Over International Women’s Day weekend, RHS Garden Bridgewater is hosting a series of events celebrating women in horticulture.
RHS Garden Bridgewater is based in Worsley, Salford. It was previously a heritage landscape, and has been transformed into a collection of iconic gardens through fusing history with world-class horticulture
On Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th March, an array of tours and talks will give focus to the female heroes of horticulture.
The events will celebrate female gardeners since the pioneering women of the 1900s, up until those who are still inspiring today.
Dr Suzanne Moss, RHS Director of Learning and Public Engagement will be hosting the busy programme of events.
She started as a Horticultural Trainee with the RHS in 2008, and holds a PhD in Garden history. In 2021 she was named as one of Hort. Week’s 100 leading women in horticulture.
The RHS stands for The Royal Horticultural Society, and is the UK’s leading gardening charity. Across their five gardens, they showcase over 34,000 different cultivated plants to more than three million visitors annually.
Topics will range between the radical lives of early female gardeners, urban foraging, transformative community garden, as well turning gardening from a hobby into a career.
A variety of guest speakers will share advice, give practical demonstrations, and answer questions from guests over the two days of celebration.
These are just a few of the events on at RHS Gardens Bridgewater over International Women’s Day weekend:
Saturday 9th March 2024
Fiona Davison / 10.30am-11.15am, Marquee
Fiona Davison (Head of Libraries & Exhibitions at the RHS) will discuss her book ‘An Almost Impossible Thing’ about the lives of women who fought to make careers in gardening in the early years of the 20th century, a time when gardening was still very much ‘a man’s world’.
Clare Preston- Pollitt / 11.30am-12.15am, Marquee
An experienced indoor and outdoor gardener, Clare will show how to grow an indoor garden. As well as a practical demo, there will also be an introduction to types of growing media, plus the equipment and tools required.
Steph Hafferty / 12.30pm-1.15pm, Marquee
Homesteader, plant based cook, and award winning author, Steph is an advocate of no-dig gardening. Steph will share how gardening and horticulture can transform from hobby to career.
Sunday 10th March 2024
Yasmine El-Gabry / 12.30pm-1.15pm, Marquee
Yaz initially dismissed gardening as an ‘old people’ pastime. Hear how Yaz and her neighbours have transformed their alleyway in Moss Side and how the community benefits.
Idle Women / 12.45pm-2.15pm, Wellbeing Garden
Idle Women discuss and show how they make their herbal remedies to aid hormonal imbalances, helping you get back that feeling of wellbeing. Sign up on the day (over 18s only).
Sharon Hockenhull/ 1.30pm-2.15pm, Marquee
Sharon is an award winning garden designer, recognised as the gardener’s choice for garden design. Sharon’s current design and gardening philosophy is centred very much on sustainability.
For more information on what’s on over International Women’s Day weekend at RHS Garden Bridgewater, click here.
Feature Image: Team RHS Bridgewater. Credit: RHS
