Pelargonium (geranium) Societies and Clubs in the UK

pelargoniums & geraniums

Specialist Societies and Clubs
in the UK

The aim of this page is free publicity for all UK Pelargonium/geranium Societies and Clubs, and to inform the interested public. If you send in your Society or Club details I will put them online. Send as much information as you like. There is also a page for all UK Pelargonium/geranium Shows, so if you send in these details I can put these online as well, and put a link between the entries on both pages.
David Barrett, Website Editor, Pen y Braich, Cesarea, Caernarfon, LL54 7RF. E-mail

National UK Societies : BEGS GeraniaceaeGroup BPGS
Local & Regional Societies : AyrBEGSgroup Ayrshire Barnsley Barnet Bath Basildon Brixham Birmingham Cambridge Cannington Cotswold Coventry Craven EastSussex Edenbridge Essex Exeter Exmouth Farnborough Gillingham Gorleston Grimsby Gwent Hartlepool Horley Huntingdon Ipswich Knareborough Kingsley&Moorland Leeds LongSutton Merseyside&Southport Merton Midlands MynyddIsa Nantwich NorthWestKent Norwich Oldham Oswestry Peterborough Plympton PortTalbot Reading Ruislip Sheffield SheffieldBEGSgroup Shepway Somerset SouthDevon Southern StHelens Stockport Swindon Trafford(Manchester) ThamesValley Wakefield WalthamForest WestCornwall WestGlamorgan Windsor and Slough Wisbech Wrexham Yorkshire

Is the Show Open or Closed?
Some Society Shows restrict their shows entries to members only - if you want to enter in their Show, join them. This is a "Closed" show.
Other Society Shows have all classes open for anyone to enter, no matter what Societies, if any, they are in. This is an "Open" show.
There are some shows that have members-only sections and open-to-all sections. These are usually referred to as "Open" even though this is not strictly true. The Open section may be a small percentage or a large percentage of the total, the only way to find out is look at the Society Show Schedule.

Just Looking?
However if you only want to have a look at all the wonderful plants, all the following shows are open to the public for viewing! There may be a small charge to go in, and a few might be part of a larger show or event that you may have to pay an entrance fee to enter. So always check beforehand, if you are not sure. When you've been to the show and seen plants you want to grow yourself, then go to the Specialist Nursery page and support those dedicated, hands-on, small Nurseries that keep the huge variety of cultivars available for all, because they love the plants themselves and not in it for the money like the DIY and big chain Garden Centres.

Why are their two (non-specialist group) National UK Societies? Since a spit over the thirty years over differences of opinion that are not longer of that much relevance, there have been moves from certain individuals to talk about merging BEGS and BPGS. The last approach was from BEGS to the BPGS and ended in frustration with BPGS declining meetings for continued discussion. If both Societies were to pole their members to ask if they wished for an amalgamation most believe that the answer would be "yes", but that presumes that you have a committee in place who themselves want to follow membership wishes, to ask in the first place. A committee in place for some time and basically uncontested will have views unknown to it's membership. With membership of hobby Societies generally declining eventually one will die away naturally but how long that will take depends on members loyalty. In the meantime Pelargonium enthusiast will have to put their hands in their pocket twice a year. db

BEGS
British and European Geranium Society (BEGS) begslogo.bmp (9358 bytes)

A quarterly publication "The Geranium Gazette", with many colour illustrations and additional enclosures from time to time; an Annual National Society Show at a different location around Great Britain each year, to give all members a chance to visit now and again; a specialist discount bookshop; local branches in many parts of the country and a Society website . This is the larger of the UK National Societies at twice the size of BPGS - when I last know the BPGS figures which they keep secret - and to be honest the BEGS is the most active (except for the Annual Show if you live in SE England) and friendly of the two , now taking over from the slightly older organistaion.

General enquiries: The Secretary: Cathy Holgate, 19 Raillies Avenue, Largs, Ayrshire, KA30 8QY. Please enclose an SAE for reply. Telephone: 01475 674399 Email: cathypholgate@hotmail.com

Membership : Ł11pa UK individual, Ł13 pa UK joint, Ł2.50pa UK Junior (up to 16); Ł14pa Europe individual, Ł16.50pa Outside Europe individual; Ł16.50pa UK Affiliated Society. All new subscriptions payable on the 1st June each year. Cheques/Bankdrafts payable to "B.E.G.S."

Membership Secretary : Mrs M Culleton, 5 Sandy Ridge, Sandfields, Port Talbot, SA12 6SU. Please enclose an SAE with enquiries. Telephone: 01639 899169

Annual Show : The BEGS Annual Show is in a different part of the country each year. Go to the BEGS website for the latest details.

Show Secretary :

Website Editor : Steve Fitzjohn begs@begs.org.uk , tel: 01933 664707

Website : www.begs.org.uk

National UK Societies Index

BPGS
British Pelargonium and Geranium Society (BPGS)

A newsletter, "Pelargonium News" (generally black and white, with only occasional pictures); an Annual National Society Show, part of which is open to non-members, held at the same site in the South of England each year; no local branches. This Society is half the size of BEGS, although they are secretive of their membership figures, with no branches it tends to attract the Pelargonium Show people who from the south and east of England.

General enquiries: The Secretary, Bob Chislett, 24 Elmhurst Gardens TONBRIDGE, TN10 3QU

Membership : Ł8 pa UK individual membership , Ł10 pa UK joint membership, Ł125 UK life membership; Ł11 pa Europe individual membership; Ł14 pa Outside Europe individual membership; Ł10 pa Affiliated UK Societies. All payable on the 1st January each year. Cheques payable to "BPGS."

Membership Secretary : Gwen Ward, 'Lyndhurst', Hullbrook Lane, Shamley Green, Guildford, GU5 0UQ

Annaul Show : (not notified)

National UK Societies Index

The Geraniaceae Group

This is the one all-Geraniaceae organisation, which is based in the UK, and international in practice as well as principle. The quarterly publication, which contains colour illustrations, is consistently composed of contributions from around the world, by professional and amateur botanists, horticulturalists and gardeners from most climatic conditions. The Group concentrates on the species and primary hybrids of all the genera, although not to the total exclusion of cultivars of the smaller Genera. Pelargonium being the largest genus is to be found in every issue whereas Sarcocaulon or Monsonia may only come up a couple of time a year. For the thousands of Pelargonium show plants and cultivars refer to the National Pelargonium Society, above

For General information : Richard Clifton, 7 Crabble Road, DOVER, CT17 0QD
Please enclose an SAE for reply.

Membership : Peter Starling, 22 Northfield, Girton, Cambridge, CB3 0QC
Telephone: 01223 276693; Email: pesgirton@waitrose.com
Please enclose an SAE/IRC with enquires. UK membership:Ł8.00, Membership from Europe Ł9 or 15Euros, Outside Europe Ł10 or $20:

Website Contact : Marisa Amadio, Italy marisa@iol.it

Website : www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/3139/

National UK Societies Index

Regional, Local or Area Societies or clubs