Members' Weekend and Plant Exchange 2026 in Suffolk
Welcome to Suffolk for the annual National Members' get together and Plant Exchange. Beautiful Helmingham Hall near Stowmarket and Bury St Edmunds are at the centre of what promises to be a memorable weekend for all. Everyone is welcome, especially new members.
| Event Start Date | Friday, 5 June 2026 6.30pm |
|---|---|
| Event End Date | Sunday, 7 June 2026 12.00pm |
| Cost | £40 for dinner/talk on Friday, £50 for Saturday all day. Sunday morning for visits to National Collections and gardens open especially for us. |
| Event Location |
Bury St Edmunds and Helmingham Hall near Stowmarket Suffolk |
| Event Contact | Plant Heritage Membership Team |
| Telephone | 01483 447540 |
| Contact | membership@plantheritage.org.uk |
Helmingham Hall Gardens
© Helmingham Hall
Programme
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 do not need to be taking part to come (follow the link to find out more about the Plant Exchange).
Register your interest to make sure you do not miss out when bookings open in February.
Friday 5 June
6.30 pm - Three course dinner at the beautiful Grade 1 listed Guildhall in Bury St Edmunds, followed by a talk by plantaholic Philip Ostenbrink 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). @mr.plantaholic
Saturday 6 June
10.00 am - Small group tours of the fabulous Grade 1 listed gardens at Helmingham Hall, designed by Lady Tollemache, whose family has owned and lived at the Hall since 1480.
11.30 am - Move to nearby Framsden Hall Barn, another outstanding listed building on the estate that we are very lucky to borrow for the day by kind permission of Lord and Lady Tollemache.
In his book 'Buildings of England: Suffolk', 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 will find displays of some of the 22 National Collections held in Suffolk and specialist nurseries offering plants for sale.
After a buffet lunch in the beautiful barn, we will enjoy talks by 3 great speakers:
· Roderick Newton - Plant Heritage Chairman, who has a National Collection of pre 1950 Bearded Irises of around 550 varieties built up over 50 years.
· Lady Tollemache - Garden designer, creator of the modern gardens at Helmingham hall, Chelsea Gold Medal winner and member of the RHS Herbaceous Plant Expert Group
· John Anderson, Keeper of Windsor Great Park which includes the Savill and Valley Gardens. John is a member of the RHS Woody Expert Group and holder of the prestigious VMM awarded by the RHS to non-UK individuals in recognition of an outstanding contribution to horticulture. John oversees 11 Plant Heritage National Collections.
We will round off the day with refreshments. Plants from the Plant Exchange will be ready to collect by 4.00 pm. If you have not been involved before, find out more here Plant Exchange. If you would like free, rare and unusual plants, remember to put in your requests when the list opens in January.
Sunday 7th June there will be plenty more gardens and places for you to visit. More information will be added here shortly.
Accommodation and food: Bury St Edmunds, a beautiful cathedral city, has a wide range of places to stay both in the centre and further out, as well as excellent places to eat and drink.
If you have any questions, please just let us know and we will do our best to help.
Please note: You will need to book your own accommodation.