Plants and gardens
We aim to offer something for everyone including visits to local gardens, such as Fletcher Moss or Bent’s private garden, timed to make the most of their seasonal displays, as well as our greatly-enjoyed trips to noteworthy gardens further afield. We use public transport whenever possible for our visits, or travel by coach for longer trips. At other times, we meet to share our knowledge of plants and their uses: we often exchange cuttings and other plant material as it is lovely to be reminded of friends by plants as you walk round your own garden.
All we ask of our members is that they share our interest in plants and a love of beautiful gardens. You certainly don’t have to be an active gardener yourself and indeed some of our members do not have a garden of their own.
I no longer have a garden myself but I really appreciate the pleasure that plants give. I thoroughly enjoy the visits to gardens with the u3a group and I often find interesting plants to bring home for family members
Pauline – one of our Plants and Gardens members
We are a very friendly group and you can be sure of a warm welcome. The group is popular and if you are interested in joining, please contact Sheila.
Our proposed programme is listed below, but do keep a check on this page as there may be alterations especially where visits have yet to be arranged. The “discussion” meetings will be held at the Eccles Gateway/Library.
Programme 2026
| Date | Venue |
|---|---|
| 27 Jan | Buying plants (Eccles Gateway) |
| 24 Feb | Notcutts Garden Centre, Ashton (visit) |
| 12 Mar | Spring-time lunch at the Glasshouse, Worsley College |
| 31 Mar | Gardening project at Gorton Monastry (visit) |
| 28 Apr | Ordsall Hall and garden (visit) |
| 26 May | Coach trip to Bridgemere Garden Centre and Show Gardens, Nantwich |
| 30 Jun | Parsonage Garden at Didsbury (visit) |
| 28 Jul | Mayfield Urban Park, Manchester (visit) |
| 25 Aug | Moss Park Allotments, Stretford (visit) |
| 29 Sep | Local Salford Garden visit (tbc) |
| 27 Oct | History of Tudor Gardens (Eccles Gateway) |
| 24 Nov | Programme planning for 2027 (Eccles Gateway) |
| 29 Dec | Morning coffee and walk around RHS Bridgewater |
Programme 2025
Venue
Time
Last Tuesday of the month at 10-11:30 am
Fee
When not visiting local gardens or garden centres, there is a small charge (£1.50 per person) to cover the cost of room hire and refreshments
Convenor
Sheila Thomas
For more information please email salfordu3a@gmail.com marking the subject line of your email ‘FAO: Sheila Thomas’.
You may also be interested in…
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) website has a wealth of gardening related information or, for information on the largest gardening project in Europe, why not go directly to the RHS Bridgewater page.
Also, the National Garden Scheme website contains over 190 wonderful gardens that can be visited virtually.
salfordu3a.com 