The Surrey Group is a vibrant group supporting the plant conservation work of Plant Heritage with an active programme of talks in Cobham,Surrey. We also hold propagation workshops, organise trips to gardens and nurseries, organise stalls at local fairs and fetes and have two plant fairs at Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking.
Surrey Group indoor meetings are held on the second Thursday of February, March, April, September, October and November in St Andrew's Church Hall, Churchgate House, Downside Bridge Road, Cobham, KT11 3EJ. Doors open at 7.00pm and the talk starts at 7.30pm.
We have talks by knowledgeable speakers on all aspects of plants and horticulture, a plant sale, raffle, refreshments and a Flower of the Meeting competition. Visitors are welcome and asked to donate £4 at the door. Visits to National Collections and notable gardens are organised throughout the year.
Please contact email Surrey Group for details.
Photographic Competition 2024: 'Triumphant' is the title for this year. The winner will be chosen at our AGM in February.
Plea for Plants ... and Search for Seeds: We always encourage members to propagate plants for sale at our Plant Fairs, we have a propagation group, we provide practical help to National Collection Holders in Surrey and we take an active part in the Plant Exchange Scheme and Plant Guardian scheme. We also donate our spare seeds for sale on the PH stand at the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.
Dispersed Collections Project
In 2020, as part of our endeavours to conserve the diversity of garden plants, the Surrey Group decided to begin a project to start some dispersed collections. Dispersed collections are not held by any one person on any particular site and the plants are dispersed among members of the group. Dispersed collections have the horticultural advantage of being free of those problems normally associated with monocultures in terms of their susceptibility to pests and diseases. From the point of view of a collection holder they are additionally free of that particular fear of losing plants, since identical 'backup' plants are held by other group members.
Two new collections have been proposed an Ajuga collection and a collection of the Tigh-na-Garth strain of 'Ben' Helianthemum bred by John Nicoll and commonly available in the 1920's and 1930's.
Participation in this project is open to all Surrey Group Members so if you would like to have a part, of what will hopefully become, a Plant Heritage National Collection of plants growing in your own back garden then do get in touch with the Dispersed Collections Project.
If you would like to see how we are doing our lists of plants acquired and those we are still looking for are below : -
What We Have: -
Proposed Ajuga Collection - Plants Acquired
Proposed Helianthemum Collection - Plants acquired
What We Are Looking for: -
Proposed Ajuga Collection - Plants listed in RHS Plant Finder (Since 2020) but not yet obtained
National Collection of Chaenomeles cultivars held by David Ford: Chaenomeles speciosa 'Geisha Girl'
© D Ford
National Plant Collection of Kalmia at Squires Garden Centre in Milford: Kalmia latifolia 'Peppermint'
© Plant Heritage
Three National Plant Collections are held by Ottershaw Cacti - Astroloba, Gasteria and Haworthia: Haworthia 'Big Band'
© Ottershaw Cacti
OUR ARCHIEVE
For our special Lockdown Newsletter : -
Flower of the Month Competition
In light of the recent global crisis our normal meetings held from September through to April have had to be cancelled as has our accompanying Flower of the Month/Meeting competition. We have now brought this popular competition online for all to enjoy.
All our thanks to the kind judges of our competition for giving their time and expertise during lockdown.
2020
May Jill Otway, RHS
June Tom Brown, Head Gardener West Dean Gardens
July Timothy Walker, Lecturer, Botanist, Gardener, Author
August Martin Fish, Consultant, Personality & Chair of RHS Tender
Ornamental Plant Committee
2021
May James Miller, Propagator, Gibraltar Botanic Gardens
June Cherrill Sands, Garden Historian
July David Hunt, NT Enthusiast, Amateur Photographer, Lecturer, Rambler
Lecturer
Results 2020
Entries and Winners August 2020
Results 2021
Latest News
14th Sep, 2024
Denbies Plant Fair August 2024
15th Jun, 2022
RHS Wisley Plant Society Show 18th & 19th June
10th May, 2022
Surrey Group Plant Fair Breaks Records
31st Mar, 2022
Plant Heritage Talks at Wisley
Contact Group
Tel: 0208 645 5185
Committee
Wendy Bentall
Anne Mathieson
Nina Gardner
Anne Clifford
Claire Davitt
Eloise Curtis
Jane Sutton
Debbie Steer
Virginia Lloyd-Owen
Helen Hansen-Hjul
Julia Maynard
Suzy Hughes
David England