Thursday, 17 Sep 2026, 10:00 am
Norbury Rd, Norbury, Stafford ST20 0PP, UK
Members will have the opportunity to visit the internationally renowned BIFoR FACE experiment, which studies how mature oak woodlands respond to future atmospheric carbon dioxide levels predicted for 2045. The Tour will be led by Professor Jo Bradwell, who gave us the fascinating IDS webinar “Norbury Park, an Estate Tackling Climate Change.”
The visit will include:
Norbury Park Estate has been under its current ownership since 2009, with a strong commitment to environmental sustainability and woodland resilience.
Since 2009, the estate has created almost 400 acres of new woodland and planted over 500,000 trees, alongside managing 1,300 acres of mature forest.
Woodland management focuses on promoting the best trees through halo-pollarding, a technique that reduces competition and improves the growth of high-quality timber.
Estate research has led to the planting of over 100 tree species, including mixed-species plantations designed to improve growth rates, increase resilience to pests and diseases, and enhance carbon sequestration.
The estate is actively researching key forestry challenges including tree growth rates, grey squirrel control, seed orchards, and nitrogen-fixing species.
Norbury Park works in partnership with the University of Birmingham's BIFoR (Birmingham Institute of Forest Research).
Lunch will be provided during the visit. There are cut paths round the Arboretum, but uneven ground.
10:00 – 10:30 | Arrival at The Long Barn, Norbury Park |
10:30 – 11:00 | Presentations – Norbury Park:
|
11:10-11:40 | Nitrogen fixing trial and squirrel control |
11:40 – 12:10 | Halo Pollarding and managing intimate mixtures |
12:10 – 12:50 | Tour of estate sawmill |
1:00 – 1:30 | Lunch |
1:40 – 3:10 | Tour of BiFor FACE |
3:15-3:30 | Return to Long Barn and depart |
IDS Study Day and Event Refund Policy
For all cancellation, refund or transfer requests, please contact [log in to see the email address].
20 Sep 2026
Paris, France
20 September to 26 September 2026
Organised by Catherine de Bourgoing
The tour is now full, with a waiting list
Tour details HERE
1 Oct 2026
Pitlochry PH16, UK
1 October to 4 October 2026
Organised by Tom Christian
The tour is now full, with a waiting list
Tour details HERE
Thursday, 8 Oct 2026, 10:00 am
Via Ninfina II, 68, 04012 Cisterna di Latina LT, Italy
The garden of Ninfa is situated in the ruins of a medieval town and has been described as the most romantic garden in the world, because the combination of ruins, water, history, wild life, amazing views and inspired planting creates a sensory impact on visitors which is hard to forget. In our study day we will look at the challenges of managing a national monument, as well as the history of planting through three generations since the garden was formed in the early 20th century, and the challenges of adapting the garden to the 21st century while maintaining its character and ethos. We will also look at Ninfa’s role in Conservation. Our afternoon tour will take in all aspects of the main garden, including the enclosed renaissance garden (hortus conclusus) , and will look at the three arboreta outside the garden, and, if there is time, look round the wetland area (Pantanello) created in the late 20th century.
Wednesday – October 7
Arrive at local accommodation (please see below for suggestions)
7.30pm - Dinner (optional). Valle del Usignolo.
Thursday – October 8.
10:00 Assemble at Pantanello Park, Ninfa.
10:30 Tea, coffee
11:00 - 12:30 Presentations:
12:30 – 14:00 Lunch at Pantanello Park, Ninfa
14:00 - 17:30 Tour of the garden and arboreta at Ninfa
20:00 Dinner at La Taparita, Monticchio
Friday – October 9.
10:00 - 12:30 Visit to Torrecchia
12:30 - 1:30 Picnic lunch
14:00 - 16:30 Visit to Landriana
19.30 Dinner, Ristorante Marcello, Sermoneta
Saturday – October 10.
Depart.
10:00 - 13:00 Walk in the woods above Cori (optional)
Garden entry fees, bus costs, two lunches and one dinner : £200 per person
Lunch (at Ninfa) and dinner (at La Taparita) on the Thursday are included, as well as the Friday picnic.
The other two dinners are optional, but we hope most people can make them (€50 per head).
Attendees will pay their own accommodation costs and organise their own travel to and from Latina Scalo.
5 ;double rooms have been reserved for three nights at La Valle del Usignolo. Double occupancy is €80 per night including breakfast. Single occupancy €45 including breakfast.
4 double rooms have been reserved for three nights at Lelive in Sermoneta. The cost per night is €100 for two people.
Camping is an option. Possible sites will be provided if this is required
Other possible accommodations nearby:
Train to Latina Scalo from Roma Termini.
Taxi to accomodation, which will be nearby, or pick-up can be arranged in certain cases
Coach/ Bus will pick up participants on Thursday and Friday from Sermoneta Car Park or Valle del Usignolo
Torrecchia https://www.torrecchia.com/garden
Torrecchia has many connections with Ninfa. In 1991, Prince Carlo Caracciolo and his wife Violante Visconti commissioned the famous architect Gae Aulenti to convert the former 17th-century granary into an elegant and understated villa.
The painter Tullio Pericoli also made his contribution. Located within the castle walls, the jewel of the place is undoubtedly the romantic English garden of about two hectares. It was designed by Lauro Marchetti, curator of the Gardens of Ninfa, and was later developed and maintained by the English landscaper Dan Pearson.
Landriana https://www.landriana.com/
A true green oasis on the Lazio coastline: the Giardini della Landriana cover over 10 hectares within a large estate, near Tor San Lorenzo in Ardea, 35 km south of Rome.
The peculiarity of the garden lies in its division into ‘rooms’, each of which presents a botanical variety that makes it unique and different from the others, such as the ancient rose valley with its lake; the white avenue; and the olive garden.
It all began in 1956 when Marchese Gallarati Scotti and his wife, Lavinia Taverna, decided to purchase a rural property on the Lazio coast at an auction. They named it La Landriana in homage to one of the names of the Taverna family.
At the time of purchase, the land was completely bare. The couple decided to plant trees to bring some shade to the farmhouse and to mitigate the winds blowing from the sea. Later, a family friend gave Lavinia Taverna a packet of seeds, and the marchioness, almost as a joke, tried to sow them. The result of the experiment was sensational: from those small grains the plants that still make up the Giardini della Landriana were born.
In 1967 they brought in the British landscape architect Russell Page, who divided the large garden into spaces with a strongly geometric design emphasized by hedges and pathways.
IDS Study Day and Event Refund Policy
For all cancellation, refund or transfer requests, please contact [log in to see the email address].
19 Oct 2026
Chicago, IL, USA
19 October to 2 November 2026
Organised by Greentours
Coordinated by Marie Christine de Laubarède
Applications to Marie Christine de Laubarède
Email: [log in to see the email address]
Tour details HERE
Wednesday, 24 Feb 2027, 6:00 pm
Royal Society of Chemistry, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BA, UK
The Royal Parks: Gardening for People and Planet
Guest Speaker - Matthew Pottage MHort (RHS)
“The changing climate isn’t kind to gardeners. As soon as you’ve mastered one weather extreme, along comes another. So how will we keep our parks, horticultural areas and green spaces flourishing in this changing world. And how do we do our part by doing it sustainably?”
Matthew is the Head of Horticulture and Landscape Strategy for The Royal Parks in London, and former Curator of RHS Garden Wisley. He has authored his first book, ‘How To Garden When you Rent’ and is a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners Question Time. He is a trustee for Fulham Palace, and the Chelsea Physic Garden and is part of the RHS Woody Plant Expert Group. In his free time, when not gardening or travelling, he shares his horticultural musings on The Garden Collective.
More details to follow....
23 Mar 2027
Tangier, Morocco
23 March to 31 March 2027
Organised by Greentours
Coordinated by Marie Christine de Laubarède
Applications to Marie Christine de Laubarède
Email: [log in to see the email address]
Four places remaining
Tour details HERE
22 Apr 2027
Downpatrick, UK
22 April to 25 April 2027
Organised by Suzie Scott
Applications to Suzie Scott
Email: [log in to see the email address]
Tour details HERE
25 Apr 2027
Inveraray PA32, UK
25 April to 30 April 2027
Organised by Robert Bland
Assisted by Tom Christian
Applications to Robert Bland
Tour details HERE
3 May 2027
Jersey
3 May to 7 May 2027
Organised by Anna Bradstock
Coordinated by Anthony Dessain
Applications to Anna Bradstock
Tour details HERE
10 May 2027
Dorchester DT2, UK
10 May to 15 May 2027
Organised by Monique Gudgeon
Applications to Monique Gudgeon
Email: [log in to see the email address]
The tour is now full, with a waiting list
Tour details HERE
23 May 2027
Berlin, Germany
23 May to 30 May 2027
Organised by Charles Aldington
Applications to Charles Aldington
Email: [log in to see the email address]
Tour details HERE
21 Jun 2027
Arusha, Tanzania
21 June to 4 July 2027
Organised by Dr John Grimshaw
Coordinated by Marie-Christine de Laubarède
Applications to Marie-Christine de Laubarède
Email: [log in to see the email address]
The tour is now full, with a waiting list
Tour details HERE
14 Sep 2027
Victoria, Australia
14 September to 4 October 2027
Post-tour: 28 September to 4 October, optional
Organised by Greentours
Assisted by Simon Grant, IDS VP for Australia
Coordinated by Marie-Christine de Laubarède
Applications to Marie-Christine de Laubarède
Email: [log in to see the email address]
Tour details HERE
23 Sep 2027
Melrose TD6, UK
23 September to 26 September 2027
Organised by Jenny Litherland
Applications to Jenny Litherland
Email: [log in to see the email address]
Tour details HERE
