Talks, tours and workshops

Upcoming opportunities to hear more about some of the plants featured in ‘Molecules, Medicines and Mischief’ and ‘The Plants of Dr Bach’ (and others) and their stories.

Gwenda is a member of the Garden Media Guild.

Wednesday 4th February 2026: Buntingford Garden Club. 8pm (TT)

Monday 9th February 2026: Downham Market and District Horticultural Society; Town Hall, Bridge Street, Downham Market, Norfolk PE38 9DW; 7.15 pm (AP)

Thursday 12th February 2026: Litlington Gardening Club, 2.30 pm (PP)

Thursday 12th February 2026: Acton Garden Club, Village Hall, Acton, 7.30 pm (FF)

Tuesday 17th February 2026: Gamlingay WI; 7.30 pm

Thursday 19th February 2026: Harborough Wellard U3A Gardening Group, Methodist Church, Northampton Road, Market Harborough LE16 9HE 2pm (PP)

Saturday 21st – Sunday 22nd March 2026: Bach Flower Remedies: An Introductory Course; St Andrew’s Hall, Cambridge (more details)

Tuesday 24th March 2026: Riseley Village Gardening Club; Village Hall, Gold Street, Riseley, Beds. MK44 1EG; 7.30 pm (PP)

Thursday 26th March 2026: Ashill, Holme Hale & District Garden Club. 2.30 pm (CW)

Wednesday 8th April 2026: Sutton in the Isle Garden Club; The Brooklands Centre, Sutton CB62QQ (afternoon talk) (TT)

Tuesday 14th April 2026: Suffolk Organic Gardeners Friends’ Meeting House St Johns Street, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1SJ, 7.30 pm (FF)

Thursday 23rd April 2026: Cambridge University Botanic Garden half-day workshop; Hahnemann’s Healing Herbs; 10 am – 1 pm; booking at https://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/education-learning/courses/hahnemanns-healing-herbs/

Thursday 4th June 2026: Fowlmere and Thriplow Garden Club; Thriplow Village Hall. Middle Street, SG8 7RD; 7.30 pm (FF)

Wednesday 10th June 2026: Debden Gardening Club, 7.30 (FF)

Wednesday 8th July 2026: ‘Secrets of the Bach Flower Remedy Plants’ – one-day workshop, 9.30 am – 5.30 pm, including lunch and refreshments, The Bach Centre, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell. More info here

Tuesday 1st September 2026: Cambridge University Botanic Garden half-day workshop; The Chemical World of Plants and Us; 10 am – 1 pm; booking at https://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/education-learning/courses/the-chemical-world-of-plants-and-us/

Thursday 3rd September 2026: Shipdham Garden Club; WI Hall, High Street, Shipdham, Norfolk IP25 7PA; 7.30 pm (FF)

Saturday 5th September 2026: Stourbridge Fair, grounds of Leper Chapel, Newmarket Road, Cambridge. Event runs 12 pm – 4 pm, stall with Bach remedies, books and soaps and two short talks in Chapel ‘Plague and Leprosy: Medieval Scourges’ and ‘Bad Air and Protective Plants’

Tuesday 8th September 2026: Caddington Gardening Club, 7.30 pm (FF)

Thursday 10th September 2026: Walpole Gardeners Club – APOLOGIES, POSTPONED

Tuesday 15th September 2026: Swaffham Prior Village Gardeners, Swaffham Prior Village Hall, High Street, Swaffham Prior, CB25 0LD 8 pm (CW)

Thursday 17th September 2026: Hoxne Garden Club; 7.30 pm (PB)

Friday 18th September 2026: Woodhall Spa & District Gardener’s Association; 7.30 pm (PB)

Thursday 24th September 2026: Witham and District U3A; Witham Football Club, Spa Road CM8 1UN, 2 pm (FF)

Tuesday 6th October 2026: Soham Gardening Club, 7.30 pm (TT)

Thursday 8th October 2026: Welwyn and District Garden Club, Welwyn Civic Centre, 8 pm (FF)

Monday 12th October 2026: Sarratt and District U3A (MP)

Tuesday 13th October 2026: Harlton Gardening Club, Harlton Village Hall.7.30 pm (CW)

Wednesday 5th November 2026: Barley WI; Barley Townhouse, Church end, Barley, SG88JP, 7.30 pm (TT)

Saturday 14th November 2026: Somersham Garden Club, 3pm

Tuesday 24th November 2026: Joint Talk Riseley Gardening and Historical Societies, 7.30 pm (MP)

Tuesday 2nd Feb. 2027: Gamlingay and District Gardening Club, Ecohub, Stocks Lane, Gamlingay, SG19 3JR 7.30 pm (TT)

Wednesday 3rd Feb. 2027: Woolpit Garden Club, The Institute, Woolpit, Bury St Edmunds IP30 9QH, 7.30 pm (AP)

Tuesday 9th February 2027: Harpenden Gardening Club, 7:30 pm (online) (FF)

Friday 19th Feb. 2027: Stalham & District Horticultural Society, Poppy Centre, Recreation Road, Stalham, NR12 9BH, 5 pm (FF)

Tuesday 23rd March 2027: Fen Ditton Garden Club

Wednesday 7th April 2027: Oundle Horticultural Society, 7.30 pm (PP)

Monday 12th April 2027: Downham Market and District Horticultural Society; Town Hall, Bridge Street, Downham Market, Norfolk PE38 9DW; 7.15 pm

Tuesday 27th April 2027: Cambridge University Botanic Garden, 10 am – 1 pm, Nature’s medicine chest; booking details to follow

Monday 5th July 2027: Cavendish Horticultural Society, Memorial Hall, Cavendish, 7.30 pm (CW)

Wednesday 1st September 2027: Cambridge University Botanic Garden, 10 am – 1 pm, Plants in paint: substances, symbols and subjects; booking details to follow

Monday 4th October 2027: Sutton Coldfield Ladies Gardening Club, 2 pm

Friday 15th October 2027: New Bury Horticultural Society, The Large Hall, Southgate Centre, Heron Road, Bury St. Edmunds IP33  2QA (FF)

Available talks:

People and Plants: Molecules, Medicines and Mischief (some uses and abuses of a selection of plants) (PP)

Incredible Edible (and Drinkable) Plants (a selection of plants used in food and drinks and their useful properties) (FF) (WA)

More Incredible Edible (and Drinkable) Plants (some more examples, ‘to cook or not to cook’ and some veggies with consequences) (FF2)

Twelve Tremendous Trees (Our relationship with twelve well-known trees) (TT) (WA)

The Plants of Dr Bach: Remedies and More! (an introduction to the Flower Remedies and some of the plants used to make them) (BP)

Plants to Drugs (drug development from plant-sourced compounds – past and future) (PD)

Chemical Warfare (and Co-operation) in the Garden (how plants interact with the world around them) (CW) (WA)

Medieval Medicinal Plants: Miasmas, Monks and Mandrake (medieval medicine and the plants it used) (MP)(WA)

Plant Muses: Artists’ use of plants (how plants have influenced art, as subjects, symbols and sources of materials) (PM)(WA)

Secrets of the Bach Flower Remedy Plants (available as a full-day or two half-day workshops on the plants used to make the Bach flower remedies) (WA)

Aromatherapy Plants: The Scent of Good Health (some plants which provide essential oils used in aromatherapy will be explored) (AP)(WA)

All talks can be either 45 or 60 minutes, as required.  Longer workshops also also available on request for talks with (WA).

Walks:  Photos from the Cambridge Science Festival 2017, courtesy of Mo Sibbons. Although I appear to be ‘talking to the trees’, there were also other people there but out of shot!