Members' Weekend 2026 in Suffolk
National members' get together, kindly hosted by the Suffolk Plant Heritage group. Beautiful Helmingham Hall near Stowmarket and the city of Bury St Edmunds are at the centre of what promises to be a memorable weekend for all. Everyone is welcome, especially new members.
The programme is packed with tours, talks, garden visits and National Collection open days. Several gardens are being opened just for us. The Plant Exchange will be taking place too, but you don't need to be taking part to come.
Register your interest to make sure you don't miss out when bookings open in February.
| Event Start Date | Friday, 5 June 2026 6.30pm |
|---|---|
| Event End Date | Saturday, 6 June 2026 5.00pm |
| Cost | £40 for dinner/talk on Friday, £50 for Saturday (prices per person) |
| Event Location |
Stowmarket Suffolk |
| Event Contact | Gill Beardsworth |
| Telephone | 01483 447540 |
| Contact | membership@plantheritage.org.uk |
Helmingham Hall Gardens
© Helmingham Hall
Bookings will open on 2 February and close on 31 March, via a booking form on this page. You’ll be able to note any accessibility or dietary requirements when you book.
Draft programme
Friday 5 June
Three course dinner at the beautiful Guildhall in Bury St Edmunds, followed by a talk by plantaholic Philip Oostenbrink about plant collections, plant hunters, plant crazes and his own National Collections, including fascinating finds on his recent visit to Japan (part funded by a Plant Heritage and RHS bursary).
Saturday 6 June
Small group tours of the fabulous Grade 1 listed gardens at Helmingham Hall, designed by Lady Xa Tollemache whose family have owned and lived at the Hall since 1480. Then we move to nearby Framsden Barn Hall, another outstanding listed building on the estate that we are very lucky to borrow for the day. In his book 'Buildings of England', Sir Nikolaus Pevsner describes it as '... a fine barn, 200ft long. Ground Floor late 17th or 18th century brick, upper floor timber with brick nogging'. You'll find displays of some of the 21 National Collections held in Suffolk and specialist nurseries offering plants for sale. After a buffet lunch, we will enjoy talks by 3 great speakers:
· Lady Xa Tollemache - renowned garden designer
· John Anderson, Keeper of the Savill and Valley Gardens, Windsor Great Park, who is well known as a very informative and entertaining speaker
· Sir Roderick Newton - Plant Heritage chairman who has a National Collection of around 550 bearded Iris varieties (pre 1950) built up over 50 years
We will round off the day with refreshments. Plants from the Plant Exchange will be ready to collect by 4pm (if you have not been involved before, find out more here - and if you'd like free rare and unusual plants, remember to put in your requests when the list opens in January).
On Sunday there will be plenty more gardens and places to visit if you wish to. More information will be added here shortly.
Accommodation and food: Bury St Edmunds, a beautiful cathedral city, has a wide variety of places to stay both in the centre and further out, as well as excellent places to eat and drink. Find out more
If you have any questions, please just let us know and we’ll do our best to help.
Please note... all accommodation needs to be booked by yourselves.