Bridport WI Hall, North Street, Bridport
Speaker Margie Hoffnung
Margie completed a 4 year Horticulture Degree at Writtle College, after working at Westonbirt Arboretum. Her sandwich placement was with Rosemary Verey, the well-known plantswoman, author and garden designer, with whom she continued to work for over a decade until Rosemary’s death. She also spent some years at Highgrove as both gardener and garden guide for HRH The Prince of Wales, as well as manning Jekka McVicar’s herb stand at flower shows like Chelsea and Hampton Court for several seasons.
She subsequently completed a Masters degree in the Conservation of Historic Gardens & Cultural Landscapes at Bath and since 2013 has worked for the Garden History Society (now the Gardens Trust) and is their Conservation Officer. In this role she liaises closely with County Gardens Trusts all round England and responds to planning applications which might affect listed historic designed landscapes, to make sure, as far as possible, that these proposals do not have an adverse effect on those sites or their settings.
Margie is a regular speaker to gardening societies on a variety of topics as well as speaking on conservation issues relating to historic gardens to heritage bodies.