Gardening Club

The first thing you need to know is that you don’t have to be a gardening expert to join the club, just have an interest in plants and gardens. 

The gardening club meets on the first Wednesday of most months in the village hall. For a small fee of £18 per year you will receive a programme of speakers and organised visits. Our speakers are of good quality and cover a range of gardening topics, usually based upon their own extensive experience. 

Most years we hold a show which is open to everyone.  There are 7 sections -vegetables, flowers, flower arranging, fruit (including jams), cookery, crafts and a section for children. Exhibits are judged by experienced outside judges and points awarded. The entrant with the most points for each section is awarded a cup which they keep for a year. After judging, the show is open for viewing. There is always a great atmosphere and refreshments to enjoy.    

We also challenge entrants to grow a seed potato in the great Potato Challenge. The winner is the entrant with the highest weight of potatoes on the day of the show.

The club has a mix of experienced, enthusiastic members or those who just enjoy being in their garden.

Officers

Chairman: Stephen Pearce

Secretary: Chris Martin

Treasurer: Wendy Berry

Committee Members: Officers named above plus Fiona Pearce, Mandy Boyd, Trudy Dale, Paul Fricker, Kathy Fricker.

As can be seen from the 2025 diary of events, Sampford Brett Gardening Club is a flourishing club within the village that offers a wide and varied programme from February through to November. Unless specified otherwise, meetings take place on the first Wednesday of the month at 7.30pm in the village hall. Members and non-members are most welcome as well as those from within the village and surrounding area.

For more information, please contact Steve (01984 633391) or Chris (01984 248618).

2025 Programme

5Th February           SNOWDROPS – Fair Maids of February by Mickey Little

Mickey trained at Cannington, was a nurseryman at Kelways and head gardener at Castle Drogo before joining Avon Bulbs as a propagator. His knowledge of snowdrops is extensive, and he has been involved in propagating new cultivars over the years.

5TH March                A ROGUES GALLERY FOR GARDENERS by Sally Nex

A welcome return to Sally Nex whose talk will be packed with practical advice on organic ways of tackling pests and diseases.

2nd April                    BOWDENS HOSTAS  by Peter Savage

Peter has worked at Bowdens Nursery, Sticklepath near Okehampton for 12 years. Roger and Ann Bowden started the nursery in the early 1990s, winning their first gold at Chelsea in 1999 and breeding the Devon range of hostas. Peter will give helpful advice about growing hostas successfully and there will also be plants for sale.

7th May                     DUNSTER CASTLE GARDENS by James Cordingly

James leads the team of gardeners at Dunster Castle Gardens and is responsible for the maintenance of this 18 acre garden. An opportunity to learn more about what is on our doorstep!

4th June                     COACH TRIP TO FORDE ABBEY GARDENS

2nd July                     CONTAINER GARDENING by Julie Haylock

Julie runs a garden design practice covering Somerset and Dorset. She has designed and exhibited at Chelsea, Gardeners’ World Live and at Taunton Flower Show. During the meeting, Julie will assemble a container for outside which will be raffled at the end of the meeting.

12th July                    FLOWER SHOW

August  (date tbc)           TEA IN A MEMBER’S GARDEN

3rd September       LUXEMBOURG – LAND OF ROSES by Heidi Howcroft

Author Heidi Howcroft has worked with internationally renowned Luxembourg garden photographer, Marianne Majerus, to document the important contribution the Grand Duchy has made to the horticultural world.

1st October             HOUSEPLANTS by Rob Hutch

Born out of a passion for all things botanical and Frankie’s love of planting up terraniums, Rob and Frankie run their shop in Exeter and have a wealth of houseplant experience to share.

5th November        (7pm start) AGM followed by a talk on

STONELANDS HOUSE GARDEN by Saul Walker

This beautiful 12 acre garden in Dawlish (which opens under the NGS scheme) surrounds an early 19th century property designed by John Nash. 15 years ago, a programme of extensive landscaping  took place led by Arabella Lennox-Boyd. Saul is the head gardener at Stonelands; his special interests include woodland gardens, orchids and exotic plants.