Tutor: Janie Pirie
Date: Wednesday 4th September 2024, Thursday 5th September 2024, and Friday 6th September 2024
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £180
Location: Classroom

A cook’s cupboard isn’t complete without a variety of herbs and spices. However, they don’t get to be observed when used in culinary situations. This three-day course will give you an opportunity to study them closely and find a beauty you didn’t know existed. There are so many varieties of pepper, from very small (and fiercely hot) to large. Lemongrass, ginger, chives, mint, sage, dill, coriander, parsley – an endless list of exciting subjects. You could choose to illustrate several on one page – those that you would need to make a curry or a Thai dish perhaps, or you can just make a study of herbs or spices. Drawing and composition will also be covered, as well as the best techniques to apply to coloured pencil work to make it look ‘painterly’ and three-dimensional. This course is suitable for beginners and those wanting to develop their drawing technique. A suggested materials list will be provided a few weeks before the start of the course.

Tutor: Penny Price
Date: Wednesday 11th September 2024, Thursday 12th September 2024, and Friday 13th September 2024
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £180
Location: Classroom

Join botanical artist Penny Price to cover the learn the basics of watercolour technique by focusing on onions and garlic. The shine on an onion and the papery quality of a garlic bulb are challenging but rewarding. Cut open to reveal patterns or left whole, these shiny, reflective materials provide an opportunity to develop your watercolour technique. Starting first with pencils, we can study their shape and paint them in watercolour. Some specimens will be provided, but you are free to bring some of your own choice too. Open to all levels with group and individual guidance. A suggested materials list will be provided a few weeks before the start of the course.

Tutor: Lizzie Harper
Date: Tuesday 1st October 2024 and Wednesday 2nd October 2024
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £135
Location: Classroom

This workshop takes two days to experiment with botanical illustration in pencil, covering line drawing on day one and tonal studies on day two. We’ll touch on composition, do some basic botany required for accurate illustration, have tutor demos, and the chance to draw parts and/or whole plants from the garden. Plants from the Botanic Garden will be provided, but you are free to bring some of your own choice too. Open to all levels with group and individual guidance. A suggested materials list will be provided a few weeks prior to the course.

Tutor: John Wiltshire
Date: Monday 4th November 2024 and Monday 11th November 2024
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £95
Location: Online

Draw the Botanic Garden from the comfort of your own home with professional painter John Wiltshire. During this online course we will take our time to pay attention to the pinetum area of the Botanic Garden so that you will be able to distinguish one tree from another and describe the essence of these differences in drawings. Using various approaches with pencil and graphite, you will learn to improve both your mark making and your observation on this course. The price includes a kit of required material. The pack will be sent out in advance of the course and contains everything you will need to complete your drawing. This course is suitable for all levels.

Tutor: Penny Price
Date: Wednesday 13th November 2024, Thursday 14th November 2024, and Friday 15th November 2024
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £180
Location: Classroom

A three-day workshop designing a floral painting in watercolour, with a gilded background using gold leaf. Gilding techniques will be taught, and help given on final designs. Plants from the Botanic Garden will be provided, but you are free to bring some of your own choice too. Open to all levels with group and individual guidance. A suggested materials list will be provided a few weeks before the start of the course. Penny will supply the gold leaf and acrylic gold.

Tutor: Nabil Ali
Date: Tuesday 15th October 2024
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £75
Location: Classroom

Learn the basic processes and techniques of paint production from plants. A colour workshop to create a plant-based watercolour–gouache paint using three historical dye plants: Madder (Rubia tinctoria) – red, Weld (Reseda luteola) – yellow and Woad / Indigo (Isatis tinctoria / Indigofera tinctoria) – blue. Participants will understand the basic theory of the making processes and knowledge of growing the plants to store for paint production. The course will also explore examples of art and textiles that have utilised these three colourants over the centuries in different cultures and how organic colourings became less important in favour of William Henry Perkin’s discoveries of synthetic purple dye which changed the world. The course is for all levels of ability.

Tutor: Susie Turner
Date: Tuesday 29th October 2024
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £75
Location: Classroom

This one-day workshop will introduce participants to the simple but effective method of monoprinting directly using a selection of pressed autumnal leaves as primary source material. Monoprinting is the method of producing one or several unique prints. The technique offers fine detail and versatility in image making. During this one-day workshop, participants will learn how to make monoprints using oil-based water washable inks, a small professional printing press as well as learn how to print without a press, using hand burnishing techniques. The course is open to all levels and materials will be provided.

Tutor: Emma James
Date: Thursday 7th November 2024 and Friday 8th November 2024
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £150
Location: Classroom

Drawing inspiration from plants and view in the glasshouses in the Botanic Garden, we will adapt a sketch or photograph and transfer your image into a reduction linocut. Using the ‘reduction process’, create a layered image using two contrasting colour palettes. The course is suitable for beginners as well as those with some experience of linocut techniques. Materials and some tools will be available to use, but you will need your own set of lino cutting tools, as well as a box or folder to take away your prints.

Tutor: Paula Edgington
Date: Thursday 5th December 2024
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £70
Location: Classroom

Join florist Paula Edgington to start your festive season and make your own garden-inspired festive wreath. No previous experience is needed as you will be taken through the process step-by-step. The wreath will be made from scratch and will have a moss-based ring. You will then cover it in a selection of festive evergreen foliage and berries which have been gathered from the Botanic Garden, followed by a choice of decorations from natural pinecones, cinnamon bundles, dried fruit and more, and finally a ribbon to hang it up. Come and have fun, learn a new skill, be creative and leave with your very own handmade festive wreath for your front door. This course is suitable for all levels and everything you need is provided.

NOTE: This event is organised by CUBG Learning Office and not CUBG Friends. Bookings for the annual Friends’ Wreath-Making Workshop with Sam Cotterell can be made via the What’s On pages.

Tutor: Paula Edgington
Date: Friday 6th December 2024
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £70
Location: Classroom

Join florist Paula Edgington to start your festive season and make your own garden-inspired festive wreath. No previous experience is needed as you will be taken through the process step-by-step. The wreath will be made from scratch and will have a moss-based ring. You will then cover it in a selection of festive evergreen foliage and berries which have been gathered from the Botanic Garden, followed by a choice of decorations from natural pinecones, cinnamon bundles, dried fruit and more, and finally a ribbon to hang it up. Come and have fun, learn a new skill, be creative and leave with your very own handmade festive wreath for your front door. This course is suitable for all levels and everything you need is provided.

NOTE: This event is organised by CUBG Learning Office and not CUBG Friends. Bookings for the annual Friends’ Wreath-Making Workshop with Sam Cotterell can be made via the What’s On pages.

Tutor: Twigs Way
Date: Friday 20th September 2024, Friday 25th October 2024, and Friday 22nd November 2024
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £105
Location: Classroom

This short series of three linked sessions will each explore in detail distinct artists/artistic schools which drew for inspiration on gardens, garden design and planting, but impacted in different ways on textiles, fashion, and culture more broadly. Focusing mainly on the English experience but including in the first session a pairing of English and Spanish (Sargent and Sorolla) with further reference to French impressionists in England. The aim of these sessions is to explore the ways in which gardens and design integrate into other aspects of culture and arts by focusing on specific examples.

Tutor: Nathan Smith
Date: Monday 14th October 2024
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £25
Location: Online

A history of science course that will cover how mycology came to be recognised as a subject. Covering the 19th and early 20th century, the course will give an overview of the key events in the early history of mycology and will explore topics such as the history of the microscope, the history of scientific societies, and the role of museums. Participants will also be guided through available resources enabling them to conduct further reading and, if they desire, their own research into this underexplored topic.

Tutor: Laura Mayer
Date: Wednesday 16th October 2024
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £25
Location: Online

The architect and designer Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, born in 1716, is credited with formulating the iconic English landscape garden. Even today, his rolling lawns, scattered with tree clumps and ornamented with glittering lakes, continue to define our perception of rural Britain. As a result, his hundreds of landscapes have eclipsed the study of eighteenth-century garden history almost entirely. But how many of those schemes were genuinely Brown’s sole vision? And when we look at the man behind the name, what, in fact, was his true ‘capability’? This course examines, possibly controversially, that it was not just his aesthetic insight – nor even his practical gardening talents – that set Brown apart from his peers, but something entirely more mercenary.

Tutor: Ian Limmer
Date: Tuesday 5th November 2024
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £70.00
Location: Classroom

This one-day course led by rosarian expert Ian Limmer from Peter Beales Roses Ltd will help you to get the most from your roses. During the course, Ian will aim to cover planting bare root and container roses, transplanting mature roses, growing roses in pots, and pruning modern, shrub, procumbent, climbing, and rambling roses. There will also be the opportunity for questions and answers. No special equipment is required but you may like to bring a notebook and pen. Teaching will take place both in the Classroom and outside so please wear suitable clothing and footwear.

Tutor: Paul Herrington
Date: Thursday 19th September 2024, Thursday 3rd October 2024, Thursday 17th October 2024, and Thursday 31st October 2024
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £280.00
Location: Classroom

Extend your garden design skills with Paul Herrington. This course would be perfect for learners with some experience of garden design and who have completed the Introduction to Garden Design course at the Botanic Garden or similar elsewhere. Course content is flexible and will be tailored to the needs of the learner group. It will be most meaningful for those who have a garden design or redesign in mind and would like to dive deeper into details such as planting schemes, hard landscaping, water features and garden lighting. Numbers on this course are limited to ensure plenty of opportunities for support and discussion with the tutor and fellow participants. The price is for all four sessions which cannot be booked individually.

Tutor: Sally Petitt
Date: Tuesday 3rd December 2024
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £35.00
Location: Classroom

Winter is often considered off-season for many gardeners, but there are many plants which can enhance even the smallest garden over the winter period. Join Head of Horticulture Sally Petitt on this half-day course as she discusses ways to add interest to your own patch, provides tips on which plants will bring valuable colour to your garden in winter, and takes you on a tour of our acclaimed Winter Garden.

Tutor: Nathan Smith
Date: Monday 9th September 2024 and Tuesday 10th September 2024
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £135
Location: Classroom

An introductory course to the science behind fungi. Covering fungal biology and fungal ecology, the course will also examine the wider cultural impact of fungi in art, music, and religion. Participants will be taught what makes a fungus, the fundamentals of fungal identification, and introduced to some of the key debates in mycology today. They will also be guided to available resources and local groups should they wish to continue their fungal adventures.

Tutor: Gwenda Kyd
Date: Wednesday 18th September 2024
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £35
Location: Classroom


Join chemist and Bach flower remedy practitioner Gwenda Kyd to explore the benefits of a plant-rich diet. Plants are a very important source of food. This half-day workshop explores the benefits that plants add to our food and drinks – colour, flavour, and texture, as well as nutrients and potentially beneficial medicinal compounds. We will also look at why some plants are popular foods and others less so and identify some of the foods which have attracted the attention of criminals. Weather permitting, we'll see some of these food and drink plants growing in the Garden. By the end of the morning, you’ll never look at the plants on your plate or in your cup in quite the same way again!

Tutor: Karen van Oostrum
Date: Tuesday 24th September and Wednesday 25th September 2024
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £135
Location: Classroom

This lively, informative, hands-on course offers complete beginners a relaxed introduction to the world of botany. With plenty of plant material to look at in the classroom, we will investigate the vegetative (leaves, stems, roots) and reproductive (flowers, fruits, and seeds) parts of flowering plants, and start to understand the roles that they perform. Outside in the Garden we can visit the Rising Path to consider the domination of the angiosperms (flowering plants) in the broader context of the whole plant kingdom, and we will make use of the plant collections to explore plant adaptations and the variety of flower forms. There will be time to explore how to use a field guide, with the opportunity to practice and develop your own plant identification skills.

Tutor: Ali Ashby
Date: Monday 21st October 2024
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £70
Location: Classroom

Join Dr Ali Ashby, fungal molecular biologist, on an exploration of the fungal kingdom. Fungi are vital to life on Earth as we know it. Although once grouped with plants, fungi are now recognised as a separate, and arguably one of the largest, kingdom of organisms, with over 5 million species estimated. From microscopic single celled yeasts to one of the largest living organisms on our planet, fungi can be found in just about every habitat on Earth, from the Arctic to the tropics, in the air we breathe, in seas and oceans, in the home and garden – and even as part of the human microbiome. Fungi form beneficial partnerships with plants and animals, they are our planet’s best recyclers, yet they can cause disease and devastate crops. We use fungi in our everyday lives, in food products, as medicines, to help clean up the environment, as building materials and packaging, in fashion and in cleaning products. Fungi will be essential as we move towards a more sustainable future. After all, we could not and would not survive on Earth without them.

Tutor: Ángela Cano
Date: Monday 18th November 2024 and Tuesday 19th November 2024
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £135
Location: Classroom

Join our Assistant Curator, Dr Ángela Cano, on this two-day introduction to tropical botany. Travelling back in time, you will learn about the dynamic borders of the tropical region, with a focus on the fossil record. You will then study current patterns of geographic distribution of plant diversity on Earth, discovering that it is not homogeneous, but dramatically different between continents. You will fly over the tropical belt to understand which regions have the highest species richness, known as “biodiversity hotspots”, and face the strongest threats. Ángela will then discuss the main factors that threaten this biodiversity and the local and ex situ efforts that are in place to counteract their effects. The second part of the course will focus on plant systematics – understanding how plants have evolved, and how taxonomists have classified them. You will focus on different tropical plant groups, starting with non-flowering plants, such as mosses, ferns and conifers and then briefly cover the most representative tropical angiosperm families.

Tutor: Ros Bennett
Date: Wednesday 27th November 2024 and Thursday 28th November 2024
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £135
Location: Classroom


In winter, when there are very few flowers around and most of our native plants have lost their leaves, it is a wonderful opportunity to focus our attention on the conifers – most of which are evergreen and still bear cones. The British flora is remarkably poor in diversity of native conifers, but many introduced species form a major feature in our landscape. And here in the Botanic Gardens at Cambridge we are fortunate to have the opportunity to study a fine collection of this magnificent group of trees. This course is suitable for beginners, including more experienced botanists who have not yet tackled conifers (or tried and failed!) and all those who love trees. No previous knowledge is assumed.