Steve’s Talks

Drought tolerant plants for the modern cottage garden

Duration: 1 hour approx
Price: £100 plus travel cost

Is the cottage garden is under threat of extinction! Maybe? But plantsmen and gardeners are fighting back against climate change, in this talk steve will share plants to overcome the summer dry weather but cope with the winter wet at the same time. As always steve will have a smattering of practical advice of how to garden in dry conditions and still have the romance of a cottage garden.

How to book

A tale of 2 gold medals

Duration: 1 hour approx
Price: £100 plus travel cost

Would you have what it takes to win 2 gold medals at the one of the most famous flower shows in the world, Chelsea and then 6 weeks later do it again with a completely different display at Hampton court the largest flower show in the world ( oh and win ‘Best in show’)
Find out what it takes and how it was done in this engaging talk about sacrifice, commitment, teamwork and determination.

How to book

Plant trials with the RHS

Duration: 1 hour approx
Price: £100 plus travel cost

Learn how plants come to trial, what the assessment forum is looking for in good garden plants and how does a plant get the coveted award of garden merit (AGM). Steve will cover several trials he has been involved with and give recommendations of AGM plants.

How to book

Dahlia’s for the garden

Duration: 1 hour approx
Price: £100 plus travel cost

This is a talk on dahlias for the home gardener not the exhibition grower, whats the difference you might wonder, well we will explore together great dahlias for garden use including species dahlias and best dahlias for pollinating insects.

How to book

A Horticulturists home garden

Duration: 1 hour approx
Price: £100 plus travel cost

Steve and Lou started creating a garden in 2013 at their home in east Kent, a small front garden planted with fruit, herbs and wildlife in mind, a modest sized back garden which is planted as a jungle, full of exotics. Steve will explain the design ideas, special plants including 4 national collections of plants and how he and lou look after their home garden.

How to book

Succession planting

Duration: 1 hour approx
Price: £100 plus travel cost

Planning a border and garden so you always have something flowering is a challenge, in this talk we will look at plant choices through the year that can work together to give you interest in all seasons.

How to book

Container gardening

Duration: 1 hour approx
Price: £100 plus travel cost

Container gardening can be very rewarding, sounds easy looking after plants in pots doesn’t it? But so many people are unsuccessful with pots, in this talk we will look for inspiration, cover the practicalities of container gardening and show lots of examples of how people do it so well.

How to book

Exotic gardening

Duration: 1 hour approx
Price: £100 plus travel cost

I was bitten by the exotic plant bug 18years ago when I was head gardener at the salutation and I was looking for a way to extend the season of interest. When gardens are often flagging late in the summer, the exotic garden is only just coming to its zenith, this talk explores hardy and tender exotics, exotic flowers and exotic foliage choices and how to get the best from this style of gardening that is not for the faint hearted.

How to book

The Land and the The No Name Nursery

Duration: 1 hour approx
Price: £100 plus travel cost

In 2019 Steve and Lou bought 3 acres of old field full of brambles, waist high grass and even an old pig pen! With the intention of creating a garden to retire into, fast forward just 12 months Steve was made redundant the decision was made to speed up the garden plans and start a sustainable modern nursery and ‘garden’ (for want of a better word) it is now home to 4 national collections, more than 1000 plant species, meadows, orchard, and our amazing long border. In this talk Steve explores their philosophy, design ideas, sustainability of the nursery and garden in the light of climate change and habitat destruction.

How to book

The Long border

Duration: 1 hour approx
Price: £100 plus travel cost

The ‘Lockdown’ long border as we call it because it was created during the covid lockdown of 2020.

100m long and 6m deep the long border is one of the major highs of the no name nursery, 2,000 perennials, tree’s, shrubs and roses make up the hundreds of plant species planted for late summer, autumn and winter interest makes this border different from most. This lecture looks at the borders creation, maintenance and highs through the season, with of course lots of plant recommendations.

How to book

The Salutation Gardens

Duration: 1 hour approx
Price: £100 plus travel cost

The best garden you may never have heard of! For 15 years the salutation was open to the public in east Kent, designed by sir Edwin Lutyens it oozes the classic romance of an English garden, in 2018 was voted Britain’s most romantic hotel, was the only garden open to the public to win a gold award from Kent wildlife trust for gardening for wildlife. Steve was head gardener at the salutation for 17 years and shares the history, design, planting style and stories of a garden that became one of the most visited gardens in Kent before it closed in 2020.

How to book

Salvias for the garden

Duration: 1 hour approx
Price: £100 plus travel cost

The world of salvias is vast, horticulturist Steve Edney picks his favourite species and cultivars, from the tough Balkan sages to salvias for shade through to the dreamy foliage and flowers of some of the more tender forms, Steve will as always offer tips and advice on how to get the best from this amazing group of plants

How to book

Kitchen gardening

Duration: 1 hour approx
Price: £100 plus travel cost

Kitchen gardens or potagers as they are called in France conjure up images of wildly romantic spaces which are both beautiful yet functional.

A beginners guide to, good design, planting and variety choices plus handy tips to get the best from your fruit, veg and herbs

How to book