Activities and Events

Information Evenings are held every month except for January and December. Public welcome. The program includes a guest speaker, followed by free raffle, supper and a chat at no charge. They are held every 3rd Monday of the month from February to November, at 7.30pm in the Wesley Foyer, Wesley Uniting Church Centre, National Circuit, Forrest, unless advised otherwise in the timetable below.

At the monthly Information Evenings beginners and experts alike can receive advice about plants and gardening, exhibiting in the Society’s shows, or simply discuss horticultural matters with others interested in the same.

January	No meeting
16 February	Graeme Davis, President of the Australian Dahlia Society. Staging dahlias for novices and the novice at heart.
16 March	Bailey Dunn, Canberra Orchid Society. Cymbidium care and promoting flowering
20 April	Leigh Taafe, Curator of the National Bonsai and Penjing Collections. The evolution and maintenance of these collections at the National Arboretum
18 May	Jackie Warburton, horticulturalist and landscape designer. Restoring a heritage garden
15 June
20 July	Dr Dianne Firth, Adjunct Associate Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Design at the University of Canberra. Canberra’s first garden clubs and the contribution of Alexander Bruce
17 August	AGM
21 September	Anke Maria Hoefer, ACT  and region FrogWatch Coordinator. Identifying local frogs and creating frog friendly garden habitats.
19 October
16 November
December	No meeting

Four shows are held each year, the first of the calendar year being the Autumn Flower Show in March. The other three shows are held in spring.

Opening hours for the four shows are Saturday 10am-4pm and Sunday 10am-3.15pm.

Entry to the shows is $5 per person, free for members and children 14 and under.

Prior to the show season the Society may hold workshops and lectures for members wishing to become judges, stewards and exhibitors at shows, or who wish to further their knowledge of judging, stewarding and exhibiting.

Shows provide gardeners with an opportunity to show off their flowers, plants and produce in a competitive environment. There are different levels of competition from novice to expert. Also, they provide a chance to see what the experts are growing, and they are a great social occasion when you can compare notes with other gardeners or seek the advice of the experts.

Click here to see two interviews about dahlias, filmed at the 2022 Autumn Flower Show:

1. Interview with Warren Vigor of Dahlia Heaven
2. Interview with champion Canberra grower, John Woodfield

 

SHOW DATES AND LOCATIONS FOR 2026

Autumn Flower Show 7-8 March at the Fitzroy Pavilion, EPIC (Entry from Stirling Avenue adjacent McDonalds, Federal Highway) 

Spring Bulb and Camellia Show in conjunction with the Orchid Society, 19-20 September at the the Fitzroy Pavilion, EPIC (Entry from Stirling Avenue adjacent McDonalds, Federal Highway)

Iris, Rhododendron and Azalea Show  31 October-1 November at the Mallee Pavilion, EPIC (Entry from Stirling Avenue adjacent McDonalds, Federal Highway)

Spring Exhibition and Rose Show 14-15 November at The Abbey, Federation Square, Nicholls.

 

RULES AND SCHEDULES FOR 2026 SHOWS 

Rules and Schedules for all four 2026 Shows

Schedule for the 2026 Autumn Flower Show

Schedule for the 2026 Spring Bulb and Camellia Show

Schedule for the 2026 Iris, Rhododendron and Azalea Show

Schedule for the 2026 Spring Exhibition and Rose Show

 

Most Frequently Asked Questions By Novices

Preparing and Staging your Exhibits

Enquiries and entries to:
The Honorary Show Secretary, Phone 0416 146 776

The Society conducts an Open Garden Program where members’ gardens are open for other members to visit. Visiting open gardens give an opportunity to share ideas. It lets visitors see what the owner grows, how to grow it, and what has been done to tackle the drought and water restrictions.

Please note that Open Garden visits are only available to financial Society members.

Not a member? Go to Membership to find details on how to join or call 6291 5352.

The Society organises interstate bus trips for members. In the past, trips have been arranged for visits to the Blue Mountains, the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, specialist nurseries, and public and private gardens of significant interest. There has also been a trip to New Zealand.

For insurance purposes, participants on bus trips must be members. Not a member? Go to Membership to find details on how to join or call 0419 517 877.

The Horticultural Society has a garden at Bruce, adjacent to the Canberra Institute of Technology, where plants are being grown to demonstrate what grows well in Canberra and surrounds. Findings will be recorded for the purposes of future editions of The Canberra Gardener, and information used in other HSOC publications and on the HSOC website.

A plan of the garden, completed in April this year and since digitized, will be used by the Society as a reference for future work and will allow a true record of aspects such as the irrigation system, for referencing where work is to be done and recorded, and to allow correct calculations to be made, for example of quantities of mulch.

Working bees are held monthly on the last Saturday of every month except December, from 9.00am to noon, unless the date conflicts with another event. In addition, the garden is open each Wednesday morning (also between 9 and 12) for HSOC members to visit.

Working bee dates for 2026 are:

31 January

28 February

28 March

18 April (a week earlier than usual, so as not to clash with ANZAC Day)

30 May

27 June

25 July

29 August

26 September

24 October (a week earlier than usual, so as not to clash with the Iris, Rhododendron and Azalea Show)

28 November.

Working in the garden is not a requirement and you can come and go as you please. Morning tea is at 10.30. If you would like to join in, bring a mug and some food to share. Please feel free to walk around the garden, ask for gardening advice, join us for morning tea and a chat, or do some light gardening or propagation of plants.

Please note that participants in working bees must be HSOC members for insurance purposes. For further information on the garden, email secretary@hsoc.org.au.

Demonstration Garden Trial Reports

There are a number of documents reporting on progress with the Demonstration Garden and with the outcomes of trials:

Report of 16 January 2013

Report of July 2014 – vegetable trials

Report of Dahlia Trial 2018

Timeline for the HSOC Trial Garden at Bruce 

Timeline for the HSOC Trial Garden at Bruce January 2017-August 2018

Demonstration Garden Location