Bussage, Brownshill and Eastcombe

Hilltop Gardening Club

Affiliated to the RHS and Plant Heritage

Text Box: Events

Club Activities
Text Box: Club Meetings During the autumn, winter and spring seasons, we hold evening meetings at Eastcombe Village Hall at 7:45 pm on the first Tuesday of most months. Our programme secretary, Diana Rosenberg, arranges a varied programme of talks and demonstrations of interest to gardeners of all abilities. Details of the current season’s meeting topics can be found by clicking here or on the Programme Icon to the left. Our AGM is usually held in February, and our popular bring-and-buy plant sale takes place at the April meeting. Click here for a report on our 2012 AGM. Text Box: Open Gardens Each May Bank Holiday weekend, a dozen or so gardeners in our three villages throw open their gates on Sunday and Monday as part of the National Gardens Open Gardens Scheme. The Hilltop Club organises the weekend on behalf of the NGS. We usually attract several hundred visitors from the south-west and beyond to admire the wide range of hilltop gardens—whether cottage, informal, landscaped, large or small—to be found around our beautiful location. Visitors can also enjoy the legendary tea, scones and cakes on sale in the Village Hall (thanks to the WI for helping us with the teas), and browse the Plant Heritage plant sale in the hall courtyard. Click here or on the Open Gardens icon to see pictures from our 2010 weekend. Text Box: Social Event We hold a New Year social event early in January for an informal evening get-together in a local hospitable venue. Watch this space for details of our 2013 event. You can find a report on our 2012 social evening by clicking here. Text Box: Annual Show Our autumn show is held usually on the first Saturday of September in Eastcombe Village Hall. The flower and vegetable classes are judged according to RHS rules, but this should not deter anyone from entering—many winners in the past 25 years have been novice gardeners! There are also produce, craft, photography, craft and children’s classes. Schedules and entry forms appear on this site in mid-summer. You can find a report on last year’s show and some photos of the trophy winners by clicking on the show trophy cup icon, or click here. New members joining the Club at the show get 18 months’ membership for the price of 12! Text Box: Visits and Holiday Weekend We organise several car-share or coach trips through the summer season to gardens and places of interest. In late June, our indefatigable trip organiser, Ruth Fraser, lays on a four-day stay-away tour of gardens in other regions—these have taken in North Wales, Norfolk, Yorkshire and Essex and in 2012 we will visit gardens in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. This tour is now fully booked. To book for our coach day trip to two Herefordshire Gardens—Stockton Bury and Hampton Court—click here. Text Box: Tuesday 1st November saw members of the Hilltop Gardening Club celebrate the Club’s 25th Anniversary with sparkling wine and a superb cake made by Club member June Wring. Text Box: Club President and founder Robert Bryant cuts the cake! Robert gave a brief résumé of the Club’s past 25 years, and reminisced about some of the characters who have been members of the Club since its formation. Text Box: BOOK NOW for our coach day trip to two Herefordshire Gardens—Stockton Bury and Hampton Court—click here.