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Gardening talks

Talks & demonstrations for garden clubs and horticultural societies

If your gardening club is looking for a speaker or someone to give talks on garden and gardening subjects and topics, this is the list of gardening talks, lectures and hands-on practical demonstrations I give to gardening clubs and horticultural societies.

I give talks to a wide range of gardening clubs and horticultural societies, including national organisations such as the Hardy Plant Society, Plant Heritage, Alpine Garden Society, WI and U3A.

I also run very popular Q&A sessions – all your gardening questions answered.

If you would like to book me for a talk or need further information, please send me an e-mail

Gardening talk subjects

This is the list of talks that I give.

* All Muck & Magic? The Answer Lies In The Soil! – fertilisers, soil improvers & soil amelioration
+ A Tapestry of Foliage
* Bugs & Garden Plagues – Pest & Disease Control
(a very popular talk – honestly!; see Happy gardeners below)
* Clematis: The Queen Of The Climbers – How to get the best from yours
+* Easy Gardening – Low-Maintenance Gardens
+ Gardening on Chalk
+ Gardening on Clay
+ Gardening on Chalky Clay
+ Gardening on the Coast
+ Gardening with Changing Climate – Gardening in the Global Greenhouse
+ Gardening in Dry & Drought Conditions – Drought-resisting Plants
+ Gardening in the Shade
* Gardening Inside – Greenhouse Gardening
* GYO Veg – Grow Your Own Vegetables
* Happy, Healthy Roses
* Happy Houseplants – The Indoor Jungle
* Luscious Lawns – Lawncare for Perfect Lawns
+ Plants for Problem Places
* Propagation – Plants for Free
* Pruning – Making it Simple: The First Cut Is The Deepest
+ Scented Plants & The Scented Garden
+ The 12-Month Garden – Colour All Year Round
+* The Life & Times of a Gardening Editor
* Weeds & the Weed-free Garden
+ Winter Colour in the Garden – Beating the Winter Blues

Q&As - have all your gardening questions answered

+ = slide talk
* = practical demonstration
+* = combination of both

Fees

My fee for 2024/2025 is £120, plus 41p* per mile travelling expenses.
* This is my current mileage rate. Travelling expenses are dependent on fuel prices at the time of the talk, and may have to change accordingly.

I live in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, and I regularly travel up to 120 miles to give talks. Venues further afield may incur an additional payment on my fees plus overnight hotel accommodation; please ask when making enquiries.

I also give my talks via Zoom. If the organiser/club sets up the meeting and invites me to attend, my fee is £95. If you want me to set up and host the meeting, my fee is £110.

I am also listed in the East Anglia section of the Royal Horticultural Society's Register of Speakers

Garden shows & garden centres

The prices above are for local gardening clubs and societies.
E-mail me for further information on giving talks, question and answer sessions & demonstrations at shows, garden centres and other larger events and venues.

Happy gardeners

A selection of comments about my gardening talks

"I want to thank you for your talk and tell you how much our members enjoyed it. I was involved in a village coffee morning yesterday, and you were the main topic of conversation. If you enjoyed coming along half as much as we did having you, then I’d certainly like to book you again next year. All in all a very good evening, great learning and excellent value. Many thanks from the Nocton Gardeners and me."
Julie Partridge

"Just a note to say thank you very much on behalf of the Bottesford Gardens Association for presenting us with such an enthusiastic, amusing and information-packed talk. I have had good reports from all that I have since met who were there, and regret from several who missed it. My fault for booking you on Women's Institute night, we live and learn! We shall certainly look forward to seeing and hearing from you again."
Hugh Spencer
Bottesford Garden Association post on Facebook
Bottesford Garden Association

"Well, what a brilliant evening we had. Thank you so much. Your talk was informative and amusing – we enjoyed it so much. All very positive comments from our members."
June Wheatley, Woolpit Garden Club

"On behalf of The North London Group of Hardy Planters a big thank you for the great afternoon you gave us yesterday. I’m still laughing now. When I chose the topic for the talk I never thought that Bugs and Plagues could be so interesting and amusing. I don’t always get a lot of audience participation, but you managed to get loads, mainly due to your brilliant style of presentation. We all learnt loads."
Graham Cannon, Chairman

"Knowledgeable - trenchant - succinct - witty. All you could wish for in a speaker. I've no doubt we'll invite you back to speak on another topic."
Alex Siddall, Reading Gardeners

"On behalf of the Rugby Gardeners Guild members, may I extend our thanks for your talk on lawns and lawn care at our meeting last week. The evening was most informative and entertaining and our members certainly enjoyed your generous donations of raffle prizes. I am certain we will be welcoming you to our club again in the future."
Clare Juland

"It was great having you back for another talk – very informative and humorous. We had lots of good feedback from the U3A Garden Group and we all want you back again. I can't disappoint them, so will be in touch."
Susanne Asbury, Chinnor U3A

"Thank you, on behalf of Orwell Gardening Club, for your talk on Roses on Tuesday evening. It was very informative, and useful. It was interesting to see the members so animated as well. We are looking forward to your return visit next year."
Sheila Webber

"On behalf of the Garden Club Committee, I would like to express our thanks for your excellent talk. It was informative, very entertaining and very well presented. There was a lot of good feedback from the members, all saying how much they enjoyed it."
Mike Rowe, Swayfield Gardening Club

"Thank you for coming to entertain us! People are stopping me in the street to say how much they enjoyed it - and appreciated your tips."
Leonie Harrison, Oakington Gardening Society

"Thank you so much for the excellent talk you gave us yesterday. It was both amusing and informative, and greatly enjoyed by everyone. Also, many thanks for the raffle prizes."
Chris Hanson, Sutton Coldfield Ladies' Gardening Club

"Thank you for coming to speak to us last night. Your talk was well received, as I found out as I mingled during coffee. Your generosity towards our raffle was fantastic. Many members commented on your enthusiasm for your subject, and this certainly made for a warm evening - despite the cool Hall!"
Eileen Shane, East Yorkshire Hardy Plant Society

"On behalf of Houghton & Wyton Gardening Club, I would like to thank you for your most entertaining and knowledgeable talk last night. May I also thank you personally for stepping in at the last minute. All the feedback has been very positive, and I think you must have felt how well the members enjoyed your talk. I hope that you will speak to us again next year, as you have such a vast range of knowledge, and can speak on a variety of subjects."
Jenny Douglas

"You did it again! All our members went home last night with the confidence that they too could propagate something! Many thanks for coming and sharing your special brand of practical knowledge. I've had a look at your web page and will be in touch for a return visit next year. Once again, many thanks."
Margaret Paul, Cropwell Bishop Gardening Club

"On behalf of the Middlesex Hardy Plant Society, I would like to thank you for the talk you gave to our Group. It was extremely humorous, interesting and informative and we all had a most enjoyable evening. You have such a varied and interesting list of topics and I shall be in touch to ask you to speak to us again."
Ruth Ostwind

"Thank you for your most interesting talk on pruning. I think it included something of interest for everyone and your presentation was obviously enjoyed by all. It was very useful to see a 'hands on' demonstration. Many members came up to me at the end and said how much they had enjoyed the evening. I am sure Eddie will be asking you to speak to us again."
Hazel Hunt, Rauceby Gardening Club

"On behalf of our club I would like to thank you for a most enjoyable and informative evening on plant propagation; our members are already asking for you to make a return visit.
David Webb, Stickney & District Gardening Club

"Thank you again for your wonderful pruning demonstration last night. You certainly sent everyone home buzzing and definitely boosted the confidence of those 'butchers' among us! I will no doubt be in touch with you again to give us another talk - possibly on propagation. I think I had better leave it for a few months though!"
Margaret Paul, Cropwell Bishop Gardening Club

"Just wanted to thank you for coming along to Cambourne last Thursday evening and delivering a really informative talk. I am hoping that now our members know how to handle pests and diseases, our gardens will flourish, while those of our neighbours might have a few more visitors this year! Thanks once again and I hope to be in touch later in the year when I am looking at getting next year's programme in place."
Clare Daniels, Cambourne Garden Club

"Thank you for your excellent talk. I spoke to several people afterwards and they said how refreshing it was to have someone who was interesting to listen to! I am sure they would not have minded had you carried on for a further hour! You obviously know such a lot and love what you do. I have been looking at your list of topics and wondered if you would be available next year to give us a talk."
Sue Curtis, Ramsey and District Horticultural Society

"Very many thanks for your talk on pests & diseases, which everybody found so entertaining, informative and worthwhile, as shown by the audience participation. In fact, somebody said it was the best meeting this season. I'll be in touch to ask you to visit us again."
Sylvia Bennett, The Hardy Plant Society, Nottingham Group

"On behalf of Ballinger Horticultural Society, I would like to thank you very much for your entertaining & most interesting talk on Gardening in the Global Greenhouse. We would very much like to invite you back to speak to us on another of your subjects in the near future."
Alison Weir

"A big thank you for an excellent and informative talk, which answered many questions - and posed even more. I have had considerable feedback from members saying how much they enjoyed the evening."
Joy Jackson, South Holderness Garden Club

"I am writing to say how much we enjoyed your talk last evening. You got our first meeting of the year off to a flying start by giving us so much information in a very amusing way. Thank you very much."
Anne Thorn, Holywell-cum-Needingworth Gardening Club

"On behalf of the Hardy Plant Society, North London Group, a big thank you for the very entertaining afternoon. I have had speakers before on winter colour, but I don't think any have given us such an entertaining and informative talk. Yours was both funny and gave us all food for thought. I have never known the members to join in so much and we all went away having learnt something to help us achieve that elusive winter colour in our gardens. You just pitched the afternoon right and it was greatly enjoyed by all."
Graham Cannon

"Thank you for returning to Bentley Heath once again and giving us all an amusing and informative talk. I loved the controversial bits!"
Lynda Hodge, The Hardy Plant Society, West Midlands Group

"May I say a very big thank you for yet another wonderful talk to Kings Cliffe Gardeners Association. You really are our favourite speaker as the numbers attending again proved. Hopefully we will be able to book you again next year."
June Hakes

"Well you certainly managed to pull the rabbit out of the hat - yet again! What a brill talk - once again loads of information shared with us, delivered in your lovely relaxed style. We were definitely 'amused'!! Thank you very much from us all"
Debbie, Somersham Garden Club

"Would you be willing to come and speak to the Hemingford Grey Gardeners Society during our next winter programme? You have been to us twice before and our members enjoy your talks."
Elaine Lee

"Thanks so much for coming to Lakenheath. We all had a great evening and look forward to your return."
Juliana Bunning