Currently Available Talks 

Given the uncertainty of when we can resume face to face talks, I am now able to deliver all of my talks online using Zoom and have delivered these for garden clubs, u3a and WEA. For more information please click here.

The talks that I currently have available are shown below – if you would like more information, including recent feedback about about a specific talk, please click on the picture for the talk:

The Perils & Pitfalls of being a Plant Hunter:

A review of the history of plant hunting in the UK, its rise to dominance in Victorian England to satisfy the fashion for showing off rare and unusual plants and a look at some of the hazards and pitfalls of this exciting but potentially dangerous career choice, even in the 21st Century.

Building my RHS Show Garden:

The inside story about my journey to design and build a personally funded RHS show garden at the Malvern Spring Show also providing an insight into the judging criteria and the medal that you might receive.

Arts & Crafts and Edwardian gardens:

A look at this influential, but short lived, period of history in garden design where we  review the key elements of this garden style including Gertrude Jekyll’s lasting impact on our plant choices.

Wicked Plants – Which ones are hiding in your garden?

A look at some of our garden plants which can kill, intoxicate, irritate or otherwise offend.  This includes some commonly grown ‘wicked’ plants, some surprises and a whole family of plants to be wary of !

Where did our Favourite Plants come from?

A trip through history to see where some of our favourite ‘English’ plants actually came from and when they first arrived in our gardens.  This talks ends with a fun quiz for teams to combine their knowledge to identify where 12 commonly grown plants came from.

Plants which Changed the World – or Tried To!

A review of some of the plants that have influenced us over time – a reminder of some plants which have modified our everyday life, some that are less well known (or maybe we have just forgotten about) and some that have tried very hard but haven’t quite succeeded.

An Introduction to Garden Design:

This talk uses a case study based example of designing and building a residential garden to explain the principles and processes needed to design specific areas or an entire garden space.

Designing with Plants:

How to achieve your “dream garden” using plant colour, texture, shape and garden style.  This includes a client based example of how to translate the theory into practice.

My Speaker Background

I changed career in 2008, from being a marketing consultant where as part of my job I spoke regularly at marketing conferences, to running my own garden design business. Since 2009 I have been speaking at Garden Clubs, WI and more latterly Probus groups and I also teach at Marlborough College Summer School,  the U3A Summer School and I am a part time lecturer in Garden Design and Garden History.

I am a registered speaker with the Somerset Federation of Garden Clubs, the Dorset Federation of Garden Clubs, the Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs and an approved speaker for the Wiltshire and Somerset Federations of WI’s.


pdf Request a PDF of all my available talks and testimonials  

Please click on the link  to request a copy of my Speaker CV and details of my ‘short notice speaker services’ for local clubs and societies. This includes a summary of all of the talks I currently have available, my current fees and testimonials from clubs and societies that I have recently spoken to.

If you would like to book a talk, or would like additional information  please contact me, email me at the address shown below or call me on my landline or my mobile number.