THE club programme started the new year with a talk by Linda Eggins entitled “Old plants, new plants – who cares?” Ms Eggins holds a national collection of aucubas (spotted laurels) which she herself admitted, is not exactly a huge draw.

Her talk concerned the importance of preserving the variety of garden plants. She started with the history of gardening from John Tradescant through the many ways that plants have been brought to these shores and ending with the huge advances made by the Victorian plant hunters.

She stressed how the diversity of garden plants growing here was enabled by our equable climate, thanks mainly to the gulf stream. She then went on to talk about how fashion in gardening can be a factor in depleting the biodiversity. Less than ten percent of commercially introduced varieties are still available ten years after their introduction.

She then covered the important work of the NCCPG, or Plant Heritage as it is now known.

There are some six hundred and forty national collections in this country, some of them in the hands of professionals and large bodies like Kew, but even more in the hands of enthusiastic amateurs like herself. This was an interesting talk by a true enthusiast.

On February 23 there will be a coach trip to Waterperry Gardens to see the snowdrops with a guided tour included in the price. Please contact the secretary as soon as possible to book a place.

The indoor meetings are at the Jubilee Court Centre, St Faiths Road, Alcester and guests are very welcome. Membership for 2014 is still £10 with free talks, refreshments and subsidised trips throughout the year. Please call the secretary on 01789 765105 for any details and trip bookings.