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We started the Hillier Gardening Club 21 years ago this year – I really cannot believe it. Pip and I started the Club as The Hillier Gardening for Beginners Club, inspired by the Horticultural Trades Association’s initiative to encourage more people to try their hand at gardening.
We took the line that everyone’s a beginner in some way; there is always something new to learn. Some of our more experienced gardeners did not like the idea of a beginner’s club so the idea evolved into The Hillier Gardening Club after a year or so.
The magazine was always the foundation of the club. We wanted to produce a publication that was written by us and one that could give sound advice, recommend specific products that we knew worked and one that was not dominated by advertising.
The magazine was always the foundation of the club. We wanted to produce a publication that was written by us and one that could give sound advice, recommend specific products that we knew worked and one that was not dominated by advertising.
We wanted to cover the basics as well as what is new and different and we wanted to be able to give our opinions on plants and products based on our own experience. Neither of us ever imagined we would still be producing the magazine 21 years later and mailing it to 250,000 members. How big did we imagine the Hillier Gardening Club would be? I do not think we ever even thought about it.
Over the years we have organised events, visits, talks and demonstrations. Hillier Holidays, started as one trip to Madeira are now a regular feature and many members have travelled with us to many different destinations. Our talks have become a regular feature throughout the year in all Hillier Garden Centres and we still manage to produce three issues of the magazine every year.
Over the years we have organised events, visits, talks and demonstrations. Hillier Holidays, started as one trip to Madeira are now a regular feature and many members have travelled with us to many different destinations. Our talks have become a regular feature throughout the year in all Hillier Garden Centres and we still manage to produce three issues of the magazine every year.
I do hope that we have helped our members over the years to get more out of their gardens – We have certainly answered plenty of your questions. From our point of view we have learnt so much from our members along the way: tips, recommendations, snippets of advice and pearls of wisdom.
So I think we can safely say that we have achieved what we set out to do: Help us all to get more out of our gardens. We wish all of our members a Happy 21st and many more years of Happy Gardening!
Andy and Pip
Andy and Pip
