Gardening is the UK’s most popular hobby. The emphasis of the meetings is on discussion of topics of interest and all members are encouraged to take part, with even complete novices playing an important part by asking questions of those with more experience and knowledge.

Our meetings include discussions, demonstrations, presentations and even seed growing challenges. Members with a particular interest may give a short presentation about their passion, or simply start a discussion about it – people are often surprised to find many others share their interests.

A feature of each meeting is the popular Market Place where members can donate surplus plants, seeds, pots, tools, magazines or just about anything connected with gardening. We also share information about the best local nurseries and gardens open to visitors.

The frequency of our meetings reflects the intensity of the gardening year. We normally meet every other week in the autumn and spring, but only once a month during the winter months, when our gardens are dormant. The u3a term system means that meetings are not held during the summer when our gardens are usually looking at their best, but this gives members the opportunity to open their gardens to the group. These visits are always popular; providing a chance to show our garden successes and discuss any challenges we may have encountered. Apart from the gardening, the tea and cakes always prove a great success.

For practical reasons the membership is limited to 25 members, but we do maintain a waiting list of those wishing to join.

The Leader

I joined Verwood u3a in 2021 and after a year I found myself leading the gardening group. I have been gardening for about 50 years and growing fruit and vegetables has been my main interest; however, I have become more interested in growing unusual flowers as well. I lived in Southampton for 42 years with city gardens, before moving to the Dorset countryside in 2010.  Since moving to a rural location, I have been surprised to have to learn so much about gardening alongside wildlife, particularly the four-legged ones.

I don’t claim to be an expert gardener, and I don’t expect others to be, but between us we have hundreds of years of gardening experience which I encourage each other to share their knowledge with the group.