Programme of Events
We run a programme of monthly meetings with speakers on gardening related topics from October to April. Through the summer months, we organise outings to nurseries or garden centres, local gardens and sometimes get together to admire the garden of one of our club members.
Buckden Gardeners Association meetings are held at the Buckden Village Hall, Burberry Road, Buckden, St Neots, PE19 5UY, in either the Millard Suite or the Lincoln Room usually on the 3rd Tuesday in the month from 8:00 pm. Before the talk, at 7:45, we enjoy a chat over coffee/tea and biscuits, which are available for a donation and there is a raffle at each village hall meeting. Visitors are very welcome at meetings at £2.00 per visit – but remember that a year’s subscription is only £6 per household and gives you free entry to all meetings for the year.
Details of forthcoming meetings are published in the Buckden Roundabout.
2019 Programme
Meetings are in Buckden Village hall at 8pm on the 3rd Tuesday of the month unless otherwise stated
Coffee is served at 7:45pm before the start of talks in the Village Hall and to help with funds there will be a raffle at meetings in the village hall
15 Jan Brampton Wood, wildlife talk - Flora & Fauna
by George Cottam
19 Feb AGM – Cheese & Wine
Village Hall 8:00 pm – bring a glass please
19 Mar Garden Waste Recycling & pot making
Talk by Jonathon Crisp Amey
16 April Honey Bees
by Roger Wood
21 May Outing to Paxton Pits
Meet at Methodist Church at 6.00pm
Self-drive/car share £2.50pp
18 June Outing to NGS garden - Old Weston Garden Farm
Meet Methodist Church 1.00pm
Self-drive/car-share
Address Old Weston Garden Farm, High Street, Old Weston, Cambs PE28 5LA
Old Weston Garden Farm is owned by Sylvia and John Younger and is part of the Nationial Garden Scheme. It is a 9-acre small holding which includes a 2-acre kitchen garden
with an intricate potager design, mixing flowers with a wide range of fruit, vegetables and herbs. There are grass paths throughout which can be bumpy for wheelchairs. There are
free range hens, turkeys and rare breed pigs. Fresh produce for sale, including free range eggs.
£6.00 per person to include a cup of tea and a slice of home made cake. Please book in advance to ensure a space. Contact Pam or Rosie Surridge.
16 July Pam’s garden party
31 Lucks Lane – 7:00pm
Bring a plate of food to share and a glass
Sat 7 Sept Autumn Show
Village Hall: staging 9:30 am
Show Opens 2:00 pm
15 Oct Quiz evening
Fish & Chip supper
Village Hall 8:00 pm
19 Nov Fungi
by John McDonna
10 Dec Christmas Party
Bring a plate of Festive Food to share and a glass
Lincoln Room, Village Hall 8:00 pm
2020 Advance Dates
21 Jan History of gardens & gardens plants
Talk by Peter Walker
11 Feb AGM – Cheese & Wine
2018 Programme
Meetings are in Buckden Village hall at 8pm on the 3rd Tuesday of the month unless otherwise stated
Coffee is served at 7:45pm before the start of talks in the Village Hall
16 Jan Wild Flowers and their habitat by Peter Walker
Village Hall 8:00 pm
20 Feb AGM – Cheese & Wine
Village Hall 8:00 pm – bring a glass please
Sat 24 Mar Spring Show
Village Hall: staging 9:30 - 11 am
Show Opens 2:00 pm
17 April Secrets of Growing Clematis by Carol Adams
Village Hall 8:00 pm
15 May Visit to Tandee Nursery at Barnwell
Meet at Methodist Church 1:30pm, Self-drive/car share
Visit their website for details: www.tandeenursery.co.uk
19 June Visit to Twin Tarns Gardens at Somersham CANCELLED
19 June The garden of Claire and Neil Callan of Horseshoe Farm, Chatteris Road, Somersham PE28 3DR.
Leaving from the Methodist church at 1.30pm
Claire and Neil Callan are Members of the National Garden Scheme. They have a 3/4 acre plant lovers garden, with lots of colour throughout the summer, 25
different varieties of Irises, a large pond with several species of fish, bog garden, mixed island beds, water features, summer house,
Hazel wooded ares, wildlife meadow, fairy walk, lookout tower with extensive Fenland views, plenty of garden seating.
Entrance fee £4.00 per person, tea and coffee with home made cake £3.00
17 July Stan & Rosie's Garden Party
2 Springfield Close – 7.00pm
Bring a plate of food to share and a glass
Sat 8 Sept Autumn Show CANCELLED
16 Oct Talk on Paxton Pits Nature Reserve and its Birds by Jim Stevenson
Village Hall 8:00 pm
20 Nov Colour in your Garden all Year by Geoff Hodge
Village Hall 8:00 pm
11 Dec Christmas Social
Bring a plate of festive food or bottle to share and a glass
Lincoln room, Village Hall 8.00pm
2019 Advanced dates
15 Jan Talk - WIldlife Trust
19 Feb AGM – Cheese & Wine
2017 Programme
Meetings are in Buckden Village hall at 8pm on the 3rd Tuesday of the month unless otherwise stated
17 Jan Lawn Care by Richard Salmon from ProLawnCare
Village Hall 8:00 pm
21 Feb AGM – Cheese & Wine
Village Hall 8:00 pm – bring a glass please
Sat 25 Mar Spring Show
Village Hall: staging 9:30 am
Show Opens 2:00 pm
18 April Happy Healthy Roses by Geoff Hodge, garden writer and broadcaster
Village Hall 8:00 pm
29 April Brampton Bluebells walk
Meet at Methodist Church 2:00pm, Self-drive/car share
A trip to join a guided walk at Brampton wood with the local Wildlife Trust to view the bluebells and learn about the nature reserve
and its Spring wildlife (reported to be one of best bluebell woods in the country). The walk will be on Saturday 29th April and will start at 2.30pm
so we will meet at the Methodist Church with vehicles with a view to car share at 2.00pm.
16 May Visit to Edible Ornamentals Chilli Farm
Cost of tour: £5:00 per person
Address: Cherwood Nursery Chawston MK44 3BL
Meet at Methodist church at 6.00pm, Self-drive/car share
20 June Visit to Jordan’s Mill - historic flour mill, gardens and café
Address: Biggleswade SG18 9JX
Meet at Methodist Church mid-day, Self-drive/car share
Sat 1 July Buckden Festival Fete
Come and support BGA's plant stall - all proceeds to the Village Hall Trust.
Donations of plants to sell will be gratefully received.
18 July Barbi at the Beehive
16 Lucks Lane – 7.00pm
Bring a plate of food to share and a glass
Sat 9 Sept Autumn Show
Village Hall: staging 9:30 am
Show Opens 2:00 pm
17 Oct Eccentric Gardens by Steve Jones
Village Hall 8:00 pm
21 Nov All about Alpacas by Nikki Sly
Village Hall 8:00 pm
12 Dec Christmas Social
Bring a plate of festive food to share and a glass
Lincoln room village hall 8.00pm
2018 Advanced dates
16 Jan Talk Wild Flowers and their habitat in Cambridgeshire
20 Feb AGM – Cheese & Wine
2016 Programme
Meetings are in Buckden Village hall at 8pm on the 3rd Tuesday of the month unless otherwise stated
Tues 26 Jan Snowdrops at Anglesey Abbey
Join us for a Snowdrop Tour at Anglesey Abbey guided by a National Trust volunteer. If you prefer not to join the guided tour,
you can still enjoy a stroll around the wonderful Winter Garden
Meet at Methodist Church at 12:30 pm
Self-drive/car-share
Prices: NT members free (remember your NT card!)
Non members £7.95 each
**If 15 or more people come, group rates will apply for non-members at £6.70 per person **
16 February AGM – Cheese & Wine
Village Hall 8:00 pm – bring a glass please
2 April Spring Show
Village Hall: staging 9:30 am
Show Opens 3:00 pm
Spade & Fork Supper 8:00 pm
19 April Hedgehog Friendly Gardens
by Mary Burrow & Jeanette Richards
of Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity Hedgehog Hospital
We all know that hedgehogs are declining. There seem to be very few around Buckden. Come and find out about how they live, how we can attract them to our gardens and how we can support them.
17 May Visit to Holwood Nursery, Somersham
Meet at Methodist Church at 6:00pm for self- drive/car share
One of our most popular nursery visit venues – an opportunity to buy good quality plants for your garden.
21 June ** Visit to Lucy Boston’s Garden, 
The Manor, Hemingford Grey
Meet at Methodist Church at 6:00pm
Self-drive/car-share
Entry: £4 per person
Address: The Manor, Hemingford Grey PE28 9BN
We need to park in the village and walk to the manor, but there is a parking space at the house reserved for the disabled.
The Manor House at Hemingford Grey was recreated and made famous as the house of Green Knowe by Lucy Boston in her series of children's books, now regarded as classics. BGA has organised a guided tour of the four acres of garden which surround the Manor and which are renowned for the collection of over 200 old roses and a collection of irises containing many famous Dykes medal winners, most of them dating from the 1950s. We will then have an opportunity to explore further if time allows.
** We will collect numbers in advance for this outing
19 July Summer Social Judith Alban’s garden
Address on your programme - start 7pm
Bring a plate of food to share and a glass
3 Sept Autumn Show
Village Hall: staging 9:30 am
Show Opens 3:00 pm
Spade & Fork Supper 8:00 pm
18 Oct A bulb for every season
by Hilary Thomas
As the title suggests, Hilary will show us how to use bulbs to keep our gardens colourful around the year
15 Nov Chelsea Bronze to Gold
by Stephen Hall
Stephen is a local garden designer from Upper Dean. His talk is about his experiences at Chelsea and covers his gardens and the celebrities he has met in the process.
20 Dec Christmas Social
NOTE THE CHANGE OF DATE FROM 13TH DECEMBER TO 20TH DECEMBER
Bring a plate of Festive Food to share and a glass
Lincoln Room, Village Hall 8:00 pm
2015 Programme
Meetings are in Buckden Village hall at 8pm on the 3rd Tuesday of the month unless otherwise stated
20 January How to grow Prize-Winning Dahlias
by Fred Daniels
Buckden's very own dahlia expert, Fred Daniels, talks to us about why and how to grow dahlias! A chance to find out how all Fred's secrets about how he wins so many Dahlia classes in the BGA Autumn Show!
17 February AGM – Cheese & Wine
28 March Spring Show
Village Hall: staging 10:00 am
Show Opens 3:00 pm
Spade & Fork Supper 8:00 pm
21 April Colour for Summer
by David White MHort(RHS) DipHort(Kew)
David White is an expert in the horticulture field and an experienced speaker. Perfect timing for David's talk which he describes as "A chance to look at bedding plants, container and basket plants, herbaceous perennials and other plants, that will give joy over the summer months and how to care for them to keep them looking their best for the longest period possible."
19 May ** Guided Tour of Buckden Towers and Knot Garden
Meet 1:50pm at Buckden Towers gate lodge.
Entry £4 per member, non-members £6. Payment in advance please.
BGA will be treating you to Tea & Cake!
A rare opportunity to take a short guided tour of Buckden Towers and a more in-depth tour of Katherine of Aragon's Knot Garden, followed by tea and cake. Hope for a warm sunny day!
16 June ** Visit to Moggerberry including BBQ
Plants for sale. No admission charge but all donations to Moldova charity
Meet at Methodist Church at 6:00pm. Self-drive/car-share
John Law runs the small soft-fruit enterprise, Moggerberry, at Park (Home) Farm, Moggerhanger. Join us for a tour, chat and BBQ at Moggerberry - plants for sale and donations please which will go to John's UK Charity - www.moldovamatters.org/en/ - running a small experimental farm in the very poor country of Moldova.
** We will need to provide numbers in advance for the above two outings. We will contact members nearer the time.
21 July Drinks & Nibbles on Oak Lawn -
Arrive 7pm
Bring a plate of food to share and a glass
5 September Autumn Show
Village Hall: staging 10:00 am
Show Opens 3:00 pm
Spade & Fork Supper 8:00 pm
20 October Garden Design
by Di Jarvis
Many people already know local garden designer, Di Jarvis - she will be talking about her work and ideas, something to inspire us all.
17 November Winter wonders and December delights
by Peter Walker
Winter Wonders & December Delights is Peter's personal view of the winter season, mid October to the beginning of March. He will cover wildlife, winter landscapes, include some art and look at the winter festivals (Halloween, Bonfire Night, Armistice Day , Christmas and New Year)
8 December Christmas Social
Lincoln Room, Buckden Village Hall
Bring a plate of Festive Food to share and a glass