协会沿革
英格兰高山花园协会（The Alpine Garden Society，简称 AGS）于 1929 年 12 月 10 日在英国伦敦成立，创始人是时任皇家园艺学会司库的 Sir William Lawrence 爵士，成立之初即以推广高山与岩生植物的栽培、保护与探索为宗旨。协会总部现设于英格兰 Worcestershire 郡 Pershore 镇，并在英国 Charity Commission 注册为慈善机构（注册号 207478），对外 VAT 登记号 212362996。96 年来，AGS 始终是全球规模最大的高山植物专业团体之一，会员遍及英国本土以及欧洲、北美、亚洲、大洋洲多个国家。
会员服务与出版物
AGS 的核心业务围绕会员服务展开。新会员与现有会员均可在协会主页上申请加入或续费，享受 The Alpine Gardener 季刊（每年三、六、九、十二月数字版，七月与次年一月加印纸质精选版）、年度种子交换目录（Seed Exchange）、本地小组活动以及专业培训计划。协会在其联系页公开了会员服务邮箱与办公电话，注册会员可凭会员号与 AGS Centre 工作人员直接联系，工作时间为周一至周四上午 10 点至下午 4 点（英国银行假日除外）。
全国花展与本地小组
AGS 自 1930 年举办首场全国花展以来，每年在英格兰各地轮值举办大型高山植物展，参展者可角逐 Sewell Medal 与 Farrer Memorial Medal 等传统奖项（后者自 1931 年设立）。协会在英国与海外共有数十个本地小组（Local Groups），覆盖 Bedfordshire、Cotswold、East Cheshire、Norfolk、North Wales、West Yorkshire 等郡县以及丹麦、爱尔兰、荷兰等欧洲国家的属会；本地小组每月组织专题讲座、植物交换、苗圃参观与会员茶会，会员可单独加入本地小组，不必同时具备 AGS 全国会员资格。
Pershore 总部与高山花园
AGS 总部 AGS Centre 坐落在英格兰 Worcestershire 郡 Pershore 镇的 Avon Bank，1997 年接受会员 Stirtevant Piggin 超过 100 万英镑的遗产捐赠后，协会自 1999 年 5 月动工、2000 年 12 月建成了一座对公众免费开放的高山教学花园。园内设有 Beginners’ Bed、Trough Collection、South African Bed、Alpine House、Tufa Bed、Scree、Mediterranean Bed、Rock Garden、Woodland 等十余个分区，2022 年 4 月又新增了中央地中海式床展示区；花园由捷克知名园艺师 Zdeněk Zvolánek 协助设计 Crevice Garden 区，平时由志愿者团队负责养护。
保护资助与远程讲座
AGS 作为注册慈善机构，长期面向英国及海外的高山植物保护与年轻园艺人才培养项目提供小额资助，Trainee Scheme 与 AGS Grants and Funding 两项计划接受会员与公众申请。协会每季出版 Species and Cultivar Index 与 Beginners Corner、Plant Articles、Garden Diaries 等专题栏目，并通过 Zoom Lectures、Workshops 等线上形式把专家讲座送到欧洲、北美、亚洲的会员家中。会员与公众可通过协会联系页向 AGS 提交志愿者、捐赠与遗赠申请。
About the Society
The Alpine Garden Society (AGS) was founded on 10 December 1929 in the United Kingdom by Sir William Lawrence, then Treasurer of the Royal Horticultural Society, with the aim of promoting the cultivation, conservation and exploration of alpine and rock garden plants, small hardy herbaceous plants, hardy and half-hardy bulbs, hardy ferns, hardy succulents and small shrubs. The Society is registered with the UK Charity Commission (Registered charity number 207478; VAT number 212362996) and is headquartered at AGS Centre, Avon Bank, Pershore, Worcestershire. Members are drawn from the United Kingdom and from across Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania.
Membership Services and Publications
AGS membership is open to anyone with an interest in alpines and gives access to The Alpine Gardener, a quarterly digital journal published in March, June, September and December, with a printed biannual digest issued in July and January. Members may also take part in the annual Seed Exchange, join one of the Society’s local groups, and apply for the Trainee Scheme. General enquiries are handled by the AGS office through the contact details listed on the Society’s contact page; registered members may also reach AGS Centre staff by quoting their membership number, Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm excluding bank holidays.
National Shows and Local Groups
The AGS has staged a national show every year since the first exhibition on 5 April 1930, with exhibitors competing for traditional awards such as the Sewell Medal and the Farrer Memorial Medal (introduced in 1931). Local groups across the United Kingdom and Europe, including Bedfordshire, Bristol, Cotswold, East Cheshire, East Surrey, Essex, Hampshire, Kent, Norfolk, North Wales, Somerset, West Yorkshire, Denmark, Dublin and Ulster, hold monthly meetings with talks, plant sales, garden visits and refreshments. AGS national membership and local group membership are billed separately, and it is possible to join a local group without first becoming a national member.
The Pershore Headquarters and Alpine Garden
The AGS Centre at Pershore in Worcestershire hosts an educational alpine garden created following a bequest of more than one million pounds from member Stirtevant Piggin in 1997. Construction began in May 1999 and planting was completed by December 2000; the most recent addition, a central Mediterranean bed, was planted in April 2022. The garden features Beginners’ Bed, Trough Collection, South African Bed, Alpine House, Tufa Bed, Scree, Mediterranean Bed, Rock Garden, Woodland, Pond and a Crevice Garden designed with Czech gardener Zdeněk Zvolánek. Entry is free and the site is open all year, Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm.
Conservation Grants and Remote Lectures
As a registered charity the Society funds cultivation and conservation projects across the UK and abroad and runs the AGS Trainee Scheme for young horticulturists. AGS Grants and Funding, Beginners Corner, Plant Articles, Garden Diaries, Speakers List and the quarterly Species and Cultivar Index support both amateur and expert members. Members and the wider public can reach the Society through the contact details listed on the Society’s contact page to volunteer, donate or arrange legacies.
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