East Anglian Garden Group

STODY LODGE GARDENS AND HOLT - BY COACH
2026-05-29 09:30 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | Stody Lodge Gardens & Holt, Stody, Melton Constable NR24 2ER, Stody Lodge Gardens & Holt, Stody, Norfolk, NR24 2ER, United Kingdom
Departing from The Cock Horse Car Park in Lavenham at 9:45am prompt.
We will be arriving at the stunning gardens of Stody Lodge at about midday, where we will explore the gardens and have the opportunity for refreshments, leaving there at 2pm to go on into Holt to explore the town, with its many galleries, cafes, gift and antique shops, before departing at 4pm for home.
In late May, Stody Lodge Gardens is typically in full bloom with a spectacular display of rhododendrons and azaleas, which are the main highlights of the season, with a collection of over 200 varieties. The beautiful four acre Azalea Water Garden featuring thousands of Azalea mollis plants is usually a dramatic blaze of colour at this time.
Other plants you may see include lilies, peonies, lupins, delphiniums and roses. Notable trees include a magnificent Davidia involucrata, a Norway Maple planted in 1985 for a WW11 reunion as well as collections of Magnolia, Camellia and various ornamental species like Liquidambar Styraciflua, Eucryphia Nymansay, Cercis and Arbutus Unendo.
As we are arriving two hours before they officially open for the day, we should hopefully have plenty of quiet space to wander. No refreshments are included, but the tea room will be open for us.
We have a 53 seater luxury coach from Felix Coaches, and the cost of the coach ticket alone will be £18.50, entrance to the garden will be £10, but free to RHS Members as it is a partner garden, so book either the £18.50 or the £28.50 ticket. Once we have sold a total of 53 of combined tickets the coach will be full.
We are offering the tickets to Boxford Garden Society and Lavenham Garden Club as well, in order to fill the coach, and tickets for everyone will be purchased through the EAGG website. Please book early to ensure your place as this is going to be a marvellous day out.
NON-RHS MEMBERS PRICE: £28.50
RHS MEMBERS PRICE: £18.50
Please ensure you purchase the correct ticket type from the link.

The Delights of Delphiniums Greg Venesse
2026-04-04 14:30 - 16:30 | Monks Eleigh Village Hall, Village Hall, Monks Eleigh, Suffolk, IP7 7JL, United Kingdom
Greg Venesse of The Front Gardeners Nursery is dotty about delphiniums, and will explain the difference between the old Elatum varieties and newer examples, how to sow them from seed and take cuttings, and choosing the right delphiniums to suit your garden. Wildlife-friendly plants for sale.
FREE FOR MEMBERS
NON-MEMBERS – £6 payable on the door

Celebrity Speaker: Matthew Biggs - Desert Island Gardens
2026-03-21 14:30 - 16:30 | Monks Eleigh Village Hall, Village Hall, Monks Eleigh, Suffolk, IP7 7JL, United Kingdom
We’re very sorry to announce that the talk by our Celebrity Speaker Matthew Biggs on Saturday March 21 has been cancelled due to Matthew’s ill health. Everyone who has bought tickets will be contacted to arrange a refund.

Start with Soil Juliet Sargeant
2026-03-07 14:30 - 16:30 | Monks Eleigh Village Hall, Village Hall, Monks Eleigh, Suffolk, IP7 7JL, United Kingdom
Juliet Sargeant, RHS gold medallist and Gardeners’ Question Time panellist, challenges you to take your soil seriously. She introduces no-dig gardening, Hugelkultur and rain gardens, and growing mediums such as hydroponics and sand gardens. Her book ‘Start with Soil’ will be for sale.
FREE FOR MEMBERS
NON-MEMBERS – £6 payable on the door

Visit to IRELANDS MEADOW, The Street, Little Waldingfield CO10 0TF
2026-02-18 10:30 - 12:00 | IRELANDS MEADOW, The Street, Little Waldingfield CO10 0TF, IRELANDS MEADOW, The Street, Little Waldingfield, Little Waldingfield, Suffolk, CO10 0TF, United Kingdom
Irelands Meadow is tucked away down a small lane and has the most beautiful natural garden and woodland with lakes. It is the home of Stan Ireland and Jennie Jordan, and Stan has spent years making the landscape that surrounds their home. The woodland is a carpet of many, many thousands of snowdrops, which flourish in every conceivable place, stretching down to the lakes, beneath the willows, and wandering on to the lane and the field beyond. Paths will lead us over the stream, round the lake, and on a small island within the lake Stan has planted an early variety of daffodil, which was flowering at the same time as the snowdrops, when we visited in 2025. Coffee and cake will be provided.
Irelands Meadow is situated off the B1115 just on the approach to Little Waldingfield. Look out for the SRL sign at the side of the road, and turn off the road towards the laboratory, it is a fairly narrow lane. Just over a small bridge you will see a turning and gateway on your right, turn in and park by the barn.

PRICE IS £8 including donation to West Suffolk Hospital Macmillan’s Nurses

AGM & Companion Planting For Your Garden Dr. Ian Bedford
2026-02-07 14:30 - 16:30 | Monks Eleigh Village Hall, Village Hall, Monks Eleigh, Suffolk, IP7 7JL, United Kingdom
Dr. Ian Bedford, entomologist, of the John Innes Centre and resident bug expert on BBC Radios Suffolk and Norfolk. Many plants such as garlic and French marigolds attract or repel bugs. Ian reveals how to use them in our gardens to create a natural balanced eco-system for attracting nature and keeping pests under control. There will be environmentally friendly garden products for sale.
FREE FOR MEMBERS
NON-MEMBERS – £6 payable on the door

Winter Walk – Anglesey Abbey
2026-01-20 11:00 - 14:00 | Quay Road, Lode, Cambridgeshire CB25 9EJ, Quay Road, Lode, Cambridgeshire, CB25 9EJ, United Kingdom
We are revisiting our Winter Walk at the beautiful Anglesey Abbey slightly later than in previous years, in the hope that more snowdrops, hellebores, and winter shrubs will be at their peak. We will assemble in the foyer at 11a.m. The gardens are free for National Trust and RHS Members, so do remember to bring your membership cards with you. Non-members will pay individually at the desk £18 pp. Historically this has been a fairly unstructured visit, with members meeting up to enjoy coffee or lunch afterwards, so there is no need to book, and this notice is for your information only. We will look forward to meeting you on the day!
NON-MEMBER PRICE IS £18

Sex Lies & Putrefaction
2025-11-01 14:30 - 16:30 | Monks Eleigh Village Hall, Village Hall, Monks Eleigh, Suffolk, IP7 7JL, United Kingdom
Timothy Walker
Timothy Walker is the hugely entertaining and sometimes controversial former Director of Oxford Botanic Garden, who brings a new angle to every subject. For many people pollination begins and ends with bees, but it is in fact carried out by all kinds of creatures, from bats (for night flowering species) to snails (for plants with time on their hands). Timothy looks at the huge variety of pollinators, and explains why knowing about them is so important for gardeners.

Visit Green Island Gardens Ardleigh, Colchester
2025-10-16 14:00 - 17:00 | Suffolk
Green Island Gardens is a 20 acre garden in Ardleigh, near Colchester. It features many unusual plants for year round interest, due to its unique micro climate they can grow many borderline hardy plants. The garden has been professionally designed by Fiona Redmond, who has a passion for trees and shrubs, scented plants and rarely seen specimens. The autumn colour is spectacular. We are not organising a guided tour so members can wander at their own speed and gently enjoy! There is a cafe for tea and cakes and a plant stall.
Directions can be found on the website at www.greenislandgardens.co.uk but from Colchester you may find this helpful : take the A137 towards Manningtree (called Harwich Road), at the first mini roundabout ignore signs for Ardleigh and turn right onto Bromley Road. follow this road out of Colchester for a couple of miles. You will go over the A120, pass a turning on the lleft called Slough Lane. Park Road is the next turning on the left, and Green Island Garden is the first on the right. Post Code is C07 7SP , where you will find the car park.
PRICE IS £11

Sweet Peas Fragrance The Air
2025-10-04 14:30 - 16:30 | Monks Eleigh Village Hall, Village Hall, Monks Eleigh, Suffolk, IP7 7JL, United Kingdom
Chris Wiley
Who can resist the heady scent and glorious colours of sweet peas? Chris Wiley is obsessed with them, and in 2022 won the Best New Plant Award at Chelsea, which to his amazement was presented to Queen Elizabeth 11. Chris takes us on his journey developing his variety, explains how to grow and nurture sweet peas, and recounts their history. Chris founded the Sustainable Plant Store to sell eco-friendly alternatives to popular plants, and will bring some to sell.

Cutting Flowers From The Tin Shed Nursery
2025-04-05 14:30 - 16:30 | Monks Eleigh Village Hall, Village Hall, Monks Eleigh, Suffolk, IP7 7JL, United Kingdom
Eileen and Tim Tordoff
Forget about air miles when bringing fresh flowers into the house.Eileen and Tim Tordoff introduce us to the rewards of growing our own flowers to pick and enjoy at home. Which are easy, which need careful nurturing, tips and advice and stories of some of the adventures they’ve had in starting up a cutting nursery in the middle of Suffolk. We hope to arrange a visit to their nursery in the summer.

Plants for Free - Marina Christopher
2025-03-01 14:30 - 16:30 | Monks Eleigh Village Hall, Village Hall, Monks Eleigh, Suffolk, IP7 7JL, United Kingdom
Propagation – Myths and mysteries of the dark art of propagation. Success with seed collection, sowing, germination and growing on. Recognising cuttings material and how to deal with them. Assessing which herbaceous material is suitable for division. Marina will be bringing propagation sundries and an eclectic range of hand tools for sale, together with some plants.
