Where are the younger members

[Darren]

This is a great thread and it's terrific to read stories like yours Michael - best of luck.

Simon, regretfully I've rarely been slapped on the bum by ladies.    However, I take your point. Susan and I used to speculate that show attendees, especially the most harmless looking little female ones, have giant pencil sharpeners at home which they use to make their elbows suitably rib-endangering before entering the scrum around the show benches. And as for the sales tables..... wear a Kevlar vest if you are going near

We don't notice this so much now, perhaps we no longer look like we are young enough to be dangerous or in the wrong building by mistake.

[Ragged Robin]

These are truly heartwarming stories of young people reaching for a dream to become a reality....

It would be wonderful if more young people had the opportunity to be so inspired against the odds.

Congratulations on your place at Kew Michael, I do hope we will hear about your experiences there...when you have time 

[Calvin Becker]

I've only come across this topic now (the forum has far too much interesting info and is best avoided during exam time , which thankfully has finished today).

Even here in South Africa, young plants people are few and far between. As mentioned by others, there are plenty of other areas where younger people have to concentrate on first before having the time and funding to concentrate on plants. A big factor for me is the fact that I study approx. 500km from home and commute during term time and holidays. It's difficult trying to maintain and build a collection that's split over a number of places, especially as for example I will be in Johannesburg for 2 and a half months and the part of my collection in Pietermaritzburg cannot be hauled up with me (luckily it's just about all indigenous material that subsists fine on the natural rainfall and doesn't require much maintainence).

I wonder if as people get older and settle down, they begin to personalise their space, as it is. Once you have a house, I would think an extension of having a nice house is keeping a good-looking garden and the gardening 'gene' gets switched on due to this influence??

[Richard Green]

I became plant-mad before I was a teenager, so I have always been considered a bit weird by my friends and family.  I have never known when it started. My grandfather offered to take me to London to see the sights at the age of 10, and even at that age I requested a day-trip to Kew instead!  Like Michael, family persuasion was strongly against horticulture as a career, but it never stopped it as a hobby for me.

I agree completely with the various comments about day-to-day life taking over when in ones 20s and 30s, although I did still manage two plant-hunting trips to the top of Monte Baldo by Lake Garda during my honeymoon aged 28.

Subscriptions to the AGS and SRGC came in my 30s initially for the Seed Exchange, but the wonderful Journals kept my standing order going.  The Forum of course did not exist when I first joined.

Could we get an occasional (or maybe regular) article in the Journal featuring a different, but informative and practical forum thread?  It would have to be carefully edited down to the essentials, but would bring the Forum to a wider audience at the same time as offering practical advice?

I only ventured as far as a Local Group in my late 40s and my first impression was that I had entered an old peoples’ home!.  Too many “oldies” are too diffident and retiring.  It is only when I start talking that I am amazed to discover the most unlikely looking white-haired person in the corner of the room is an expert in Juno Iris culture, or treks in Kazakhstan every summer, or has just come back from a relaxing orchid trip to Crete.

I am not surprised to hear that 5 out of 6 new members join via the website.  The key is definitely to keep the spark of interest going through mid life till one has more spare time to rekindle serious interest.  The Website, the Forum, the Seed Exchange, and most importantly to me the Journal are all essentials in this.

[Maggi Young]

Could we get an occasional (or maybe regular) article in the Journal featuring a different, but informative and practical forum thread?  It would have to be carefully edited down to the essentials, but would bring the Forum to a wider audience at the same time as offering practical advice?

Richard, this very suggestion was made the other day by Anthony Darby, here:

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4472.msg119948#msg119948

It is something that the Web Team has been giving thought to and we will see what can be done... I hope/expect the Editor would be happy enough to receive such articles (which would tend to being photo-based for the most part),  since the recent photo essays in the Journal have proved very popular.

Perhaps it would be an idea to start a thread where Forumists could post their suggestions for which threads in particular they would like to see prepared for the Journal?

[Richard Green]

Yes, Maggi, I had read Antony's post to put a thread in the Journal and it made good sense - hence my repetition of it - though apologies for not giving him the credit again.

I think much of the strength of the Forum is in the shared knowledge and this is often better than one person's view in a traditional article.  Maggi's idea is great, so lets have some suggestions for possible articles.  Can I offer my first suggestion as the Sternbergia naming puzzle?

[Maggi Young]

Can I offer my first suggestion as the Sternbergia naming puzzle?

 Crikey, now that would be a challenge to compile!  I hope some of the suggestions are easier than that or we'll never get any volunteers to prepare them!  

I'll copy this stuff to a new thread, to highlight it......
..... Okay,,, it's here: http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4497.new#new 

[mark smyth]

How did the AGS meeting go yesterday?

[Maggi Young]

I haven't heard, Mark.   Recruitment of members is obviously a subject of some anxiety to all organisations and with the high expenses of the AGS it must be a particular worry to have falling membership numbers.

[mark smyth]

They must have spent a load of money bringing in two members of each group to the meeting

[Maggi Young]

They must have spent a load of money bringing in two members of each group to the meeting

Well, if they were paying expenses for them, yes, indeed....but perhaps they thought that was the only way to get folk to come?  There was no chance offered to members who are not  "attached" to local groups to attend of course, or even notification to allow submissions to the meeting... so those of us who are members outside England were disenfranchised. 

[David Nicholson]

As far as I'm aware there was no suggestion of expenses being paid, apart from lunch being provided.

[mark smyth]

I better shut up before I get hung, drawn ...

[David Nicholson]

There were two main aspects the Symposium was to address (a) membership issues in general including recruitment and retention  and (b) relations between Local Groups and  to quote the paper requesting attendees "Central AGS". The use of which sums up the nature of the issue

[Maggi Young]

As far as I'm aware there was no suggestion of expenses being paid, apart from lunch being provided.


There were two main aspects the Symposium was to address (a) membership issues in general including recruitment and retention  and (b) relations between Local Groups and  to quote the paper requesting attendees "Central AGS". The use of which sums up the nature of the issue

That's a relief! Though there's no such thing as a free lunch, is there ?   

Yup, you've got that right, the whole problem is encapsulated right there in  "Central AGS"