2026 Seminar: Bromeliads
Saturday 28th March at Croxteth Hall
Early days in our planning, but we have 2 key speakers who are experts on the Bromeliad Family already booked, see below:
John Henshaw
John will talk on " Bromeliads in habitat & gardens ”.
He has spent 50 years studying Xerophytes (plants that have adapted to survive in an environment with little liquid water) and Bromeliads. He has travelled extensively in Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Costa Rica to photograph the plants in the wild.
Don Billington
Don Billington will talk on “Bromeliads for the Home”.
He started his working life as an apprentice in the Harthill Liverpool Botanic Gardens and eventually became a Senior Gardener at Croxteth Hall Country Park. In 2010 he left to develop his own company: “Every Picture Tells A Story Ltd”.
Now he is a holder of 3 National Collections of Bromeliad’s: Aechmea, Billbergia and Neoregelia, with over 100 RHS Show Gold Medals. He is also member of the RHS Tender Ornamental Expert Group, an RHS Show Judge on these plants and currently Chair of the RHS Trials Committee on Tillandsia.
events
Previous Events
Below you will find a record of earlier Events delivered by the Trust and its supporters.
Spice Stories: The Botanical and Cultural World of Gingers
On 29th March 2025 at Croxteth Hall, Liverpool, The Liverpool Botanical Trust and LJMU Research Institute for Literature and Cultural History held a symposium focusing on the amazing world of Gingers (Zingiberaceae). Liverpool has an important place in the botanical history of these plants.
It featured these contributions from leading horticulturalists, academics, and artists:
Axel Dalberg Poulsen, Zingiberales Taxonomist at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh spoke on : ‘The Diversity of Gingers of the World’
Steve Lyus, Chair of the Liverpool Botanical Trust spoke on: ‘“Roscoe’s Baby”, The first Monograph for the Gingers’
Donna Young, Curator of Herbarium, National Museums Liverpool spoke on: ‘The Liverpool Herbarium and its Gingers within.’
During the lunch period, exhibitions from botanical artist Sue McHugh, LJMU graduate Anna John and Liz & Geoff Rimmer of the local Athena Plant nursery, were available to view.
Richard Baines, Curator at Logan Botanic Garden spoke on: ‘Growing Gingers in Great Britain.’
Rebecca Bailey, Senior Lecturer in English Literature at LJMU spoke on: “What's ginger, I pray ye?”: an exploration of ginger in early modern England'.
Many thanks to LJMU RILCH for covering all of our costs, which meant that all the ticket income from the 68 attendees went into our funds.
Orchid Fever: Propagating and Hybridizing Orchids from the Nineteenth Century to the Present day
On 16th March 2024 at Croxteth Hall, Liverpool, The Liverpool Botanical Trust and LJMU Research Institute for Literature and Cultural History held a symposium focusing on the cultural and scientific history of Orchid collections. Liverpool has an important place in the ‘Orchidelerium’ or orchid mania which swept Victorian Britain.
It featured keynote talks by orchid expert, author and lecturer, Philip Seaton (Secretary of the Orchid Specialist Group) with shorter papers on the history of orchids in the Liverpool Botanic Gardens, orchids in Victorian England, and creative work. There was also an opportunity to see several new ‘Liverpool Orchids’.
Many thanks to LJMU RILCH for covering all of our costs, which meant that all the ticket income from the 51 attendees went into our funds.