Oak Open Day, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Ampfield, Hampshire, UK.

On Monday 29^th July, 2013, there will be an Oak Open Day, open also to non IOS members, at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, a splendid 72-hectare collection not only of oaks but of many other rare trees, including several oak-related Lithocarpus. The garden is one of the two national collections of Quercus in the United Kingdom, and many of the oak accessions were collected in the wild by IOS Board member and ex-President Allen Coombes.

The day will commence at 1000 for 1030 with a welcome coffee or tea with biscuits, and, after a brief orientation from our guides, we will tour the garden from 1045 to around 1230.

A voucher will be provided for a lunch with a hot main course as part of the all-in price of £25 including entry to the garden.

We will meet up again at 1400. We will continue walking in the garden without our Hillier Gardens guides until 1600, when we will be provided with a cup of tea or coffee to help us regain strength, after which our ‘official’ programme ends, but we may remain to discuss what we have seen together or continue to tour the garden until closure at 1800. A list of the oaks in the garden with their location codes and a map will be provided beforehand by e-mail, and participants who prefer will alternatively be able to explore by themselves during the afternoon.

Also included in the above price is a copy of the latest guidebook to the gardens – a useful souvenir.

Further details, including the meeting point in the gardens, will be sent nearer the time to those who have listed for the event and will be published on the IOS website. We will be able to pay on the day, but for catering purposes our numbers will need to be confirmed seven days in advance. Cancellation without penalty will be possible up to the seven-day point, but if you cancel after this point I would have to ask you pay for the cost of the lunch (£11.95).

For those with GPS navigation the postcode is SO51 0QA, and the full address is:

Sir Harold Hillier Gardens,

Jermyns Lane,

Ampfield,

Romsey SO51 0QA,

Hampshire, UK.

Directions are available also on the Gardens’ website: http://www3.hants.gov.uk/hilliergardens/hillier-gardens.htm

Please register your interest with Shaun Haddock at shaun.haddock@orange.fr and state any special dietary requirements you may have. If you will require accommodation nearby notify me well in advance and I will ask the gardens on your behalf for recommendations – however, you will have to make your own bookings. The town of Romsey and the ancient city of Winchester are nearby.

Once you have registered for the Oak Open Day, I will keep you updated with any developments, and approaching the seven-days-to-go point I will send you the oak list information and ask you to confirm your attendance for catering purposes. If you are uncertain at this point, it would be possible to turn up on the day, but you would have to take your chance regarding catering availability – hopefully not a problem on a Monday.

I would ask you also to notify your oak-orientated friends of the event, whether IOS members or not, as they may not have seen this notice. And ‘oak novices’ are equally welcome!

Don’t forget that in addition to the chance to be guided around wonderful Quercus collections, Oak Open Day events are a great chance to catch up with your oaky friends and make new acquaintances!

Shaun Haddock, Arboretum de La Bergerette, France. 24 February 2013.