The AGM is an opportunity to look back at what we did last year, to hear about plans for the future and to see old friends and new, (albeit only on a screen). We hope that as many of you as possible will join the Trustees for this meeting, enabling a quorum to be achieved.

EGT sponsored four blue plaques celebrating and honouring the lives and achievements of four significant Essex-based women gardeners as part of the Essex Women’s Commemoration Project.

The final unveiling will remember both Beth Chatto and her friend and mentor, Pamela Underwood, at the Beth Chatto Gardens.

A great opportunity to join EGT at Audly End to take a look at the Capability Brown Landscape.

We are delighted to be launching the Essex Garden Trust’s new writing competition named after the renowned plantswoman Beth Chatto.

The prize is for creative writing; a short story, novel, extract or a piece of life-writing or memoir to be no more than 2000 words in which a garden or landscape is an essential part of the plot, character development or the creation of atmosphere.

The competition will be launched on 19th June as part of the Essex Book Festival’s ‘The Pleasure Garden’ event at Hylands House and will be open from 19th June to 31st August. The competition is open to writers who live, work or study in the historic area of Essex.

There are cash prizes of £200 for the winner and £75 for two runners-up plus Beth Chatto memberships and vouchers. Entries will be judged by Essex writers Seona Ford, James Canton and Chris Penhall.

Unveiling of a commemorative blue plaque to honour the life and legacy of Ellen Ann Willmott of Warley Place, for EGT Members

On behalf of the Essex Garden’s Trust and the Essex Women’s Commemoration Project, I am delighted to invite you to attend the unveiling by Mrs. Jennifer Tolhurst, Lord-Lieutenant of Essex of a commemorative plaque to honour the life and legacy of Ellen Ann Willmott of Warley Place.

The first plaque sponsored by Essex Gardens Trust, as part of the Essex Women’s Commemoration Project, commemorating Mrs Helen Robinson will be unveiled at the entrance to the farmhouse at RHS Hyde Hall on 7th July from 4.30pm by Mrs. Jennifer Tolhurst, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Essex.

Our first EGT visit of 2022 offers a very special treat, bringing together the pleasures of both Art and a Garden with not just one private tour, but two! The Fry Art Gallery and Bridge End Garden, both of which we will be visiting, are located close to each other in the attractive town of Saffron Walden.

Would you like to develop your drawing skills in the setting of an unforgettable Essex garden?

Join Jane Frederick, Essex Gardens Trust Artist in Residence for a series of 6 Draw & Tour workshops. Each workshop is designed to help you develop your confidence in drawing outdoors whilst mindfully engaging with some of the most treasured gardens in Essex. The first 3 workshops will be held during the summer of 2021 followed by a further 3 in 2022.

These relaxed outdoor workshops will teach you how to really look and understand what you are drawing as well as encouraging you to be ‘Bold, Loose and Accurate’ with your approach.

Each small and friendly workshop includes individual tuition, a guided tour of the gardens, all materials and afternoon refreshments. It is suitable for complete beginners, all that is required is curiosity and a willingness to have a go and try something new!

Prices are for each workshop.

Programme

Introductory talk by Jane

Guided tour

Drawing session in the garden with guidance from Jane

Lunch break (bring own lunch)

Second drawing session

Round up talk and discussion with tea and cake

3pm, depart

Please bring wet weather gear, lunch and smart phone, if you have one, to help plan your drawing. Detailed information for attendees will be mailed out in advance of the session. Spaces are limited to 12 per workshop so early booking is recommended.

Jane Frederick is currently Artist in Residence with Essex Gardens Trust. In 2020 Arts Council England supported the launch of the Garden Seekers Project in Felixstowe where she became the first Artist in Residence at Hamilton MAS, the micro art space by the sea. Based in the recently restored Heritage Seafront Gardens post lockdown she developed a new body of paintings and drawings that celebrate and explore the community affections for the Victorian pleasure gardens. She has taught drawing at Colchester School of Art for over two decades and has a wealth of experience encouraging drawing development at all levels. She is passionate about making drawing accessible to all and regularly runs gallery based workshops for complete beginners as well as experienced artists.

You can view examples of her work at www.gardenseekersproject.co.uk

China, with its abundant variety of both sophisticated and traditional horticultural methods, has long been recognized, not only for its lovely gardens, but as a serious contributor to global horticulture and plant conservation. In his talk, Timothy Walker will give us an entertaining and fascinating view over centuries of gardens and gardening in China. We will be taken on a tour of some of the 35, uniquely beautiful sites he visited while on a seven week Churchill Travelling Fellowship tour in that country. As a plant scientist and gardener, he will enrich our visit with his own experiences and extensive botanical knowledge

Today, as the world warms, plant and seed conservation becomes increasingly important. In his talk, Timothy will also introduce us to how modern gardens in this fascinating country are contributing to global conservation by successfully safeguarding the thousands of plant species in China.

Timothy Walker is a renowned lecturer, botanist and gardener. From 1988 to 2014, he was the director of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden & Arboretum; during this period, their show gardens won four gold medals and a number of silver medals at the Chelsea Flower Shows. Since 2014 he has been a College lecturer and tutor in Plant Sciences at Somerville College Oxford. His particular interests are euphorbias, pollination, and plant conservation. For more information on Timothy, please visit his website Timothy Walker - horticultural lecturer.