Programme

(For zoom talks (members only) go to the bottom of the page)

Sunday 18th January 2026 at 2.00pm

  • ‘Growing fruit, vegetables and herbs anywhere’
  • Lucy Chamberlain

Sunday 8th February 2026 at 2.00pm

  • ‘New Zealand 2019 – Plants, People and Gardens’
  • Rob Potterton

Sunday 8th March 2026 at 2.00pm

  • ‘What makes a good garden’
  • Ed Flint

Sunday 19th April 2026 at 2.00pm (Seedling Swap starts at midday, Members only places need to be booked for this)

  • ‘Success in Sand’
  • Andrew Ward

Sunday 13th September 2026 at 2.00pm

  • ‘A History of Garden Plants in Twelve Shrubs’
  • Julian Sutton

Sunday 11th October 2026 at 2.00pm

  • ‘Dry Exotic Gardening and more’
  • Paul Spracklin

Sunday 15th November 2026 – AGM

  • To be announced
  • Jack Willgoss- Wildgoose Nursery

Sunday 6th December 2026 at 2.00pm

  • ‘Hunting for Welwitschia in the Namibian Desert’
  • Christine Lavelle

There will be self drive garden visits during the summer, details to follow.

Zoom Talks

All Hardy Plant members have access to Zoom Talks which are run by Tendershoots. Once you have joined both the National and Essex Group you will have access to codes for logging on. Below is a list of zoom talks coming up:

2026

Zoom talks start at 7.30pm and as usual will use the same TS zoom link which you will always find on our www.TenderShoots.uk website program page.  

Hardy Plant Society Essex Group guide to accessing Tender Shoots Garden Club programme of horticultural talks and more

Hardy Plant Society Essex Group is an affiliated member of Tender Shoots Garden Club, as a member benefit. This is a brief guide to help you access this benefit to enjoy more talks from your home.

What is Tender Shoots Garden Club?

It’s an online horticultural club, offering relevant talks by speakers on the Zoom App, and useful information resources on a dedicated website, funded by affiliated group and individual membership fees. All Tender Shoots resources are free for HPS Essex group members to access. (Zoom is the name of a free, online, virtual meeting App you download to your lap top, computer or mobile phone device via Google Play Store or iPhone App Store. You’ll need to download and install it for accessing talks.)

Tender Shoots Garden Club has a useful website, detailing their scheduled experienced speaker programme, key information delivered in previous talks and often, a plant list provided by speakers. Some speakers’ talks are recorded for viewing later, if you missed participating in a talk. To check it out, just go online to the website address @ www.tendershoots.uk

Tender Shoots’ website contains a helpful UK Garden Map resource, locating open gardens to visit by county, organised using various search criteria. You may search on membership discounts or deals you hold such as: RHS, Gardeners’ World 2 for 1, etc and other criteria, like dog friendly and easy accessibility. Regular club Networking sessions take place online, for socialising with other gardeners.

How to get started:  You will need to Register your email address with Tender Shoots Garden Club online, using the purple button on their website homepage. That’s it. This is a free-to-use service.

What to expect: Once registered, you will receive an email invitation to participate in each scheduled talk, normally a couple of weeks ahead. Talks usually start at 7.30pm, often on weekdays.