Salix gracilistyla Mount Aso
Programme 2026 – 27
The cost will generally be £4 per person for HPS members and £6 per person for non-members, though it may be higher for some speakers, plus £1 for each raffle ticket. The ticket cost will be included in the meeting details for each speaker.
Pay at the door – Cash or Card
The funds raised go towards the cost of our speakers and improving our future programme as well as towards our raffle prizes (raffle tickets are optional of course). Now that we are back to meeting in this larger hall, we have also taken the opportunity to invest some of the proceeds of last season’s programme into a new projector: being able to show larger clearer images will be of real benefit for our speakers and all of us.
Venue
Little Mill Village Hall,
Berthon Road, Pontypool
NP4 0HE
Ample Parking
5 Sept 26 2.00pm
New Beginnings at Mouton House and
Tales from a Career in Horticulture
Tim Stretton
Head of Gardens, Mounton House
Hidden in the hills beyond Chepstow, there is a little-known Arts and Crafts garden undergoing an amazing renaissance. Under the stewardship of Arne Maynard, and supported by its passionate owners, Mounton House is finally becoming the garden its creator, Henry Avray Tipping, would be more than proud of.
The recent restoration of the five-acre garden under the expert leadership of Tim and his team, has been sympathetic to the original design and Tipping’s planting ideas, with everything on the project being done in a meticulous, thoughtful way, and with real passion. Tim will walk us through this major project and thoughts on future development.
He will also give us some insight into his personal gardening backstory. He has worked everywhere from coastal gardens in Australia to The Park of Monserrate in Sintra, Portugal, and Osborne House on the Isle of Wight to the Sir Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll garden at Folly Farm in Berkshire.
10 Oct 26 2.00pm
Plants of the Season
Paul Green
http://www.greensleavesnursery.com
Paul needs no introduction. He’s a favourite with Monmouthshire HPS and is back by popular demand. As ever, he will bring tables-full of healthy, in-season plants for sale from his specialist nursery in Newent, Gloucestershire. Paul will talk us through their use and merits in his usual relaxed and informative way, taking questions as he goes. I defy you to come away empty handed.
14 Nov 26. 2.00pm
Pushing the Boundaries
Derry Watkins
https://www.specialplants.net
Another Monmouthshire HPS favourite who brings plants for sale! Derry is a very successful plantswoman, businesswoman and author who has run her specialist Plant and Seed Nursery, Special Plants, near Bath for nearly 30 years. She is an unashamed and enthusiastic plantaholic. In her talk Pushing the Boundaries she says “We all fall in love with plants not suited to our conditions. But with global warming, more and more plants are now becoming possible to grow in this part of the world. this talk discusses why it is worth experimenting with borderline hardy plants and how to increase the likelihood of them surviving.
12 Dec 2026. 2.00pm
The Tropic of Newport
Dave Robinson
@botanical.plantasy.dave
Behind an unassuming semi-detached house on a quiet street on the east side of Newport lies a magical world of enormous tropical plants, a jungle paradise created by Dave, his partner Gemma and their enthusiastic son, Arlo. In just 10 years, they have transformed the blank canvas of a simple lawn into a beautifully curated collection of immaculately maintained rare and exotic plants in a garden of high drama and atmosphere. It’s a knockout.
Dave will walk us through the development of this personal Eden and his amazing plant collection, and will reflect on his transformation from a career in sales to a well-respected expert on sub-tropical gardening, now working at a specialist plant nursery and their new found fame on the BBC, ITV, Times, Telegraph and across social media.
Monmouthshire Group 