Lowdham Horticultural Society was founded in 1893 and comprises a very active group of members covering all age ranges (including Juniors), whose interests span horticulture, handicrafts, cookery and photography.

The Society’s Constitution was updated in March 2013 and can be found here.  Our ongoing relevance is based on the many benefits of horticulture and gardening to modern society, including:

• wellbeing – the mental benefits of outdoor activities in general and gardening in particular are very relevant to our increasingly stressful lifestyles;
• health – gardening provides a mostly free form of exercise (versus gym membership, for example) and a nutritious end result;
• frugality/thriftiness – in addition to the above benefits, more people are turning to their gardens or allotments as a result of constrained household budgets;
• community/social – horticulture remains a valid and vital form of community participation and provides an opportunity for people to gather with a shared interest;
• artisan produce – an increasing interest in local produce, farmers markets, local breweries, etc provides a wider context within which the Society can operate;
• arts & crafts – similarly, events like the Annual Show provide opportunities for crossover with local arts & crafts societies;
• specialist knowledge exchange – this is available both via local members of the Society and via the broader access to information via the RHS;
• education – the Society is happy to work with local schools, plus assisting/mentoring those new to gardening, taking up allotments, etc;
• environmental – there is a growing awareness of organic/low-impact practices, benefits of locally grown produce (fewer food miles) and so on.

We stage three shows a year:

• the Spring Show for daffodils, tulips, spring flowers and plants;
• the Summer Show on August Bank Holiday, including comprehensive displays of vegetables, fruit, flowers, produce, handicrafts, photography and flower arranging;
• our Apple Day in late Autumn presenting large collections of apples and other fruit along with apple tasting, home made jams and so on.

We are affiliated to the Royal Horticultural Society. Our membership fees are low and provide many benefits.  With renewed interest in ‘grow your own vegetables’, the Society manages a greatly subsidised seed/plant scheme, a most worthwhile benefit for members.

Evening visits to open gardens and day trips by coach (members subsidised) to other shows and larger gardens are arranged for the summer.  We have a series of monthly talks in Lowdham W. I. Hall at 7.30pm during the autumn, winter and spring. Non members are welcome to attend the talks for a £3 charge.

The Society’s full event calendar can be found here.