Long Ashton Horticultural Society

Since 1919, the aim of the Long Ashton Horticultural Society has been to promote flower and vegetable growing, and to bring people together to learn from each other. The centrepiece of our year is our Annual Show, a community event, for villagers to share with each other the amazing things that they have grown, cooked, photographed or made. But we also hold regular events throughout the year, including visits and talks. See our 2024 planned events here.

Our next event on Saturday 3 August is a visit to Limeburn Hill Vineyard in Chew Magna.

Robin Snowdon and Georgina Harvey from Limeburn Hill Vineyard gave us a wonderful evening earlier this month during which Robin gave a fascinating talk about how they care for the vineyard using biodynamic principles. This holistic approach places equal importance to the soil, plants and overall eco system which has resulted in the vineyard being a haven for wildlife with a rich biodiversity. After the talk we enjoyed sampling their sparkling wines which are certified biodynamic, organic and natural with a very different taste to conventional wines which typically contain a high number of additives.

Robin will be giving us a tour of the Limeburn Hill Vineyard which is situated on the south facing slopes of Westfield Farm, overlooking the Chew Valley. Robin the vineyard manager and winemaker will take us on a guided walk through the vines, demonstrating how the land is managed in a natural and sustainable way and explain how biodynamic farming methods work in harmony with the natural world.

Weather permitting we will finish at the top of the vineyard at a seating area with beautiful views over the valley and then have the opportunity to buy a glass of wine or bottles to take away plus ask questions of the makers or simply enjoy the view!

After that, on Tuesday 13 August 2024 we’ll be having a tour of the Gardens at Tyntesfield with the Head Gardener, Paul Evans.

You may recall Paul gave us an excellent talk at last year’s AGM which included a brief history of the garden and estate plus highlights from the last 20 years of garden restoration and their plans for the future.

Paul has worked at Tyntesfield since 2004, originally as Assistant Head Gardener then Head Gardener for the last 12 years. Previously he worked at Dyrham Park and Claremont Landscape Garden, joining the National Trust as a volunteer at Cragside in 1996.

Tyntesfield is an ornate Victorian gothic revival house with extensive parkland and gardens in Wraxall owned by the National Trust. The house is surrounded by 540 acres of historic land that includes woodland and orchard. The garden is varied ranging from open lawns and formal terraces to historic Orangery with its nearby cut flower beds and working Kitchen Garden which provides produce for the Cow Barn Restaurant or is sold in return for a donation. There is also the rose garden which has been subject to restoration and the arboretum with its collection of specimen trees including many Champion trees.

Both events require pre-booking so check for emails from Mary telling you what to do. Non-members may attend but, due to limited numbers of places, priority will be given to members. The good news is, there’s still time to join before August so scroll to the bottom of this page for the membership link!

The 98th Long Ashton Flower Show

The 98th Annual Show will take place on Saturday 7th September 2024 in the Village Hall. We invite everyone to join us to take part, visit the show and to enjoy the delicious home-made cakes served by our team of volunteers.

The 2023 schedule and entry forms (PDF) are available to print from this website Schedule, Entry Form where you can also find out more about the Show and how to become a member of the Society.