Join us for Day One of Tipi Talks for gardening inspiration a-plenty and all the magic of the natural world.
Supported by Cornwall Community Foundation/The Tanner Phoenix Trust:
With huge thanks to Alasdair Moore and The Lost Gardens of Heligan for curating Tipi Talks, and The Tanner Phoenix Trust
A hearing loop has been installed in the Tipi to assist those with hearing aids.
The tipis have been supplied by The Cornish Tent Company.
Saturday 5th April
11am: Chrissy Ching – Advancing Horticulture, Changing Lives: The Working for Gardeners’ Association
Chrissy Ching – Image Credit Trevor Ching
Chrissy Ching joins us to discuss her work with the Working for Gardeners’ Association (WFGA) and the unique opportunities that its flexible training placements bring. The
charity, founded in 1899, offers paid, part-time horticultural placements (WRAGS) as well as practical training days to help career changers develop their skills.
Chrissy has had a long career in horticulture, running a successful design and landscape business, working as researcher, garden historian and lecturer. Having been a career
changer herself, she is passionate about encouraging people to follow their dream of working in horticulture. She is the first WFGA Regional Manager that has been appointed to
work within Cornwall. Chrissy will share with us why the charity is important to the preservation of Cornwall’s horticultural heritage and how it can help fill the skills gap for the
future.
11.30am: G&T Time – In conversation with Geraint Richards and Tony Kirkham talking trees, woodlands and The Queen’s Green Canopy
Geraint Richards
Geraint Richards is Head Forester for the Duchy of Cornwall and His Majesty the King, and High Sheriff of Cornwall – Image Credit Charles Sainsbury-Plaice
Geraint Richards is the Head Forester for the Duchy of Cornwall and to His Majesty the King.
He is a Fellow and President of the Institute of Chartered Foresters, and Chair of Action Oak.
Geraint is a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO), a recipient of the Royal Forestry Society’s Gold Medal for distinguished services to forestry and is the current High Sheriff of Cornwall.
Tony Kirkham
Tony Kirkham – Image Credit Tony Kirkham
Tony Kirkham was Head of Arboretum, Gardens and Horticultural Services at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where he managed and curated more than 14,000 trees and its hardy shrub collections. In 2021, he retired after 43 years’ service for which he received an MBE and the RHS Victoria Medal of Honour.
He now chairs the RHS Woody Plant Committee, sits on the International Dendrology Society’s scientific and education committee, and is a trustee of the Chelsea Physic Garden and Tree Register of the British Isles.
instagram.com/tony_kirkham_trees
12.30pm: Sheila Das – Soil: The Magic Beneath Our Feet
Sheila Das – Image Credit Sheila Das
Sheila Das studied at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, worked for English Heritage, was a garden manager for Edibles, Education, Seed and Wellbeing at RHS Garden Wisley from 2015 to 2024, and is now Head of Gardens and Parks at the National Trust.
Sheila is passionate about gardening in sustainable ways to support planetary and human health, and is well known for her love of soil and edible growing.
1.30pm: John Little and Benny Hawksbee – Gardens and the Natural World
John Little – Image Credit Sarah Cuttle
John Little
John Little was declared a Horticultural Hero by Gardens Illustrated in 2024.
Experience has taught John that structural complexity and topography are more important than plant choice for driving biodiversity. Since establishing the Grass Roof Company in 1998, he has designed and built over 400 green-roof buildings, combining deep biodiverse roofs with walls of breeding and hibernation space.
John also runs a ‘not for profit’ to train gardeners in everything other than horticulture. He argues that we must invest in gardeners rather than more infrastructure.
Benny Hawksbee
Benny Hawksbee – Image Credit Katy Watson
Benny Hawksbee is a former marine biologist who is now a gardener and wildlife advocate.
He is head gardener for the Eden Nature Garden in London where he works with the local community to drive interest in plants and wildlife.
Benny also cares for and develops all kinds of private gardens, and is particularly focused on thoughtful, city gardening that combines insects and wild plants.
2.30pm: John Lanyon, Caroline Philp, Merlin Hanbury-Tenison and Neil Armstrong – The Healing Power of Gardens and Nature
John Lanyon
John Lanyon at National Trust Trelissick – Image Credit The National Trust and Steve Haywood
John Lanyon has been one of Cornwall’s most respected horticulturists for many years and until his recent retirement, was Garden Manager for the National Trust gardens of Trelissick, Glendurgan, Trerice and Bosloe.
John says: “Plants and gardens have always been a part of my life. Mum and dad gardened all the time so I did also! However, I have taken my interests to a different level. Both the natural world and horticulture create interest and inspiration for me in more ways than I could ever articulate to you. At the heart of all of this is the art of creating a breathtaking garden that can inspire us all.”
nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cornwall
Caroline Philp
Caroline Philp – Image Credit Caroline Philp
In her current role as the Learning and Wellbeing Manager at The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Caroline Philp works to inspire curiosity in the natural world, creating experiences that blend nature connection, wellbeing and learning, and providing a platform from which to have critical conversations about planetary and personal health.
As a former GP, Caroline is an advocate for lifestyle medicine and the adoption of a holistic approach to health and wellbeing. She firmly believes in the power of our natural landscapes to support wellbeing and increase our capacity for learning.
Merlin Hanbury-Tenison
Merlin Hanbury-Tenison – Image Credit Merlin Hanbury-Tenison
Merlin Hanbury-Tenison is a Cornish conservationist and veteran who founded The Thousand Year Trust, Britain’s rainforest charity.
The charity’s mission is to catalyse the movement to triple Britain’s rainforest cover to one million acres in the next thirty years.
Merlin’s work has been featured in National Geographic, the Guardian newspaper and on the BBC.
He lives in a rainforest in Cornwall with his wife Lizzie, an entrepreneur and business advisor, and their two young daughters.
Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong – Image Credit Neil Armstrong
As a foil for work as a full-time GP, Neil Armstrong created Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens from a raw overgrown valley to one of the Great Gardens of Cornwall.
The theme has been to harmonise landscape, plants and artwork to create a transportive, contemplative and calming space.
3.30pm: Gardeners’ Questions with Duana Pearson, Henry Welch, Tom Cutter and Amelia Lake
Duana Pearson
Duana Pearson – Image Credit Duana Pearson
Duana Pearson is currently Head Gardener at the Tresillian Estate, Newquay.
She has worked for the National Trust, The Eden Project and The Lost Gardens of Heligan throughout her career, mostly growing a wide range of crops.
Henry Welch
Henry Welch – Image Credit Henry Welch
Henry Welch is the Supervisor of the Jungle and Steward’s House at The Lost Gardens of Heligan, where he works to create and nurture a diverse and beautiful garden.
His horticultural career began as an apprentice at Heligan before he went on to study horticulture and plantsmanship at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Henry then spent three years at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where he completed the prestigious Kew Diploma.
He has a deep passion for Gondwanan and Chaparral flora, as well as plant conservation and how it can be integrated into public gardens.
Henry’s work focuses on combining horticultural creativity with conservation principles to sustain and enhance these unique landscapes for the future.
Tom Cutter
Tom Cutter – Image Credit Tom Cutter
Tom Cutter is the Assistant Head Gardener of Glendurgan Garden on the Helford in Cornwall, where he works to conserve and develop this historic National Trust valley garden.
nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cornwall/glendurgan-garden
Amelia Lake
Amelia Lake – Image Credit Amelia Lake
Amelia Lake is the founder and grower at Real Food Garden, a market garden in mid-Cornwall focused on producing high-quality, seasonal vegetables using regenerative and sustainable practices.
With a deep passion for soil health, biodiversity and nutrient-rich food, Amelia combines traditional growing techniques with innovative, low-impact methods.
She is dedicated to building a resilient local food system and inspiring others to grow their own.
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