TALKS ON GARDENS  ROSEMARY LEGRAND

A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY

 My garden in Dorset

Rosemary, a horticulturist and former nursery owner, comes from a horticultural family. Her late father, George Hyde, was a hybridist of azaleas and rhododendrons.  He raised many award winning plants which can be seen at the Royal Horticultural Society’s gardens at Wisley, Surrey, Mr Edmund de Rothschild’s rhododendron gardens at Exbury, Hampshire, and the National Trust Gardens at Kingston Lacy in Dorset.

Hyde Azalea "Beattie" 

Rosemary had the honour of presenting H M The Queen with a collection of her late Father’s azaleas named after the Queen’s former Head Gardener, Fred Nutbeam, at Chelsea Flower Show in 1996.

Isabella Plantation, Richmond Park

(where many of the azaleas were supplied by Rosemary's late Father)

Her enjoyment of photography and knowledge of and enthusiasm for plants is used to great effect in creating the atmosphere of the gardens she discusses in her range of illustrated talks.  She has travelled extensively to gardens in many parts of the world to amass a substantial library of pictures.

Rosemary is an experienced public speaker and has lectured for over 20 years to a wide range of organisations and is regularly invited to give her talks on cruise liners including  Celebrity, Princess and Royal Caribbean cruises. 

For 2012, she has been invited to be the speaker on the 'Azamara Club Cruises'  Chelsea Flower Show cruise. 

She is on the RHS Speakers Register and is a National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies (NAFAS) Area Speaker, and wrote a number of contributions to the recently published book  '1001 GARDENS YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE'  edited by Rae Spencer-Jones and published  by Cassell Illustrated (UK) and Barrons (USA).

Rosemary has previously contributed to the RHS Rhododendron, Camellia and Magnolia Year Book with a report and photographs of the group members tour of Canada and the USA.