News
Our regular newsletters to members include articles on all aspects of gardening, information about past and forthcoming events and updates on the work of the SGT Council and committees. Members are invited to contribute relevant articles and/or photographs to the newsletters. See more news on our Instagram pages.
HOW DID YOUR GARDEN GROW? [May 2026]
Somerset Archives and Local Studies Service, which is part of the South West Heritage Trust, is running a garden themed pop-up exhibition and plant swap in July. The exhibition titled: ‘How Did Your Garden Grow?’ will celebrate the history of gardening in Somerset and beyond. It will feature a selection of original documents relating to gardens and allotments, some dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. These include Gertrude Jekyll’s planting plans for Hestercombe, early 20th century planting plans for Barrington Court, seed and plant catalogues, gardening journals and illustrations of flowers.
The display will be complemented by a table‑top plant swap. Entry is free and visitors are invited to bring a plant to exchange or to give a small contribution to support the South West Heritage Trust. Part of the Service’s Discovery Saturday, the event is on July 11 from 10am-12pm at the Somerset Heritage Centre in Brunel Way, Norton Fitzwarren, Taunton TA2 6SF. Further details can be found here: https://swheritage.org.uk/events/plant-swap-and-display
Meanwhile our own Garden Detectives on the Research and Conservation Committee are busy with their project to digitise and record some of our old photographs which are slides. Unfortunately some, including a couple of a crematorium somewhere in Somerset, are unlabelled and testing their skills to the utmost!
CALLING ALL WOULD-BE GARDEN DETECTIVES [April 2026]
Our neighbours at Avon and Gloucestershire Gardens Trust are running a new, one-day research study day this month and it is open to SGT members who wish to attend. The Garden & Landscape History Research Day is on Wednesday April 22 at Design West in Bristol led by Sally Bate from The Gardens Trust. A visit to nearby Brandon Hill as a research subject is included.
The study day will introduce garden history and develop skills for finding out about the origins of a park or garden and its alterations over time. These skills include surveying a site, carrying out desktop research and learning about the many resources available for researching garden history. No prior specialist skills are required, other than an inquiring mind and an interest in gardens and landscapes.
The cost is £15 each, including a sandwich lunch and tea/coffee throughout the day. Students and under 25’s free. To book, visit the Avon & Gloucestershire Gardens Trust website at https://www.aggt.org.uk/events/
SGT has an active team of garden detectives on its Research and Conservation Committee and it could always do with more help. The April meeting of the SGT Council agreed to fund a Head Gardener’s Network in Somerset which would foster mutually valuable ties between professionals who play a key role in looking after our historical parks and garden enthusiasts.
NATIONAL PLANT COLLECTIONS IN FOCUS [March 2026]
Our neighbouring County Gardens Trust, Wiltshire, has just updated its website. It is always useful to have a look at what our fellow gardens enthusiasts are saying and doing. The new site is clear, colourful and easy to navigate.
Wiltshire Gardens Trust has a close association with the charity Plant Heritage to which it makes an annual donation. Plant Heritage focusses on the conservation of cultivated plants and is a great resource for gardeners, garden designers, botanists and researchers. It is the home of the 730 plus National Plant Collections in the UK.
Some of the plants in the collections are indigenous but others have been brought here over the years from across the world and become part of our rich garden flora heritage. It is encouraging to note that Somerset has 17 collections although most are in private hands including those of our own treasurer, Stuart Senior!
Greencombe Gardens at Porlock which we visited in 2023 and which is open to the public again from April 4, has four collections, namely Erythronium, Gaultheria, Polystichum and Vaccinium. The Newt, near Bruton, has collections of Malus and Malus domestica.
GARDENS TRUST CAREERS NETWORK [February 2026]
The Gardens Trust, of which Somerset Gardens Trust is a member, is setting up a careers network for anyone interested in exploring careers in garden history or in helping to protect, conserve or champion historic parks and gardens.
Frankie Taylor, the Trust’s engagement officer, has been working with a small subgroup of volunteers, including staff from English Heritage, to get the first online meeting off the ground. It will be on Thursday 19th March at 6:00pm.
Open to anyone at any stage of their career and including career-changers, volunteers or students, the meeting aims to tell people more about what the network hopes to achieve and open up discussion on how it might work.
Frankie is inviting any members who are interested to click or pass on the link below.
Help Shape the Gardens Trust Careers Network Tickets, Thu, Mar 19, 2026 at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite
She is happy to have a chat with anyone who wants to be involved in the network and can be contacted via Email [email protected]
REFLECTIONS AND PROJECTIONS [January 2026]
Having passed the shortest day, we head into a new year with thoughts of the seasons to come; the prospect of spring bulbs, summer blooms and autumn harvests as well as plenty of garden visits.
Last year was a busy one that saw our Research and Conservation Committee reach out for more help with its task of surveying our valued parks and gardens and keeping an eye out for any threats to them from development. If anyone is interested, we would love to hear from you. We shared the concerns of The Gardens Trust at its proposed removal by the government as a consultee on planning applications.
There was good news from East Lambrook whose new owners confirmed their intentions to join in the Snowdrop Festival in February and disclosed various plans for the future of Britain’s only Grade 1 Listed cottage garden. Omens seemed promising too for Hestercombe whose MD Warren Leavens has said he is optimistic that the gardens will exit administration in the Spring. They remain open and will also be showcasing snowdrops.
The Education Committee has had a fulfilling time awarding grants totalling £4262 to Somerset schools for anything from water butts and raised planters to seeds, tools and pond plants. The deadline for the next tranche of applications is March 18.
EXCITING PLANS FOR EAST LAMBROOK MANOR GARDEN [November 2025]
The new owners of Britain’s only Grade 1 Listed cottage garden, East Lambrook Manor Garden, are using the off-season to put in train some exciting projects. Andrew and Alison Johnson, who have a wealth of horticultural experience, have been busy getting to know the iconic garden created by Margery Fish, its volunteers, neighbours and regular visitors. They are now working on a number of plans before re-opening in time for the Snowdrop Festival in February 2026.
Among current projects are a hot compost system for garden waste and the creation of new garden elements such as a double-sided herbaceous border in a previously neglected corner. They are also eager to find older varieties of cottage garden plants to use and propagate. A recent find was a Viola called ‘Christmas’, apparently first introduced by Margery in 1965.
Meanwhile Head Gardener, Mark Stainer, who started working at the garden part time while still at school, has just clocked up an amazing 50 years. Margery’s nephew was the owner when Mark joined full-time in 1975. The RHS has awarded him a 40 year long-service medal with a ten-year bar making it a 50-year medal!