An introduction to the plant collections of Ness Botanic Gardens
with Nick Lightfoot

Nick Lightfoot, Curator, will deliver a talk on the historical development and theming of the collections in the gardens.

Burton: From estate to market gardens to garden centres
with Ed Hilditch

Ed, who leads guided local history walks around Burton, Neston, Little Neston and the site of the Neston mines, will talk about why Burton has so many gardens and cultivated green spaces.

An Evening with Claire Lara - Booking open to all

Claire Lara, 2010 Masterchef winner (and first female winner of the show), will give us a talk about her career, including cooking for the Queen and Prince Philip, as well as Raymond Blanc, being selected to present a dish to the public for the King’s Coronation, her passion for engaging with and developing young chefs, as well as how she truly believes absolutely anybody can cook!
This event is open to all, but priority booking will initially be offered to members only.

Plant records and their uses in botanic gardens
with Mike Roberts

Mike is the Plant Records Officer at Ness, and explains why it’s so important to keep records, and how plant records can unlock both the history of the garden, and the potential of the living collections.

The Great Smokey Mountains and a few other things
with Ted Brabin

Ted Brabin, Chair of the North-West England and North Wales branch of the RHS Rhododendron, Camellia and Magnolia group will be sharing his adventures down the Blue Ridge mountains into the Great Smokey Mountains in the USA, including an encounter with bears!