Talk: Winter- Spring interest at
Great Dixter
Saturday 25th Feb
Tutor- John Massey
Time-2pm- 4pm
Cost- £18 (£10 for Friends)- includes
a cup of coffee and piece of home-made cake plus free entry to
the garden
Pay £22 (£14 for Friends) - to include
a soup and cheese lunch from 1pm beforehand
John Massey, MBE, VMH, owner of the renowned
Ashwood Nurseries will give an illustrated talk on The Winter
and Spring Garden and will discuss how to create a garden for
winter and spring using hellebores and other exciting plants for
colour and interest. Stunning images, combined with John's expertise
and keen sense of humour, makes this a treat not to be missed.
John’s driving force has been a wide ranging passion for
plants, but he has explored a number of genera in great depth,
and amassed some significant collections. In the early years,
he was attracted to dwarf conifers. These were followed by Lewisia,
Helleborus, Cyclamen species and Hepatica and more recently Salvias
and Hydrangeas. Ashwood holds a national collection for the N.C.C.P.G.
for Lewisias. He has travelled extensively to study plants both
in the wild and in cultivation, and his enthusiasm has taken him
as far afield as North America, Europe, Scandinavia, Japan, Korea
and China.
John’s aim has always been to bring his
collections to the attention of the gardening public and every
exhibit to date at Westminster has been awarded a Gold Medal (50
in all) and two Williams Memorial Medals have also been awarded
for displays of Lewisia and Hepatica respectively. In 2000, in
a joint stand in association with the Niigata Nurseryman’s
Association of Japan, Ashwood was awarded the Lawrence Medal.
In 1996 Ashwood also received a Gold Medal at Chelsea for Lewisia
and again for Hydrangeas in 2005, and in addition has been awarded
the Farrer Trophy 5 times for displays of alpines at Westminster.
In 2003, John was awarded the Veitch Memorial
Medal for his contribution to the advancement and improvement
of the science of horticulture. His extensive knowledge of plants
is backed up by a hands-on approach to propagation and cultivation
of his chosen genera. For over 40 years, John Massey has built
up the reputation of Ashwood Nurseries and the plants associated
with it. He believes passionately that there are still many more
plants worthy of attention and has been creating a new garden
for that purpose, which he opens to raise money for local charities
regularly throughout the year. In the Queen’s Birthday Honours
list in June 2008 John was awarded an MBE for his services to
local charities in the West Midlands, and in 2010, he was awarded
the Victoria Medal of Honour by the Royal Horticultural Society
in recognition of his life-long services to horticulture.
To book a place for this talk ring 01797 254048.
£30 (£22 for Friends) to attend
both talks on the 25th February including lunch and refreshments.
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