th. Speaker: Janette Merilion – Brightening Shade
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
November 2023
Club Christmas Social – St James’s Hall – Tues 28th.
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
December 2023
No meeting
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January 2022
Club Meeting St James Hall – Tues 25th. Speaker: Colin Deeley – Parks & Gardens National Trust
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
February 2022
AGM Meeting St James Hall – Tues 22nd. Short AGM followed by general gardening knowledge quiz.
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
March 2022
Club Meeting St James Hall – Tues 22nd. Speaker: Russell Attwood – No-Dig Gardening.
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Spring Show St James Hall, Sat 26th. A celebration of the beginning of the gardening year. The show is free to enter & open to everyone, so come along. Doors open at 9.00am for entries to be staged. There are 41 different classes to enter, including all types of spring flowers, pot plants, flower arrangements & a photographic competition. Also on display will be the clubs commemorative Queens Platinum Jubilee posters, which are for sale with all profits going to fund future Spring & Summer Shows, details can be found on the “Jubilee Poster” page on this website, so please have a look. There will be home made cakes & teas & coffee on sale & a raffle to try you luck at. Doors open to the public at 3.00pm after judging has been completed & presentation of awards takes place at 4.00pm. so join us & share the joy of a wonderful display of spring.
April 2022
Club Meeting St James Hall – Tues 26th. Speaker: Lynn Ferguson – Spring Flower Arrangements.
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
May 2022
Plant Sale outside 5 Main Road, next to Methodist Church, Main St – Sat 14th, 10.00am to 11.00am.
Club Meeting St James Hall – Tues 24th. Speaker: Geoff Hodge – Low Maintenance Gardening Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30p
June 2022
Platinum Jubilee Celebrations St James Hall – Sun 5th. 12.00am to 4.00pm. The Club will be running a “Plant Pot Shy” & will also have a table selling plants. CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER.
Open Gardens Long Bennington – Sun 19th, 10.00am to 4.00pm. St James Hall will be open for hot drinks & toilet facilities. There will be 13 gardens to visit, entrance leaflets cost £5 per family (£4 concession). The leaflet includes a description & a map of participating gardens – these can be purchased on the day from St James Village Hall. All are welcome, hope to see you on the day.
July 2022
Club day trip, Tues 26th – Breezy Knees Gardens, Yorkshire. Over 20 acres of award winning gardens, a specialist perennial nursey – only one of a handful of British gardens with a current 5 star Trip Advisor rating, situated on the eastern outskirts of York. Pickup 0830 Long Bennington at 3 different locations: Whittakers, Opposite Village Hall, Woods Close. Return approx. 6.00pm – £20 per person, PLEASE NOTE this is just for the coach, you will need to pay an additional entry fee of £9 to the garden on arrival. To book a seat, press download button & print off form or just contact us. Also this trip is open to non-club members, don’t worry you will not have to join the club, open your garden or take part in plant sale, its just a nice day out, so again if you are interested just contact us !
August 2022
Local evening garden visit, Tues 23rd – 5 Burton Lane, Whatton in the vale. NG13 9EQ. We will meet at the garden at 6pm & the cost is £4 per person. It is a modern cottage garden full of colour & scent, with distinctive areas for fruit & veg. There are also large flower beds with over 500 varieties of plants.
Sept 2022
Summer Show St James Hall, Sat 3rd, 8.30am to 5.00p.m The Schedule for the Summer Show can be found in “2022 Gallery”
Club Meeting St James Hall – Tues 27th. Gardeners Question Time – There has been a fantastic response to the call out for questions & we are lucky to have 3 local garden experts: Mark Skinner, Ian Sutton & Carol Page who will be answering your questions. Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Oct 2022
Club Meeting St James Hall – Tues 25th. Speaker: Hannah Sylvester – Medicinal Plants, A Medicine Chest In Your Back Garden
Doors open 7.15pm, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Nov 2022
Christmas Social St James Hall – Tues 22nd Details to follow
Dec 2022
No meeting – relax, put your feet up.
Long Bennington Gardening Club - VPA 