The Challenging Soil Survival Guide – Gardening Talk

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The Challenging Soil Survival Guide – Gardening Talk

October 15, 2025 @ 10:30 am - 12:00 pm

learn to garden with us
£10.00

Feeling frustrated and fed up with the challenging soil in your garden? Join soil expert Juliet where she will share her knowledge and experience on how you can improve and manage your poor, chalk, or sandy soil, and create a beautiful garden that you dream of.

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Many of us are gardening in difficult soil conditions, and poor, chalky or sandy soil can make it challenging for plants to thrive. But Juliet has a wealth of experience to share to help you to manage and improve your soil, and also which plants to choose for the conditions you have.

Subjects Covered:

  • What makes for a poor, chalk, or sandy soil?
  • A brief guide to understanding your soil structure and composition.
  • How to improve your poor, chalky, or sandy soils, and manage it going forward.
  • Juliet’s favourite thriving plants for poor, chalky, or sandy soils.

Who is the talk for?

Beginners and garden enthusiasts are welcome.

By the end of the talk you will have:

  • an understanding of what constitutes as a poor or challenging soil
  • a brief understanding of soil structure and chemical composition and how this affects how good or bad your soil is.
  • an understanding of how to improve your poor chalk or sandy soil and manage it going forward.
  • a list of Juliet’s favourite plants that will continue to thrive in poor conditions.

The Tutor:

Juliet Sargeant is a multi award-winning garden designer and regular panellist on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time. She has been teaching gardening to professionals and enthusiasts for over 15 years. Juliet has a relaxed teaching style, with plenty of illustrations, discussion, and opportunities for you to ask questions.

The Venue:

Old Barn Garden Centre is one of the largest nurseries in Sussex. The talk will be held in their purpose-built studio ‘The Garden Room’.

What’s Included?

  • A 90 minute talk by a gardening expert
  • 20% Off Plants voucher for use at Old Barn Garden Centre on the day of the talk

Tickets:

Standard Ticket £10

But why not join us for both our morning and afternoon talks on 15th October?
‘The Challenging Soil Survival Guide in the morning’ in the morning, followed by lunch, and ‘The Windy or Coastal Garden Survival Guide’ in the afternoon.
Full day tickets include a complimentary sandwich lunch.
Find out more about full day £20 tickets here.

Talk Overview:

Wednesday 15th October 2025
10.30am – 12Noon
Old Barn Garden Centre, Worthing Road, Dial Post, Horsham, RH13 8NR

What Next?

Once you have booked, you will receive an email confirmation of your booking – please check your junk mail if you have not heard from us.

About 2 weeks before the talk, you will receive another email, giving directions and joining instructions – again, please check your junk mail if you have not heard from us.

Other Gardening Talks at Sussex Garden School:

Boost your garden knowledge with professional tips from our horticulture & design experts. Our Gardening Talks are packed with insights gained from years of creating and planting gardens of all kinds. Whatever your garden problem, we have the solutions! Join us for just a morning ‘info-burst’ or relax into a whole day of learning with lunch to sustain you. You can find out about all of our gardening talks here!

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