Jill Sinclair and Laura Alston will explore the life and career of Scottish landscape gardener, horticulturalist and writer Robert Marnock (1800 - 1889) as well as some of the unusual and engaging events that have been happening around the country as part of this summer’s Marnock Celebrations.

The Gardens have been at the heart of the Celebrating Marnock festival this summer. Last weekend saw four tours of the Gardens, looking at plants that were used by Marnock. There was also a talk by Marnock expert Dr Jan Woudstra, workshops on Victorian flower arranging and a pocket Pollen Market.

We’ve commissioned a pair of benches for the Gardens, inspired by a Victorian engraving. One will commemorate our former Chair, Jill Thompson, and be inscribed ‘Jill’s Seat.’

We’re delighted to be welcoming local business Joni to run the café in the Botanical Gardens. After a quiet trial opening today (8 June), it will be officially open for business from tomorrow!

We’ve just published the latest version of our Friends newsletter.

Our first plant sale of the year takes place on Saturday 20th May from 11am. It’s your chance to buy beautiful plants propagated from the Gardens.

Join us tomorrow (Tuesday 25th) for our monthly session of a morning lecture and a lunchtime tour. For April, the talk is on Daylilies, with national collection holder Paula Dyason, and the public tour is through our woodlands.

We were delighted to welcome a selection of new Friends to our get-together on Saturday (22 April). It was a chance to share information about the various aspects of our work, opportunities for volunteering, coffee and cake, and a tour of the Gardens.

The recording of Stephanie Hafferty’s enlightening talk on the advantages of the No Dig approach to growing is now available to view in the password-protected Friends Area of the website.

Join us this evening (10th April) for a Zoom talk on the merits of the ‘No Dig’ approach to gardening. No Dig expert Stephanie Hafferty will cover how to set up a no dig garden in a home garden, allotments and smaller market gardens, looking at different methods and techniques.

Thanks to our new Events Co-ordinator Lorraine for organising a splendid trip and guided tour of the gardens at Brodsworth Hall. Twenty-four Friends turned up for a lovely day in the sunshine.

Join us on Tuesday 28th March for a pair of events in the Gardens - a fabulous session with former Times theatre critic turned garden designer Ann Treneman in the morning, followed by a lunchtime tour of our magnificent magnolias and Spring bulbs.

The recording of Catherine Horwood’s excellent lecture on Beth Chatto is now available to view in the password-protected Friends Area. It will be available for ONE WEEK, until 21 March.

Our planned speaker for next Monday (13 March), from Harriet’s House Plants, has had to cancel. But instead we have a treat of a Zoom talk on Beth Chatto by her biographer Catherine Horwood.

Thanks to political lobbyist Jonathan Sheppard for a highly entertaining talk on his national plant collections, appearance on Gardeners’ World and other experiences as an amateur grower. A recording is available to hear in our password-protected Friends Area.