Three Villages Gardening Club

When Do We Meet and What Do We Do?

We meet every month. During the winter months we normally meet at 7:30pm on the second Monday of the month in Birch Memorial Hall (postcode CO2 0LZ). In the summer we arrange perhaps two or three evening visits to gardens or other outside venues, plus a social barbecue for members and their guests. The December meeting often has a strong social element to it.

Although we are a relatively small club, we usually find enough people to fill a coach, normally once a year in mid-week, and we have visited places that are far afield, including The Old Vicarage at East Ruston and RHS Garden Wisley. With a membership of around 65, we average attendances of 35 for talks, and somewhat more for garden visits and social events where members often bring their ‘other halves’ or a friend, along.

What Does it Cost?

The Annual Membership Subscription is £15 for the first year, with an annual renewal of £12. The monthly talks cost just £5.00 for members attending and £6.00 for non-members (including tea/coffee and biscuits). For outings the cost may vary, depending on the venue.

Bulk Purchasing Schemes

The Club runs bulk purchasing schemes for bulbs and seeds, as follows :

We belong to the Kings Seeds Club Purchase scheme which gives members a 50% discount on all seed orders placed from their online catalogue. This is available to Club members only, all year round.

We do a Club wholesale bulb order through Parkers for Club members in February, and again in August/September.

One significant benefit for bulbs is the range of species and cultivars available; few retailers stock a wide or predictable range, or provide a catalogue from which to draw up a planting scheme.

We may also order snowdrops, aconites and bluebells ‘in the green’ in bulk in January.

All orders are welcome, large or small, as it is the total value of the Club order which generates the discount as well as saving on delivery costs.