West Yorkshire
At our monthly meetings we normally have an expert guest speaker, plants sales, a plant display and a raffle followed by tea/coffee and biscuits. Twice a year we have a local plant show.
A friendly community welcome to all levels of alpine gardener.
Introduction to the group
Our meetings take place on the second Saturday of each month September to May inclusive.
We are a friendly group and you are welcome no matter what level of expertise you have. There are members who have a keen interest and a good knowledge about growing plants such as saxifrages, crocuses, cyclamen, gentians, hepaticas, snowdrops, narcissi, fritillaries, primulas, dianthus, trilliums, hellebores, campanulas, androsaces, sedums, dwarf pines and many others.
There is usually a guest speaker at the meetings who gives a talk for about an hour on a topic of interest to growers of alpine plants.
Before the main part of the meeting, normally the talk, there is a chance to chat, ask questions of the appropriate experts and to swap, buy and sell plants. Afterwards we have tea or coffee with biscuits. There is also a raffle.
We have a display table at each meeting (non-competitive) on which members display any plants for our interest.
At each meeting there are plant sales tables where volunteers sell spare plants on behalf of members with a contribution going to Group funds. Some of the plants sold are unusual and hard to obtain elsewhere. We sometimes have second hand gardening books for sale or for free and greeting cards produced by a talented artist member.
There are Local Group Shows in September/October and May. There is also the AGS Harlow Carr Show in October, organised by two of our members with the help of many other members.
Meetings are held at St Chad’s Parish Centre, Otley Road, Far Headingley, Leeds LS16 5JT (see map below). The Hall opens from 1.45 pm for a 2.30 pm start to the Meeting. There is ample parking and good disabled access. This is easily reached, lying just 1 mile south of the Leeds Outer Ring Road (A6120) at the junction with the A660. Beware speed cameras! Bradley’s (fish and chips) and Loaf (elaborate sandwiches etc) are two very close-by places to eat.
Click here for a Google map showing St. Chad’s Parish Centre (opens in a new tab): https://goo.gl/maps/85bNDDj5HyN2
Our Membership Secretaries, Bob and Di Dark, welcome everyone just inside the Main Hall.
Bob and Di can also be contacted by phone: 01430 626482 or email: diana.dark@homecall.co.uk.
Subscription: £15.00. Vistors £2.00. Annual membership runs from September.
Programme
2025-2026 Programme
13 September 2025Â David Charlton
‘Mats, carpets and cushions in Svalbard and New Zealand’
Also Group Autumn Show
11 October 2025 Harlow Carr Show (AGS national show) at Harlow Carr
18 October 2025Â Cliff Booker
‘Arguably the best rock gardeners in the world! The Prague Rock Garden Conference and Garden Tour’
8 November 2025Â Rob Potterton
‘New Zealand Plants, People and Gardens’
13 December 2025 Members Photographs and mince pies
10 January 2026 Demonstration session with some of our expert members
14 February Harry Jans
‘Growing alpines in the ‘hills’ of Holland’
ZOOM TALK IN HALL
14 March 2026Â Ben Preston
‘Cliff Bank Nursery’
11 April 2026Â Wim Boens
‘Eranthis? They’re all yellow, aren’t they?’
9 May 2026Â AGM, Group Spring Show and Group member short talk
Previous programmes
2024-2025 Programme
14 September 2024 Frazer Henderson
‘Kyrgystan: In search of wild tulips’
Also: Group Autumn Show
12 October 2024 Harlow Carr Show (national show) at RHS Harlow Carr
19 October 2024 Keith Bankier
‘Cappadocia and Inner Anatolia (Central Turkey)’
9 November 2024 Ian Young
‘Bulbs from seed to the garden’ ZOOM TALK IN HALL
14 December 2024 Group members
‘Members photographs’
11 January 2025 Harry Jans‘Growing alpines in the ‘hills’ of Holland’ POSTPONEDReplaced by Group member demonstrations. January meeting CANCELLED due to poor weather.
8 February 2025 Paul Cumbleton
‘Alpines & orchids’ ZOOM TALK IN HALL
8 March 2025 Tony Goode
‘Bulbs for all Seasons’
12 April 2025 Peter Williams
‘The Root Zone – the original dark web!’
10 May 2025 AGM, Group Spring Show & short talk by a Group member
2023-2024 Programme
9 September 2023 Diane Clement,
‘Cyclamen and Hepaticas’
14 October 2023 AGS Harlow Carr Show (national show)
At RHS Harlow Carr
21 October 2023 David Charlton
‘Flowers of the Picos de Europa’
11 November 2023 Cliff Booker
‘Patagonia – Part Two’
13 January 2024 Paul Cumbleton
‘Potting Composts & Other Conundrums’ ZOOM TALK IN HALL
10 February 2024 Tony Goode
‘Bulbs for all Seasons’ ZOOM TALK IN HALL
9 March 2024 Tim Ingram
‘Gardening on the Rocks’ ZOOM TALK IN HALL
13 April 2024 John Dowler
‘Troughs and Mini-gardens’
11 May 2024 AGM, Group Spring Show and short talk
14 September 2024 Frazer Henderson
‘Kyrgystan: in search of wild tulips’
2022-2023 Programme
10th September 2022 John Mitchell
Travels around the world
We welcome back John, Garden Supervisor, Alpine Section at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. John is widely travelled and knowlegeable about alpines in the wild and in cultivation. This talk takes us on a journey through China, Tibet, Afganistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Georgia and New Zealand among a few places!
8 October 2022 Michael Myers
Primula marginata – From the Maritime Alps to Yorkshire
Also: Group Autumn Show
Michael has long been associated with W. Yorks Group. He is a horticulturalist now teaching at Craven College, Skipton. He has an expert knowledge of and has held a National Plant Collection of Primula marginata.
12 November 2022 Cliff Booker
‘Patagonia – Part One’
Cliff, from the East Lancashire Group, will return to us to give a presentation about some of the finest flower locations in Chile and Argentina. Cliff is a superb photographer.
10 December 2022 Group members
Members’ photographs
14 January 2023 Jim Almond – ZOOM TALK IN HALL.
Primulaceae in pots
4 February (Note: not 2nd Sat) 2023 Paul Cumbleton & Colin Everett – ZOOM TALK IN HALL
‘Our Odyssey With Bulbs’
11 March 2023 Eric Rainford
‘Greencombe Gardens’
15 April 2023 (Note: not 2nd Sat) Jack Ogg
‘York Gate Garden’
13 May 2023 AGM, Group Spring Show and short talk
Shows
AGS West Yorkshire Group Spring Show
The local West Yorkshire Group Spring Show takes place during the May meeting at St Chad’s. Entries are very welcome from any member. At this meeting we also have our AGM and a short talk by a Group member.
The Spring Show schedule does not change much from year to year. A pdf of the Spring show schedule for 2022 can be downloaded here: https://alpinegardensociety.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/spring-show-schedule-22-004.pdf
Exhibitors in our local shows must be members of the AGS West Yorkshire local group for some sections but members of any AGS local group can enter other sections.
AGS Harlow Carr Show
The AGS normally hold a national show at RHS Harlow Carr, Harrogate (HG3 1QB) in October which the local AGS West Yorkshire Group help organise. See the main AGS website for details.
AGS West Yorkshire Group Autumn Show
The local West Yorkshire Group Autumn Show takes place during the September or October meeting at St Chad’s. Entries are very welcome from any member.
The Autumn Show schedule does not change much from year to year. A pdf of the Autumn show schedule for 2024 can be downloaded here:https://alpinegardensociety.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Autumn-2024-Show-Schedule.pdf
Exhibitors in our local shows must be members of the AGS West Yorshire local group for some sections but members of any AGS local group can enter other sections.
Photo gallery
Photographs from the display table
AGS Harlow Carr Show
AGS West Yorkshire Autumn Show
AGS West Yorkshire Spring Show
Trillium grandiflorum.
Other photographs
Newsletter
The Newsletter is published twice a year, in February and August. Copies can be downloaded in pdf format using the links below.
Newsletter No. 72, Aug 2024:Â https://alpinegardensociety.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/AGS-WYG-Newsletter-August-2024.pdf
Video
RHS Harlow Carr alpine house & troughs 12th Dec 2020
It was drizzly at times today at Harlow Carr and it was fairly quiet. Below are links to three videos I took in and around the outside of the alpine house.
Matthew Childs
Around the inside of the alpine house: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N4Kyj-nuBB8rhRWGQGyBn0fIE00tP8GS/view?usp=sharing
Around the outside of the alpine house: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J3xBTpkoUei2F54sr4u9505ET2VLJwcC/view?usp=sharing
A closer look at many of the troughs: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U9vCfiS8tTEKLEpckuop3m2lzAgo_Lk1/view?usp=sharing
RHS Harlow Carr alpine house & troughs 12th Dec 2020
It was drizzly at times today at Harlow Carr and it was fairly quiet. Below are links to three videos I took in and around the outside of the alpine house.
Matthew Childs
Around the inside of the alpine house: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N4Kyj-nuBB8rhRWGQGyBn0fIE00tP8GS/view?usp=sharing
Around the outside of the alpine house: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J3xBTpkoUei2F54sr4u9505ET2VLJwcC/view?usp=sharing
A closer look at many of the troughs: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U9vCfiS8tTEKLEpckuop3m2lzAgo_Lk1/view?usp=sharing
Nursery websites, gardens to visit & other information
Nurseries
Dryad Nursery (Anne Wright’s site): http://www.dryad-home.co.uk/
Slack Top: http://www.slacktopnurseries.co.uk/ The nursery has now closed.
The Alpine Plant Centre: http://www.alpineplantcentre.co.uk Closed down but in 2024 the nursery had a few special plant sales days plus several open days. Search for ‘The Alpine Plant Centre’ to get the latest information.
Aberconwy Nursery: (with latest Plant List available as a pdf): http://www.aberconwynursery.co.uk
Hartside Nursery Garden:http://www.plantswithaltitude.co.uk/
Other websites
York Gate Garden: https://perennial.org.uk/garden/york-gate-garden/
Parcevall Hall Gardens: http://www.parcevallhallgardens.co.uk/
Wakefield & North of England Tulip Society (holds an annual show in May at Horbury, Wakefield): http://www.tulipsociety.co.uk/
Download this pdf for an article by Paul Cumbleton about choosing John Innes composts and some comments about Keith Singleton’s John Innes: Choosing a Potting Compost by Paul Cumbleton (2016) https://alpinegardensociety.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Choosing-a-Potting-Compost-Paul-Cumbleton-2016.pdf
Committee
Committee officers 2025-2026
| Chair | Julia Mort |
| Secretary | Cath Burns |
| Membership Secretaries | Bob & Di Dark |
| Programme Secretary | Kathryn Hern |
| Treasurer | Pat Bundy |
| AGS Harlow Carr Show | Ian & Georgina Instone |
Contact
Contact Cath Burns for more information:
Cath.rochelle@icloud.com
Details
St Chad’s Parish Centre, Otley Road, Far Headingley, Leeds, LS16 5JT
Second Saturday of the month, from 1.45pm for a 2.30pm start (September to May). Very occasionally it might not be the second Saturday, usually due to the date of Easter or the Harlow Carr Show in October.
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