Herald Express (Newton & Teign Edition)
Plant propagation tips for gardeners from experienced horticulturist
EXPERT advice for gardeners on how to multiply their plants at home is top of the agenda for the April meeting of Torquay and District Gardening Club.
Head gardener Saul Walker, who has won national recognition for his knowledge of plants native and exotic, will be sharing plant propagation tips.
Saul’s love of gardens and gardening blossomed thanks to his grandparents’ passion for visiting historic houses and gardens. He is now the head gardener of Stonelands House in Dawlish – a privately owned 10-acre garden.
Born in Devon, Saul started his career with a brief spell as an archaeologist, but then trained and worked as a gardener for the National Trust at Antony House in Cornwall. He was then accepted on the prestigious three-year Kew Diploma of Botanical Horticulture course at RBG, Kew and experienced the fantastic plant collections in the gardens and glasshouse. He also visited Australia, Southern Spain and the French Riviera to study plants in their native habitats.
Though he has an in-depth knowledge of most aspects of gardening, his special interests include orchids, woodland gardens, alpines and exotic and tender plants.
Saul is also interested and experienced in teaching horticulture, writing, presenting lectures and talks, as well as media work – including the Talking Heads gardening podcast he co-hosts with Lucy Chamberlain.
After Kew he spent a couple of years as a member of the show management teams for both the RHS Hampton Court
Palace and RHS Chelsea Flower Show. However he was unable to resist the call back to Devon.
He is one of the experts appearing at the BBC Gardeners’ World Live show at NEC Birmingham in June.
Saul will be talking at the next meeting of the Torquay and District Gardening Club at the Livermead House Hotel, Torquay, on April 17 at 7.30pm.
The following talk on May 15 is by garden designer Julie Haylock.
Julie is from Yeovil and in 2016 she decided to follow her heart and left the police force to study garden design. Her special interest is container gardens and in 2023 she won a bronze award at Chelsea Flower Show. While talking she will plant up a container to be raffled at the end of the evening.