Meet Wambui!

This is a lovely opportunity to meet with Wambui Ippolito in person, to hear her ideas on sustainable planting with an emphasis on perennials, using combinations of species that respect the original habits and habitats and cultural context. I emphasise that this is not a duplicate of Wambui’s presentations to conference, but a specially adapted version of an illustrated presentation which received huge enthusiasm at the 2022 Perennial Plants conference in the USA.

If you attended, or streamed, the SGD’s autumn conference, you’ll have witnessed Wambui’s passion for plants, and the robust exchange between her and Tony Kirkham in the morning discussion panel (they both much enjoyed that, and had huge respect for each other’s perspectives on native v non-native planting).

Meet Jack too!

We’re the guests of Perennial (partner charity at the spring conference), who have given us access to the room above the café at York Gate Garden. We’ll be welcomed by Jack Ogg, Head Gardener at York Gate – who, after Wambui’s presentation and some lively Q&As, will give us a tour of the garden. Then we can reconvene over tea and home made cakes in the upstairs hub, and talk perennial planting until the garden closes at 4pm.

Reserve your place! – and catering cost

The room upstairs seats 20 people comfortably – so we’ll be reserving places on a first-come basis, and will draw up a reserve list if necessary. There is no charge for the room or entry to the garden, but a charge per head for refreshments and sustenance through the day – beginning with coffee/tea in the upstairs hub, from 11.00. This will include a selection of sandwiches for lunch and cakes for tea – and as much tea or coffee as you like through the day.

Agenda: 

From 11.00 gather and network over coffee/tea. 

12.00 Introduction and welcome to York Gate Garden

12.15 Presentation by Wambui Ippolito

13.00 Q&As, and lunch break

14.00 Tour of the garden with Jack Ogg

15.00 Tea, cakes and discussion pulling together Wambui’s, Jack’s and your own ideas on ways forward for a more sustainable future