ThomasGarden Talk: Wyndcliffe Court Garden School
After being approached by the owner of Wyndcliffe Court back in 2021, on Tuesday 12th I gave my first garden talk. Whilst I'm fairly experienced talking to crowds of people through my episodes commentating in 2021, this was certainly a more intimate experience speaking with a group of 30 keen garden enthusiasts.
Wyndcliffe Court has a beautiful Arts & Crafts garden. It was a pleasure to walk through the grounds as I find that it's a rare opportunity to experience a garden of this nature in such original and good condition. If you have the chance, Sarah typically opens her garden once a year for booked visits - it's well-worth the trip as a garden like this is usually only experienced in the pages of books.
What made the day even more intimidating was knowing that my talk had to follow on from the Nick Macer. If you're not aware, Nick is a modern day 'plant hunter' and owner of specialist nursery Pan Global Plants. Having travelled the world sourcing rare and unusual plants, Nick certainly has some stories to tell!
However, minor nerves past - the day went incredibly well and a talk that should have lasted around 1hr went on to over 2! The room was full of smiles & interaction and I loved every second of it.
The talk was titled 'Pots - Everything You Need To Know' and it covered:-
The history of terracotta and the use of pots in garden design throughout the ages
Antique Victorian terracotta and the development of pots for plants
How terracotta pots are made and the firing process explained
Why some pots are different colours to others
The pro's and con's to container gardening
Explaining frost damage and ways to mitigate it (not a problem with Cretan pots!)
Display recommendations
Planting proportions
Recommended plants
Wider garden design ideas that incorporate pots
The listeners were amazed by my knowledge on pots (as someone pointed out, unbelievable for someone just at the age of 25) and it seemed that everyone left the room with some new information and pointers. Overall, a great success!
Should you ever wish to book me for a garden talk don't hesitate to get in touch. Whilst this was a long talk, for talks of shorter durations, the content could be cut down to (what I was told after) the best bits. Hopefully I now have 3 lined up for 2023!
