Set in our beautiful landscape, the Festival of Plants celebrates the wonder of plants when the Garden is in full bloom.
A fun-filled, fact-finding day out with something for everyone to enjoy: from gardeners to budding plant scientists; families to photographers or anyone looking to spend an interesting day in the Garden when it is brimming with summer colour.
Highlights include:
🌻Free Garden Tours: Themed tours of the Garden’s highlights including: behind-the-scenes in the compost yard and machinery barn; magical and medicinal plants and how plants have adapted to pollinators. Tours all bookable on the day.
🌻Family friendly pop-up Plant Science Marquee: Meet researchers from the University’s Department of Plant Sciences, Sainsbury Laboratory and other local groups, who will showcase the wonders of plants, with hands on experiments and interactive games designed to highlight how world-leading research can help address global challenges.
🌻 Ask the Gardener: Visitors can bring along burning garden questions, dilemmas or pictures of plants for the Garden’s horticultural team to help with.
🌻 Talking Plants: 10-15 minute drop in bite-size talks throughout the day. Topics will be as diverse as ‘What did the first flower look like?’ to ‘How could cat whiskers contribute to food security in Africa?’.
🌻 Schools’ Garden: Drop-in, hands-on family activities all day in the Garden Room including making a garden wand from natural materials found in the Botanic Garden’s collection.
🌻 Around the Fringe: Musicians Dickie de Vere and the Dorchester Mavericks will be providing entertainment throughout the day. Food trucks and tasty refreshments will be available on the Main Lawn as well as at The Garden Café. There will also be some surprise walkabouts to spot!
Normal Garden admission applies. Pay on the day or pre-book tickets online from the week before the event.
