As a charity, the Hardy Plant Society (HPS) aims to advance the culture, study and improvement of hardy herbaceous plants; aid the preservation of older rarer and lesser known hardy plants and the advance knowledge of hardy plants. As the new Vice President, Val Bourne will be working closely with the society’s President, Roy Lancaster and Chair, Pamela Clark.

Bourne is an award-winning garden writer, lecturer and organic gardener and shares the values of the HPS including stewardship of the natural world and sharing the knowledge of plants. She has been a member of the HPS for over 50 years and has since, actively supported the society and its work. Bourne became an ambassador for the society in 2017, during the HPS’s 60th anniversary year. “I joined the hardy plant in the late 1970s for the free seeds – but I made lots of friends as well”, explained Bourne.

Bourne gardens in Gloucestershire, without using chemicals – something she has always believed in. She is a hands-on gardener and a committed plantaholic. Bourne has written nine books including ‘The Natural Gardener’ and ‘The Living Jigsaw’, both of which advocate gardening without using chemicals. Her new book, entitled ‘Tough Plants’, will be released in January 2025.

“I am delighted to hear that Val Bourne is to become the Vice President. I have known Val for many years and have long admired her knowledge, her passion, and her gardening skills. She is one of our most successful communicators in sharing and spreading the excitement and joy of plants and gardening,” said Roy Lancaster, HPS President