History

The Hampshire Federation of Horticultural Societies (HFHS) was founded in 1959 by the late Bill Boyd, at that time the Head of the Horticultural Department of Sparsholt College. He and a colleague created this organisation to act on behalf of and to give advice to the many Horticultural and Allotment Societies within Hampshire. We now welcome clubs from bordering counties.

The Federation is still based at Sparsholt College near Winchester, and our close relationship remains – our Hon Secretary is a Horticultural Lecturer there, and acts in a liaison capacity between the Federation and the College. Our AGM, annual conference, and committee meetings are held at the College.

The Federation’s Management Committee comprises volunteers from our affiliated societies and meets 4 times a year.

Publications

  • Speakers list – useful for preparing lecture programmes
  • Show Judges list – including National Society-accredited judges, useful for organising shows
  • Monthly e-Bulletins – with details of member society & Federation activities and other items of general interest

Competitions

The Federation organises an annual Allotment Competition, Garden Competition and Inter-Societies Quiz.

Federation Day

Federation Day is held in February each year at Sparsholt College. It comprises a conference in the morning, covering topics relevant to judges and show organisers, and the Annual General Meeting in the afternoon. The day is rounded off with the Inter-Society Quiz.

Publicity

The HFHS website lists details of affiliated organisations together with a map of the main meeting places which is very useful for members of the general public.

The online calendar is an excellent medium for advertising affiliated organisations’ events. Committee members of such organisations can enter their events directly into the calendar.

Affiliations

We are affiliated to the Royal Horticultural Society whose website is at www.rhs.org.uk.

Benefits for Prospective Speakers and Judges:

The Federation is interested to hear from anyone who can give talks or demonstrations on horticultural or allied subjects to our member societies. Similarly people with experience of judging any classes in local horticultural shows are also welcomed.  Anyone interested in becoming a Federation speaker or judge should contact the Hon. Secretary.

Join Us

Any horticultural society, allotment society or garden club in Hampshire or the surrounding counties is welcome to join us for as little as £10 per annum.

Initial contact with the Federation should be made via the Hon. Secretary HFHS: Mr K.V. Mason, Sparsholt College Hampshire, Sparsholt, Winchester, SO21 2NF. Tel: 01264 781684. Email: kelvin.mason@sparsholt.ac.uk

Subscriptions are due renewal in January each year. Subscription Renewal Form