Self-Drive to Shamley Wood Estate 

Our first self-drive will be to Shamley Wood Estate, Guildford, Surrey, GU5 0SP on 22nd May @ 2.30pm which only opens by appointment.  

A relative newcomer to NGS, this garden is worth visiting just for the setting! Sitting high on the North Downs, the garden enjoys beautiful views of the South Downs and is approached through a 10-acre deer park. Set within approximately 3 acres, there is a large pond and established rose garden. More recent additions include a stream, fire pits, dry garden, heather, cutting garden and woodland walk. There are a number of sculptures to find, including hippos and several pieces of driftwood art.  

The cost per person will be £9.00 (entrance and tea/coffee and cake). Facilities available.  Let David/Cathy know if you would like to attend and arrange payment of £9.00 by bank transfer, cheque or cash. According to Google Maps the Estate is about 45 minutes from Tadworth via A25.

Coach Trip to Wisley 17th July 

This year we will visit Wisley. We will leave Walton Ponds at 9.30am, Tadworth Bridge 9.35am and Lower Kingswood at 9.40am. The aim will be to get back to Walton Ponds at 5pm.

In 2024 RHS commissioned Piet Oudoff to re-design the area he originally set out in 2021 which featured two borders displaying perennial plants laid out in a naturalistic style. The area has been better designed to reflect his signature style with meandering paths and over 150 different perennial plants providing interest throughout the year.

The fruit garden was under development in January and may be completed by the time we visit.

We will leave Wisley at 3.30 pm.

The cost of this year’s trip will be £20 per person. We would ask for payment in advance by 28th June either by cheque payable to KWTHS, bank transfer or cash at the Early Summer Show.

Please contact David/Cathy to reserve your space, confirm pick up point and if you need a mobility scooter, as these need to be pre-booked.

Self-Drive to the Titsey Estate, Oxted 20 August 2025 

Our second self-drive will be to the Titsey Estate in Oxted where we can visit the gardens and then there will be a guided tour of the house at 3.30pm included in the cost. 

Dating back to the mid-sixteenth century, the home of Sir John Gresham and then the Leveson Gower family, Titsey Place is set in beautiful gardens and parkland with stunning views over the Surrey countryside. Titsey Place and its Gardens were first opened to the public by the Trustees of the Titsey Foundation in 1993. Titsey Place is striking in appearance from the outside, marked by the grand battlemented tower. The interior of the house features rooms such as the oak panelled sitting room, the Old Hall, and the gallery bedroom. Titsey is noted for its collection of family portraits and marvellous set of four Canaletto pictures. The extensive gardens provide an idyllic setting, with the North Downs in the immediate background. The Walled Garden has been reinstated as a working kitchen garden. The terraces provide spectacular views over the rose garden and lakes, stretching to the park and plantations beyond. 

The Woodland Walk is open every day of the year with two routes around the plantations. The shorter route is about 2.3 miles and the longer route negotiates steeper paths and is about 4 miles. There is no charge for the woodland walks and the walks are always open unless maintenance/forestry work is being conducted (check the website for the latest update). Accessibility The gardens are gravelled throughout and are therefore extremely difficult for wheelchairs. Three disabled car parking spaces  next to the tearoom and accessible WC. Dogs allowed on lead in the car park and picnic area and throughout the public woodland only. 

More information to follow.

 Caroline Halfpenny Saturday 4 October 2025 @10.30 in the Meeting Room talking about Garden Design Techniques - the use of plants in Design 

This a return visit by Caroline who talked about scented plants in the garden in 2024 which was a delight to attend and very interesting.

Caroline is passionate about gardening and the landscape, she began her horticultural career with Gravesham Borough Council with responsibility for the Grounds Maintenance Contracts from the Riverside out to Camer Park. In addition she managed to secure the role of Allotments Officer which she loved, as she enjoys growing fruit and vegetables and wandering round allotments was a dream job.  She was guilty of organising the daffodils growing through the verges from Meopham to Gravesend (cheeky as it was her route to work).

She then became a self employed gardener while she completed her degree in Landscape Management and became a Mum.

From 2007 to 2014 she managed the Diploma in Horticulture at Hadlow College at both the Tonbridge and Canterbury site, in addition to lecturing at all levels from schools and Foundation through to Higher Education. She still lectures part time today as well as running Growth Matters , which covers all her loves Gardening and Education.

Barry Newman will be giving a talk on THE MODERN KITCHEN GARDEN on 1 November @ 10.30 at St John's Church, The Avenue,Tadworth,KT20 5AB 

A general talk in three parts, covering the traditional approach to growing vegetables then moving on to container growing for those with limited space and finally to raised bed cultivation which I regard as the modern way ahead for those wishing to grow for the table.

Barry is a well known grower, exhibitor, lecturer and judge.

He is a member of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Fruit, Vegetable and Herb Committee and a former Chairman of the National Vegetable Society.

As well as being a senior NVS judge, Barry serves on the judging and lecturing panel of the RHS he is also a Britain in Bloom judge. 

Barry was formally trained in horticulture at Pershore, York and Bath.

Much of his working life was in local authority amenity provision around the country, retiring in 2005. 

In 2022 Barry was awarded the Kew Guild Medal for distinguished service to the horticultural industry. 

 

Roses Revisited ‘ – the old , the new and what to do’  A Talk by  Gillian Taylor 31 January 2026 Main Hall @ 3.00 pm
This is the story of how Gillian became a lover of Roses so that from having only two a few years ago she has progressed to growing around 250 varieties in her collection. The talk will discuss the diverse types of Rose that are available, where to buy them, how to use them in various garden settings, where to see them, their care, and suggestions for companion plants to use with them.