If you
are a member of a garden club or horticultural society looking
for speakers to give talks to your members, then look no further
than our list of speakers below.
All the members of the GMG are either well-known
writers, authors, photographers or radio or TV presenters who
will provide an excellent evening's entertainment.
Below are their details, a summary of the more popular talks they
give and contact details.
Please note: The Garden Media Guild
cannot enter into conversation with the clubs, societies and speakers
concerning bookings or any other matter or dispute that may arise
from any subsequent bookings.
Nick Bailey
Writer, broadcaster, garden designer
Home town: Norwich
Distance willing to travel: Just about any distance
Fees: £40 to £50 plus travel @ 21p per mile
Talks:
Going green‚ in the garden
Gardening for a changing climate
365 days of flowers
How to use colour in the garden
Plants for places
The history of garden design
Contact: nick@nickbaileygardendesign.com
Matthew Biggs
Writer, broadcaster, author
Home town:
St Albans, Herts
Distance willing to travel: Just about any distance (but long distances may incur rail/air travel which will be charged separately)
Fees: £300 to £350
Talks:
Back Gardens of Britain
The Work and History of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Plants in Medicine; the past, the present, your future
The Wonder of Plants
Contact: matthew-biggs@btconnect.com
Jill Billington
Writer, author
Home town: London
Distance willing to travel: Just about any distance (including USA)
Fees: Averages at £400, but depends very much upon where
Talks: (nearly all design based):
London's Parks and Gardens ( best with two projectors and two screens)
Really Small Gardens
Show Gardens from RHS and other Shows.
The Contemporary Garden and Selected Materials
Inspirational Sources for Garden Designers (art, landscape, cultures and mathematics - needs two projectors and two screens)
Designing with plants
Colour creates Mood in the Garden
Sculpture in the Garden
Form, Texture and Colour in the Garden
(plus and adaptations around these themes)
Contact: jill.billington@btinternet.com
Val Bourne
Writer, broadcaster
Home town: Banbury
Distance willing to travel: Just about any distance
Fees: Negotiable
Talks:
Plant Myth & Legend
Homefield - an Organic Garden
Snowdrops
Organic Principles & Solutions
Woodland Ephemerals
Long Term Performance for Every Season
Contact: valbourne@totalise.co.uk
Nigel Colborn
Writer, author, photographer, broadcaster, flower show judge, raconteur, RHS Vice Chairman
Home town: Haconby, Lincolnshire
Distance willing to travel: Any distance
Fees: Consult agents: Limelight Management, 33 Newman Street, London W13 3PD; 020 7637 2529
Talks:
Each event is tailored specifically for the client/society/club. Topics of speciality include: sustainable gardening, creative planting, the world's flora in British gardens and elsewhere, humour in the garden, biodiverrsity and good gardening, gardening in public places.
Contact: ncolborn@btinternet.com
Sally Cunninngham
Writer, lifetime professional gardener, ecologist
Home town: Leicester
Distance willing to travel: Winter 30 miles (or more if venue is close to railway station), summer 50 miles
Fees: £50 (plus something towards travel)
Talks:
Love your bugs - basic guide to garden creepy-crawlies
Organic gardening
Know and grow unusual vegetables
Know and grow unusual fruit
Know, grow and cook Asian fruits and vegetables
Medicinal herbs
Culinary herbs
Plants from the past
Plants for their place
Small scale polytunnel growing
Contact: sally.neeyerrington@btopenworld.com or sally@yerrington.com
Susie Edwards
Writer, book author, lecturer, NAFAS demonstrator and speaker
Home town: Half way between Blandford Forum and Dorchester
Distance willing to travel: Just about any distance
Fees: Talk/part demo: £200.00 plus 50p mile
plus approx £30 for flowers; Full demo: £300 plus £100-£150
flowers
Demonstrations/Talks:
Five Weddings and a Breakdown
Tunnel Vision
Natural Mechanics (half demonstration, half talk)
Conditioning Cut Plant Material
Two Sides of a Houseplant
Deck the Halls (Part demonstration)
Contact: info@susie-edwards.co.uk
Richard Fishbourne on behalf of Wiggly Wigglers
Wildlife gardener, naturalist, vermiculturalist
Home town: Hereford
Distance willing to travel: Any
Fees: £45 plus 40p per mile travel
Talks:
Bringing a Garden to life a A look at worms, bugs, bees, birds and beasties and gardening for wildlife
Contact: richard@wigglywigglers.co.uk
Website: www.wigglywigglers.co.uk
Sue Fisher
Writer, broadcaster
Home town: Yelverton, Devon
Distance willing to travel: Just about any distance
Fees: Negotiable
Talks:
Spectacular Containers for Year-round Colour
Making the Most of a Small Garden
Fast plants - How to Create a Garden in a Hurry
Planting a Dry Garden
Creating an Exotic Garden
Contact: suefisher@talktalk.net
Martin Ford
Writer, radio broadcaster
Home town: Shrewsbury
Distance willing to travel: 50 miles
Fees: £50 plus travelling expenses
Talks:
A Taste of Madeira
Aspects of Pruning
Gardening the Organic Way
Garden-worthy Plants for Year-round Succession
Labour-saving Gardening
Modern Techniques in Vegetable Growing
Plants for Free – seasonal plant propagation
Spring Gardens of Cornwall
Spring into Action – seasonal jobs
Understanding and Managing Soils
I organise and chair a horticultural quiz for clubs. As a tour operator I run day trips and garden tours at home and abroad
Contact: martin@tchholidays.co.uk
Antoinette Galbraith
Writer
Home town: Edinburgh
Distance willing to travel: Scotland & North
of England
Fees: Negotiable
Talks:
How to get started as a freelance writer
Contact: antoinette.galbraith@virgin.net
David Haigh
Writer, broadcaster, garden tour guide
Home town: Carlisle
Distance willing to travel: Any, but decent overnight accommodation is needed when necessary
Fees: £75 plus 25p per mile travel
Talks:
Pruning demonstration
Vegetable growing
How to reduce the amount of time and effort spent maintaining the garden
Garden water features
A photographic journey around some great gardens
Edible landscaping
Contact: david@haigh93.orangehome.co.uk
Nick Hamilton
Writer, author and co-owner of Barnsdale Gardens
Home town: Oakham, Rutland
Distance willing to travel: Just about any distance
Fees: £100 plus 45p per mile travel
Talks:
A history of Barnsdale (1979 to present day)
Barnsdale - the television years
Barnsdale after Geoff (1996-present day)
Organic gardening
Penstemon - varieties, growing techniques and aftercare
Gardening in shade
Drought-tolerant plants
How to have vegetables all year round
Vegetative plant propagation - softwood, semi-ripe, hardwood and root
cuttings
Must-have summer perennials
Plus many more, which are listed on the website.
Contact: marketing@barnsdalegardens.co.uk
Website: www.barnsdalegardens.co.uk
Charles Hawes
Photographer, gardener and joint (with writer Anne Wareham) garden
owner of Veddw House Garden
Home town: Chepstow,
Monmouthshire
Distance willing to travel: Just about any distance
Fees: £100-£200 plus travelling expenses
Talks:
Design inspirations from Chaumont (annual Garden Design Festival)
Clematis
Contact: charles@veddw.co.uk
Geoff Hodge
Journalist, website editor, author, TV and radio presenter
Home town: Peterborough
Distance willing to travel: Just about any distance
Fees: £90 plus 25p per mile travel
Talks:
The Life & Times of a Gardening Editor
Propagation - Plants for Free
Plants for Situations (choose from: shade, clay, chalk, drought etc.)
Weeds & the Weed-Free Garden
Pest & Disease Control
Pruning - Making it Simple!
Houseplants - the Indoor Jungle?
Luscious Lawns
Gardening in the Global Greenhouse - gardening with Climate Change
Colour All Year Round
Plus more, which are listed on his website.
Contact: geoff@gardenforum.demon.co.uk
Website: www.gardenforum.demon.co.uk
Caroline Holmes
Writer, journalist, TV and radio presenter, lecturer
Home town: Bury St. Edmunds
Distance willing to travel: Just about any distance
(subject to negotiation)
Fees: From £200 (including travel)
Talks:
The Roman Garden
A Green Chronology of Gardens: the Creation of the Historic Gardens
at Yalding Organic Gardens
The Evolution of Garden Design
Herbs and Gardens
The Man who Saw Capabilities
The Artful Flora
Contact: Cholmesgmm@aol.com
Michael Howes
Photographer
Home town: Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire
Distance willing to travel: Normally up to 200
miles, but will consider longer distances provided costs can be
covered.
Fees: By negotiation
Talks:
Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced Photography
Digital and Conventional Photography
Plant and Garden Photography
Contact: michael.howes1@ntlworld.com
Terry Illsley
Writer, lecturer, photographer
Home town: Diss, Norfolk
Distance willing to travel: Negotiable
Fees: £40 plus 20p per mile travel
Talks:
Propagation
Greenhouse Techniques
Trees & Shrubs for the Smaller Garden
Annuals/Perennials in Colour and Cultivation
Gardens and Gardening in East Anglia
Shrubs for All the Year
Contact: 01379 668707
Michael Leech
Plantsman, lecturer, TV presenter
Home town: Wormelow, Herefordshire
Distance willing to travel: Just about any distance
Fees: £40-45 plus 25-28p per mile travel
Talks:
Gardening and the Media
Plants with Personality
Hellebores
A Day with Beth Chatto
Water Gardening
Insect Friends and Foes in the Garden
Contact: 01981 540520
Roddy Llewellyn
Writer, lecturer, broadcaster, designer
Home town: Oxford/Shipston-on-Stour
Distance willing to travel: Any, but I have to charge 50p per mile, and require comfortable accommodation
Fees: Average £500
Talks:
Inspirational Ideas for the Garden
Colour Coordinations and Innovative Ideas
How to add Humour to the Garden
Contact: roddy.llewellyn@virgin.net
Website: roddyllewellyn.com
Peter May
Writer, author, photographer, landscaper and garden designer dealing mainly with water gardens and associated features
Home town: Blagdon, near Bristol
Distance willing to travel: Any distance, but above 15miles, 40p per mile
Fees: £300
Talks:
Water garden style and the history of water gardens
Water garden plants
The Perfect Pond Recipe: Building a water garden and how to choose the right materials
Bog gardens
Contact: peter@peterjmay.demon.co.uk
Website: www.watergardenermagazine.com
Andrew Mikolajski
Author, broadcaster, garden designer and photographer
Home
town: Long Buckby, Northants
Distance willing to travel: Any
Fees: £100, plus travel expenses for distances
over 20 miles
Talks:
Easy Plants
Connoisseur's Plants
Roses
Some American Gardens (featuring the work of Martha Schwartz and
Isabelle Green)
What's in a Name? The thorny matter of nomenclature
Plants I Love, Plants I Loathe
Contact: andrewmikolajski@macunlimited.net
John Negus
Writer, photographer
Home town: Farnham
Distance willing to travel: Just about any distance
Fees: Around £50-£70 including travel
Talks:
Twelve Months of Colour
Winning Water Gardens
Shrubs of Distinction
An Eye for Design
Gardening with Flair
British Wild Flowers
Contact: jnegushort@aol.com
Amanda Patton
Garden designer, illustrator, writer and photographer
Home
town: Sherborne, Dorset
Distance willing to travel: Any distance
Fees: Negotiable
Talks:
Designing with water
Plant partners, designing with plants
Colour in the garden
Garden design
Somerset Revival the making of a Chelsea garden
Contact: info@amandapatton.co.uk
Graham A Pavey
Garden designer, author, photographer
Home Town: Bedford
Distance willing to travel: Any
Fees: £90 plus 30p per mile travelling
Talks:
The Mistakes Gardeners Make
Garden Design Techniques
Creative Gardening for Busy People
Bringing Plants Together
Vertical Gardening
The Shady Border
Contact: graham@grahamapavey.co.uk
Stuart Phillips
Writer, broadcaster
Home Town: Northampton
Distance willing to travel: Just about any distance
Fees: £70 plus 30p per mile travelling expenses
Talks:
Plant Folklore
The Gardener’s Almanac
Lawns and Lawn Care
Garden Design
The Secrets of Soils and Fertilisers
Pests and other Problems (Or what to do now the pesticides are all gone!)
Views of Kew, from a personal viewpoint
The Secrets and Mysteries of Pruning
Plants and Places in Western Australia
Plants and Places in Japan
Contact: talkgardens@yahoo.co.uk
Graham Porter
Horticultural consultant, writer and broadcaster
Home Town: Huddersfield
Distance willing to travel: 100 miles
Fees: £100 plus 30p per mile travelling expenses, but group and type dependant
Talks:
Wildlife Gardening - and a little bit more!
Trees and shrubs in the small garden
Gardeners' Question Time sessions
So you want to be a gardener!
Garden design - the bits that others forgot!
Contact: graham.porter@ntlworld.com
Rebecca Pow
Writer, broadcaster
Home town: Taunton
Distance willing to travel: 75 miles
Fees: £200 including travel
Talks:
Don't Cut it Down! (wildlife gardening
All Gardens Great and Small
The Hidden Garden of Hestercombe
The Making of Garden Club
Contact: rebecca@powproductions.tv
Steffie Shields
Photographer, writer, garden historian
Home town: Grantham
Distance willing to travel: Unlimited in England
Fees: Negotiable, not less than £100
Talks:
'Capability' Brown and the Gift of Landscape
Bloomin' Lovely
Impressions of Lincolnshire
Have Garden - Will Travel
The Artist in the Garden
Was 'Capability' Brown a Golfer
'Capability' Brown - The Lincolnshire Connection
A Ducal landscape
Mr Brown Engineer
My Green Studio
Contact: shieldssb@aol.com
Website: www.steffie-shields.co.uk
Doug Stewart
Writer, broadcaster
Home town: Beverley
Distance willing to travel: Just about any distance
Fees: Approx £80 - £180 depending on group size. Travel
charged at 20p/mile
Talks:
10 new 'must-have' plants
Superheroes - the plant hunters
People in glasshouses shouldn't...
Gardening on the Yorkshire Riviera, or the 15 year makeover
The Mediterranean Look
The joy of worms
Perfect Plants for Problem Places
Why plants talk to insects, and why pumpkins can't fly
Contact: doug@dougstewart.co.uk
Christine Walkden
Author, broadcaster, speaker
Home town: Hertfordshire
Distance willing to travel: Any distance
Fees: By negotiation dependant on group size
Talks:
Plants and gardens from around the world
Annuals
Alpines
Bulbs
Organic gardening
Making the most of your vegetable garden
Contact: Gardener@cmwalkden.fsnet.co.uk
Mike Warren
Photographer
Home town: Ipswich
Distance willing to travel: Any distance
Fees: By negotiation
Talks:
Through the Year with a Horticultural Photographer
Garden Tour
International Escapades
Contact: warrenmichael@btinternet.com
Susie White
Writer, author, photographer
Home town: Hexham, Northumberland
Distance willing to travel: North of England and Southern Scotland, possibly
further afield
Fees: £120, expenses negotiable depending on distance
Talks:
Organic and wildlife gardening from personal experience
The herb collection at Chesters Walled Garden
Antique flowers
Cottage garden perennials
Gardens of Northumberland and the Borders (based on my book)
Wildflowers of Northumberland
Contact: mail@chesterswalledgarden.fsnet.co.uk
Website: www.chesterswalledgarden.co.uk
Paul Williams
Writer, author, broadcaster
Home town: Shipston on Stour
Distance willing to travel: Negotiable
Fees: £150 plus travel
Talks:
Digging Deeper - a lively and entertaining look at plant and garden science
Winter Containers
Ornamental Container Gardening
All talks are practical demonstrations and no slides are used, therefore no talks in the dormant season.
Contact: pw@mitochondria.wanadoo.co.uk
Website: pw-horticulture.com
Angela Youngman
Writer, author, consultant
Home town: Norwich
Distance willing to travel: Negotiaible within Norfolk/Suffolk
Fees: £50 plus 20p per mile travelling expenses
Talks:
The Perils of Product Trialling for Tried & Tested Features
Green Gardening
Grey water & reducing water useage
Sensory Gardens for Less-abled Gardeners
Children's Gardening
Recycling in the Garden
Contact: pinewoodlodge@aspects.net
