17th May 2018 at Cambridge Botanic garden, followed by European meeting of IrisBG users on 18th May. Over 30 delegates met and got back to basics and look at records systems, share experiences and learn about recommended minimum data to enable gardens to keep useful records.  Discussion focused on comparing databases, label systems, records to keep and many other topics.

Down House 20th June 2018 10.30 – 16.30
This day will be relevant to all those interested in promoting their gardens as a resource for science, citizen science and public engagement, it will also be of interest to those interested in the history of natural history

Tuesday, 26th June 2018. Wakehurst Place, West Sussex. Led by Iain Parkinson, Wakehurst’s Conservation and Woodlands Manager, and other staff at Wakehurst Place this day will consider the restoration of wild habitats, including meadows and hedgerows. Presentations and site walks will explain how protecting and conserving natural features help both to safeguard the ‘spirit of place’ and enhance the visual appeal of introduced plant collections within a designed landscape.

You may have heard about the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which comes into effect on 25th May 2018. To help comply with GDPR requirements we have reviewed and developed our systems and processes, and updated our privacy policy to provide you with more details.

Reports from the 2018 PlantNetwork Annual Conference was hosted at Royal Botanic Garden Kew and discussed back to basics – soil and water management, plant nutrition and plant health.

Reports from the meeting held on 16th March 2018 at Chester Zoo. During the day the speakers explained the development, understanding and use of the CBD, ABS and Nagoya Protocol legislation. Delegates were reminded that ‘benefit sharing’ does not necessarily mean money, and discussions identified both the moral and legal approaches to ABS and the Nagoya Protocol.

13th and 14th September 2018 at The Eden Project.
The Eden Project will host this 1.5 day training event where we will learn more about the Eden on Prescription Project and similar case studies sharing information about how our gardens and plant collections can contribute to health and wellbeing. This is a subject that is becoming increasingly relevant and a number of reports are identifying links between our wellbeing and access to nature.

Down House. 20th June 2018

12th July 2018. Nymans Garden, West Sussex.
Spirit of Place is at the heart of how people feel about and experience our properties and why they are relevant. It captures what make a places special. This training day will look at how we identify the Spirit of Place and how it can be used to inform decisions about how your site is understood and managed – from planning events to marketing and what you choose to present to the visitor.

20 June 2017, RHS Garden Wisley. RHS staff Sam Gallivan, Nursery and Propagation Team leader and Heather Cooke, Team Leader for the members’ seed scheme hosted a fully booked training day with 25 delegates from 17 gardens across the UK.

We are pleased to welcome our new 2018 Silver Sponsors, British Sugar TOPSOIL who are the largest UK manufacturer and supplier of environmentally sustainable topsoil and topdressing products to the landscaping, construction and sports turf/amenity sectors, supplying over 250,000 tonnes annually.

We are pleased to announce our new Bronze Sponsor for 2018 The Garden Label & Sign Company who specialise in the design and production of bespoke, durable, labelling for horticulture. Offering an engraving service, as well as supplying blank labels to those who have their own engraving equipment. They design and manufacture laser engraved labels and signs. Using a range of materials to include plastic laminates, solid wood, metals and slate.

We are pleased to announce our new Silver Sponsor: Dragonfli suppliers of natural pest control, plants, seeds and plant care products in addition to professional advice on IPM.

24 people enjoyed a sunny couple of days on the Isle of Bute and with our hosts the Mount Stuart Trust. Mount Stuart’s Don Murray, Head of Landscapes and Horticulture and Graham Alcorn, Living Collection Manager, made us all feel very welcome and shared their knowledge, enthusiasm and stories of Mount Stuart with us all. PlantNetwork thanks the Mount Stuart Trust for their support for this training day.

26-27 April 2017, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. 35 people attended the conference over the two days. Alongside presentations, discussions and a tour of the garden delegates took the opportunity to share ideas and experiences at our conference dinner. Thanks to Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh for hosting the conference in the unique Botanic Cottage.

Wakehurst Place 13th July 2016. A practical field based training day spending the day looking at the range of meadows at Wakehurst and behind the scenes to learn about machinery, seed preparation and the nursery.