A SCHEME to help professional gardeners deal with increasing problems, including those caused by pollution and climate change, will be launched by the Somerset Gardens Trust charity next month.

The project will create a network for Somerset’s professional gardeners to provide them with regular opportunities for meeting, learning and supporting each other.

A conservation and education charity, the trust is dedicated to protecting, recording and promoting local historic parks, gardens and designed landscapes.

It arranges garden tours, lectures and outings for members and recent projects have included grants to develop gardens in West Somerset schools.

Founded in 1990, the trust also encourages careers in horticulture by awarding bursaries to students and provides grants for restoration projects.

The launch of the network, at Cannington College, will include talks from head gardeners at Bishop’s Palace, Wells and the historic manor house at Brympton d’Evercy and from freelance head gardener Claire Greenslade and the new owners of the Margery Fish garden at East Lambrook Manor.

Free and open to professional gardeners in Somerset, the networking day will start at 10.30am. There will be a tour of the Cannington walled garden followed by a networking lunch and a presentation by peat-free organic compost producers RocketGro.

Trust chairman, Diana Hebditch said: “The future of our parks, historic gardens and designed landscapes is in the hands of the professionals who look after them and we want to support them.

“A recent study has found that a ‘perfect storm’ of threats is facing these precious places including drought, high winds, floods, plant loss and disease, so they need all the help they can get.

“We hope that as many professional gardeners as possible will attend the first of our networking events for them.”