For reports and photos from a selection of these meetings, see the main Gardening Group page.

• June - visit to Elizabeth McGregor's nursery and garden in Kirkcudbright.
• May - Galloway House Gardens for a tour and talk about the National Collection of Davidiae (handkerchief trees).
• April - a visit to a member's garden in Newton Stewart
• March - A visit to Ha Hill Garden at Torhousemuir.
• February 2025 - Bee-friendly gardening
• December - wreath-making and Christmas decorations
• October - visit to Tal-y-Fan near Gatehouse
• September - visit to Fernlea in Newton Stewart, which opens under Scotland's Gardens Scheme
• August - visit to Jacqui and Ian's new eco house in Whauphill for a tour of the garden
• July - visit to Barry Unwin's garden in Stranraer
• June - In June members travelled to Dalbeattie, first having lunch at Dalbeattie Garden Centre and Coffee Shop before going onto the Dalbeattie Community Allotments to learn about the way their 72 plots were cultivated. We were met by committee members who provided us with a brief history of the area and a summary of the ways their allotments were organised. Walking around we took the opportunity to chat to members who were more than happy to discuss what they had achieved. It was an excellent opportunity to see similar and differing sets up, and also, note that they were all having similar problems with slugs and our poor spring weather too. With lunch having been so good, it was an easy decision to return to the Garden Centre for more refreshments and peruse their wonderful plant selection before returning home.
• May - at a member's house and garden near Newton Stewart to see rhododendrons.
• March - group member Ewen gave the group an illustrated talk about his time as manager of Glasgow Botanic Gardens, where he worked until his retirement in 2021. He covered the history of the gardens, which were founded in 1817, the wide range of plants, the restoration of the Kibble Palace, an A-listed glasshouse, and other uses of the gardens, such as a concert, education and picnic venue. The gardens also host an annual orchid fair.
• January 2024 - Planning meeting.
• November - Choice of making a Christmas wreath or decorating a plant pot.
• October - visit to MAC-CAN community gardening project in Whithorn, including a practical session pressing apples for juice.
• September - visit to the garden of a member in Kirkinner with the theme of "inspiring Ideas" - what to plant in two new, large and empty raised beds. Also "show and tell", where members brought and talked about items of equipment that they found useful for gardening.
• Meeting with West Galloway U3A gardening group to discuss possible future cooperation. It was a very enjoyable visit (and involved lots of tea and cake). We hope to maintain links with them for future outings and reciprocal visits.
• August - In August the group visited a member's garden in Kirkcowan. The host, who had studied horticulture, was manager of Glasgow Botanic Gardens for many years and was used to giving guided tours and talking knowledgeably about plants. He and his wife moved to Kirkcowan two years ago, and in that time they have planned and established a lovely garden with flower beds, a vegetable bed, a small apple tree, a greenhouse with alpines, a rockery made from stones removed while digging the garden and planted with alpines, a pond, and a metal ram left by the previous owner of the property.
• June - Members met in July to visit the public gardens in Newton Stewart looked after by the WOMANS group ("Women of Minnigaff and Newton Stewart"). A group founded by two members in 2017 to brighten up areas of Newton Stewart with hanging baskets, and clear spaces which were an eyesore. They now have 22 members, including some men, all volunteers. We were given an overview of their work, including the challenges, such as climbing up the steep rockery in the Albert Street gardens to plant flowers, and the fact that the gardens have at times been vandalised. We were told that the council wants to dig up the Monument gardens beside the Cree bridge, but the WOMANS group is trying to save them. The group also looks after a garden at the end of Creemills Walk near the suspension bridge, planters at the entrances to the town, pots outside the Vaults Arts Centre, and they also buy flowers for the many hanging baskets along the main street.
• June - Potters Community Garden in Stranraer. The garden is on land leased from the Stair Estate, and received charitable status in November 2013. It provides support and training to young people with hidden disabilities, and the students can learn about gardening, bee keeping, making honey, cookery, woodwork and crafts. The garden consists of different working areas, such as a wild garden with a pond, a rose garden with 89 roses of 19 different varieties, and areas with vegetables and herbs in raised beds and pots.
• May - visit to the garden of a member in Newton Stewart, with the theme of "coping with an established garden as one gets older"
• March 2023 - visit to two private gardens in Blackcraig where we were given a tour by the owners. Both gardens extended up quite a steep hill, with lovely views from the top. One of the gardens had 700 tulips in pots, as well as plants in several greenhouses and raised beds.
• February 2023 - a snowdrop walk at Barholm Castle Gardens.
• December 2022 - The Gardening Group's last meeting of the year on 5 December 2022 was a practical session on making Christmas wreaths, hosted by one group member, and led by another member who provided some of the materials. We began by using florists' wire to attach moss to a circular metal frame which formed the base of the wreath. Then we made small bunches of the greenery we had brought, such as holly, ivy, fir, bay and rosemary, and we attached these to the base with florists' wire. The wreaths were then decorated with items including pine cones, ribbons, berries, lights and oranges with cloves. It was a very successful and enjoyable session, which enabled each of us to take home a splendid wreath.