West Berkshire & North Hampshire

Former royal gardener to Her Majesty the Queen and HRH Prince of Wales, David Howard, will be flying in from the United States to give lectures on organic gardening and his life.

With 40 years’ gardening experience, David will be sharing his knowledge and experiences with the gardening community in two different lectures on Friday and Saturday of the Rookwood Specialist Plant Fair this weekend.

David is a graduate of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh and worked at Windsor Castle as a student gardener, working one year in the Royal Gardens and a year in The Savill and Valley Gardens. For over 10 years he was Head Gardener at Highgrove House, Gloucestershire, for the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.  In 2011, he restored the Victorian walled vegetable gardens at Avebury Manor, for BBC TV.  He has collected plants in the Himalayas of Northern India and specialises in organic gardening. He now pursues a career as a horticulturalist.

Charlotte and Rupert Digby have lived at Rookwood for more than 25 years. Charlotte says “There is nothing like this for garden lovers in the area. We held a one day event in April 2012 and the plants sold out straight away, even though it was pouring with rain! With David Howard’s fascinating talks, we are expecting even more garden enthusiasts, and have made this Spring Plant Fair a 2 day event.”

David’s lectures will take place at 11am for ‘My Gardening Life’ and 2.30pm for ‘Organic Gardening Philosophy’. There will also be garden specialists and nurseries at the fair offering plant advice and selling home and garden products throughout the day.

The event will be open from 10 am to 4pm and is in support of the NSPCC and the British Red Cross. Admission is £5 with complimentary access to Rookwood’s private gardens. Lectures are £25 or £40 for 2 which includes free access to the event. Tickets are available in advance from Charlotte Digby Tel: 01488 608 676 or from Emma Cobb at [email protected].