Our first mini-symposium, bringing together Londoners interested in horticulture for a lively and interesting evening of speakers and events … with drinks, snacks and lots of opportunities to interact with the speakers and each other. Scroll down for information or book here.
Adam Blunt, Commonwealth War Graves Commission
From the deserts of North Africa to the rain-soaked landscapes of Northern Europe, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) cares for the resting places of the fallen across every climate zone and is the world’s largest gardening organisation. This global responsibility places them at the forefront of climate change challenges, demanding innovation in horticultural design and craft skills. Discover how they honour heritage while pioneering sustainable horticulture, tackling extremes of weather and environmental change head-on.
Adam’s talk will introduce what they do around the world and their heritage landscapes before looking at some current projects and the work the CWGC are doing with Tom Stuart Smith, Andrew Fisher Tomlin, and Joe Perkins to drive sustainability and bring commemoration to a new audiences through planting and landscape design.
Chetan Rama, Senior Project Manager at Biotecture
Biotecture is the UK’s largest living‑wall company. Senior Project Manager Chetan Rama will take us behind the scenes of some vertical‑greening projects, looking at how they were designed, where they thrive, and why they matter.
He’ll explore the environmental and human benefits of living walls, the engineering that allows plants to flourish 50 metres above the pavement, and the challenges and limitations of building green infrastructure that lasts for decades. Biotecture’s unique approach – growing all plants in their Sussex nursery and installing them as bespoke panels – has resulted in installations that have been thriving for more than twenty years.
Expect plant names, horticultural magic and perhaps even a bee or two enjoying life high above street level.
London School of Horticulture Team
Almost all of our seeds in the UK are imported from half way round the world so the few homegrown seed companies that do exist are really exceptional. Sourcing from them, saving your own seed and using seed swaps should be a top priority for any sustainable gardener. We’ll be showcasing some sustainable UK seed companies and hosting a seed swap (bring some seed!). We’ll also be demonstrating Andy’s amazing DIY air seed sorter/cleaner (built from open source plans of the Real Seed Company).
covering everything from meadow-making to fruit and vegetable growing
covering planting, designing and maintaining your garden
in depth learning with the option of gaining professional horticultural qualifications