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Few people in the world and nobody from the west had seen the extremely rare Rafflesia banaoana with its huge flower until Chris Thorogood fought his way through Philippine jungle last month. Author of many botany books and plant guides, he is an authority on the Mediterranean with his Field Guide to Flowers of the Western Mediterranean, Field Guide to Flowers of the Eastern Mediterranean and Wild Flowers of the Algarve. He is also an excellent botanical artist. His latest book, When Plants Took Over the Planet, is aimed at 7- to 11-year-olds. Chris, head of science and deputy director of the Oxford Botanic Garden, welcomed MPG members enthusiastically at the start of last summer’s visit to Oxford.

Tickets are on sale now for the London Square Open Gardens weekend of Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 June 2022. Most of the gardens are not normally open to the public and one of the most personal and private is MPG member Mona Abboud’s long narrow garden in Highgate with gorgeous exotics and a collection of Corokia. Tickets can be booked at https://londongardenstrust.eventcube.io/. Our picture shows Pembridge Square, created between 1856 and 1864, captured by Barrie Stead. This garden near Notting Hill Gate has a rose garden, long herbaceous border, woodland and wild flower areas and children’s play space.

Briony Marriott (pictured) formally joined the tours committee on 7 March 2022, having attended it previously as an observer. Briony is an active gardener at home in West Sussex and has a soft spot for Pelion, the Sporades and Evia, also visiting gardens in any location, “preferably in warm sunshine,” she adds. Contributions from members are welcomed by committees of which there are three: the bursary committee chaired by Cathy Rollinson, the tours committee (responsible for overseas trips and residential events within UK) chaired by Maddy Hughes and a recently approved membership committee, led by Heather Martin, for which volunteers are sought.

Troy Scott-Smith gave a talk on 2 March for MPG about the Delos garden at Sissinghurst Castle in Kent, UK. The image shows a small part of the garden with Salvia sclarea, native to the northern Mediterranean basin, prominent. The lead gardener in the construction phase of the garden has been our member Saffron Prentis, who is moving this month (March) to work at Perch Hill, the garden and nursery of Sarah Raven. The talk was well attended with 71 members logged in to Zoom but, unfortunately, we did not have permission to record the talk for future member interest.

Julia Corden recently joined MPG’s Tours Committee. She lives in West Sussex, having moved at the end of 2021 from Perthshire to be head gardener at Goodwood Estate, West Sussex. Julia is past president of the Scottish Rock Garden Club and trained at RHS Wisley then the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. Julia is shown here in India, where she was leading a botanical tour.