The Gardeners' Club... for Enthusiasts recently had the privilege of hearing the head of horticulture at the National Botanic Garden of Wales speaking on the topic of 'The NBGW - Now!'

Laura Davies's enthusiasm for her job was very evident as she talked; she balanced fascinating history with interesting botanical detail as she explained about the double walled garden and the great glasshouse.

An example is that the design of the quadrants in the walled garden represents the botanic development of flowering plants and is based on the latest DNA research; also the gardeners are constantly changing the displays with the seasons to demonstrate as many of the species in each group as possible.

The slides illustrating her talk on the great glasshouse, took the members from the initial months when the interior resembled the surface of the moon, to the present day almost 10 years later, when springtime in the Mediterranean areas of the world is spectacularly colourful.

The King Proteas from South Africa, the Bottlebrushes from Australia, the Giant Geraniums from the Canaries and the Californian Poppies all compete for attention - and the whole experience is just down the road here in South West Wales!

The members of the club are looking forward to visiting the National Botanic Garden of Wales on Tuesday, May 26. If anyone would like further information about the club and future events, including the visit to the Botanic Garden, please do not hesitate to contact either the chairman, Jill Foster, on 01437 751241 or the secretary, Eileen Seal, on 01646 682504.