Tutor: Janie Pirie
Date: Tuesday 07 April 2026 - Thursday 09 April 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £210
Location: Classroom


In this course we will shift the focus from flowers to leaves, giving them the attention they deserve in botanical illustration. Using coloured pencils, you will learn how to observe and record the fine details of a wide variety of leaves. Through demonstrations and individual guidance, you will discover what details to include or leave out, how to choose and blend colours effectively, and how to achieve a striking three-dimensional appearance on paper. This course is suitable for all levels and will enhance your skills in botanical drawing by building confidence in rendering leaves with care and accuracy.

Tutor: Janie Pirie
Date: Tuesday 09 June 2026 - Thursday 11 June 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £210
Location: Classroom

Often overlooked, there are many beautiful wildflowers, mostly passed by on a daily basis. This course will give botanical artists the opportunity to take a closer look at the complexities of these little plants and illustrate several in a mixed study, using coloured pencils to complete them. Corncockle, campion, buttercups, wild garlic - the list is endless. Group demonstrations and individual tuition will be given throughout.

Tutor: Lizzie Harper
Date: Tuesday 07 July 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £85
Location: Classroom


Spend the day with botanical illustrator Lizzie Harper, creating pen and ink or pencil line drawings of beautiful, and often overlooked, grasses. Lizzie will be joined by Dr Raphaella Hull, Acting Head of Learning at CUBG, to learn more about the structure and variety of grasses, showcasing examples in the Botanic Garden. All levels welcome.

Tutor: Reinhild Raistrick
Date: Tuesday 11 August 2026 - Thursday 13 August 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £210
Location: Classroom

On this three day course you will have the time to create a beautiful portrait from a selection of some of the spectacular flowers that grace the Garden at this time of year. There might be a choice of lilies, late roses and some of the varied daisy family, such as Helianthus, Heleniums and Echinaceas.

Reinhild will help you to choose and arrange the stems on the page to create a colourful and exciting composition. This will be done by planning the outlay in pencil in your sketch book or cartridge paper. A detailed drawing can be done and then transferred onto the watercolour paper, using a light box which in the classroom. Or some might prefer to draw straight onto the watercolour paper ready for painting.

You will be guided in the use of watercolours, using wet-in-wet techniques or some dry brush work. Reinhild will use a combination of group demonstrations, but in particular individual tuition, to help you improve your drawing and painting techniques.

Tutor: Penny Price
Date: Wednesday 16 September 2026 - Friday 18 September 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £210
Location: Classroom


In this three-day course, you’ll create a delicate flower painting - no larger than A4 - set within an elegant drawn border filled with a gold gilded background. Working from real flowers, you’ll explore how to observe, sketch, and compose a harmonious design featuring one or more blooms of your choice.

You’ll begin by studying your chosen flowers through detailed sketches, refining your composition before transferring it to smooth watercolour paper. Step by step, you’ll learn techniques for accurate drawing, controlled watercolour painting, and applying gold to achieve a radiant finish.

All materials and full instructions will be provided. This course is suitable for all skill levels - from complete beginners to experienced artists - offering both group demonstrations and individual guidance throughout.

Tutor: Janie Pirie
Date: Tuesday 06 October 2026 - Thursday 08 October 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £210
Location: Classroom


Capture the beauty of autumn in this three-day course with botanical artist Janie Pirie. Crisp autumn leaves - rich in shades of yellow, orange, amber, red, brown and copper - offer wonderful opportunities to explore colour, form, and texture. You’ll study and draw dried leaves in detail, using coloured pencil to bring them to life. By the end of the course, you’ll have created a beautiful page of autumn leaves.

All abilities welcome. Group demonstrations and individual tuition will be provided throughout.

Tutor: Vicky Hallam
Date: Thursday 19 November 2026 - Friday 20 November 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £155
Location: Classroom


On this two-day course, we will be working from life to illustrate the wonderful colours and textures found on fruits in coloured pencil. The course will begin with a drawing exercise where you will have the opportunity to learn how to create textures, such as shine on a pomegranate, bloom on a blueberry, the waxy textured skin on an avocado and the juicy interior of a citrus fruit.

Following on from our exploratory morning you will have the opportunity to choose your subject matter to work on for the remainder of the course. With Vicky’s guidance, you will learn about composition and practice your observational drawing skills. Technical colour pencil techniques will be taught so you can create a realistic depiction of your fruit.

This course will have a relaxed learning environment where everyone is welcome from beginner to those with more advanced experience.

Tutor: Anna Martin
Date: Tuesday 12 May 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £85
Location: Classroom


Discover the joy of decorating cakes with beautiful flowers in this one-day course. Learn buttercream piping techniques and how to craft delicate fondant flowers, then use your creations - along with edible seasonal blooms - to decorate cupcakes (pre-baked by Anna) to take home. The day also includes a walk in the Garden to explore edible flowers and plants that can be used in baking and decoration.

All materials are included. Suitable for all abilities.

Tutor: Paula Edgington
Date: Tuesday 16 June 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm
Cost: £75
Location: Classroom

Celebrate British Flowers Week by learning how to create a beautiful, foam-free floral table centrepiece using seasonal British blooms. Each participant will make their own arrangement to take home, before joining together to style a stunning tablescape down the centre of the room.

With guidance throughout, you’ll combine your creations with provided props - candles, bud vases, table runners, and more - to design and photograph a cohesive, elegant display.

All materials are included. Suitable for all abilities.

Tutor: Nick Gosman
Date: Wednesday 29 April 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £95
Location: Classroom


Have you dabbled with greenwood spoon carving and are keen to take your skills to the next level? Then this might be the course for you! We are offering a one-day course in end-grain handled greenwood tankard carving for up to eight people. We will teach you how to make a tankard, as seen on House of the Dragon. We will take you from basic wood preparation, carving the tankard with an axe, auger and gouge work and finishing of the tankard that you can take away with you. We will provide you with all the tools you need including chopping, auger and gouge blocks.

Please note this course will take place outside and requires a reasonable level of physical strength.

Tutor: Charlie Allen
Date: Tuesday 13 October 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £85
Location: Classroom

Enjoy a relaxed and creative introduction to modern calligraphy in this autumn-themed workshop. Learn how to use a dip pen and ink; form elegant letters, words and phrases; and develop your own unique style—no artistic experience or neat handwriting required!

You’ll receive a complete calligraphy kit to take home (nib & holder, workbook, glass bottle of ink, stationery), along with plenty of personal guidance and inspiring project ideas, from handmade cards to seasonal artwork inspired by autumn’s colours and botanicals.

All materials are included. Suitable for complete beginners.

Tutor: Kathryn Parsons
Date: Monday 17 August 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £85
Location: Classroom


Join Kathryn for a relaxing, gentle creative morning working with soft porcelain clay. You’ll learn how to make miniature porcelain plaques inspired by plants growing at CUBG. Starting with a ball of porcelain you’ll be guided through simple steps to make your plaques. You'll imprint the clay using flowers and leaves collected from the Garden, then use simple tools to shape, texture and add small pieces to build up your botanical design.

After the workshop your work will be taken away to be fired in Kathryn’s kiln. You’ll be able to collect your fired porcelain miniatures from CUBG four weeks later. A long-lasting reminder of a very special place, they look beautiful hung in a window, framed or standing on a shelf. This workshop is aimed at beginners through to those with experience of other types of clay. The small group size means you'll get plenty of help and attention.

No previous experience is necessary, just a love for working at a small scale. It involves fine motor skills and reasonable eyesight, or good glasses, as the elements are small (the size of a small pea, or smaller if you wish).

Tutor: Catherine Tregaskes
Date: Thursday 10 December 2026
Time: 10 am - 1pm
Cost: £45
Location: Classroom


We will use different varieties of willow as a material to make a range of Christmas themed decorations including reindeer, angels and trees. This course is suitable for all abilities, however, you do need reasonable dexterity and strength in your hands to be able to manipulate the willow. All materials and equipment will be supplied. Numbers on this course are limited to ensure 1:1 guidance from Catherine.

Willow is a natural material and has been stored in a garage and soaked in an outdoor tank. Please wear older clothes (e.g., gardening clothes) to the course or bring an apron. You must wear solid shoes – open toes and sandals are not suitable in case of dropped tools and off cuts of willow which can be sharp. Wash hands before eating after handling the willow.

Tutor: Caroline Henricksen
Date: Thursday 03 December 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm
Cost: £45
Location: Classroom


Taking winter inspiration from the Garden, come and join Caroline Henricksen for a fun, relaxing and creative morning collaging botanical cards. Caroline will take you through the process she uses to create her botanical collage pieces, starting with you creating your own collage surfaces using paints, foliage, vintage paper, magazines, old books, wallpaper and even toothbrush and paint rollers. Just about anything can be used to collage. Playing with patterns and textures can produce some really interesting and beautiful results. You are welcome to bring in your own additional materials to work with (for example old prints, poems, books) but everything is provided on the day. Just turn up and create!

This workshop is aimed at beginners through to more accomplished artists who want to try something new. Caroline will be on hand throughout to give lots of one-to-one tuition.

Tutor: Paula Edgington
Date: Monday 07 December 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm
Cost: £75
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.

Tutor: Paula Edgington
Date: Tuesday 08 December 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm
Cost: £75
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.

Tutor: Maike Dring
Date: Tuesday 10 November 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm
Cost: £70
Location: Classroom


Get into the festive spirit with this hands-on workshop exploring the many ways essential oils can enhance your Christmas season. Create aromatic bath salts, a bespoke perfume pulse oil—perfect as a gift or personal treat—and a special festive blend to take home and fill your space with the scents of Christmas.
All materials are provided. Spaces are limited to allow plenty of individual guidance.

Tutor: Ian Limmer
Date: Wednesday 28 October 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £80
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
Dates:
Monday 21 September 2026
Monday 5 October 2026
Monday 19 October 2026
Monday 2 November 2026
Monday 16 November 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm
Cost: £150
Location: Online


Across five online sessions, you will explore design principles, ideas and inspiration, simple surveying and scale drawing, planning for the right plant in the right place, as well as developing a layout plan for your own garden and learning how to ensure year-round structure and interest. There will be plenty of opportunities for support and discussion with the tutor and fellow participants.

The price is for all five sessions which cannot be booked individually.

Tutor: John Wiltshire
Date: 23 June 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £85
Location: Classroom


On this beginners’ course, you will explore watercolour techniques and make an observational painting in the Botanic Garden. You will be guided through the basics of watercolour technique with simple and effective demonstrations to experience and learn how it works with professional painter, John Wiltshire. By the end of the day, you may surprise yourself with what you can achieve with the right materials and some practical tips to boost your confidence with watercolour. Materials will be provided, but you are welcome to bring any materials that you would prefer to use.

Suitable for complete beginners

Tutor: Susie Turner
Date: Thursday 02 July 2026 - Friday 03 July 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £170
Location: Classroom


Discover the historic photographic process of cyanotype printing in this two-day workshop. You’ll learn how to create striking blue-and-white prints using your own photographs, drawings, and pressed plant material. Guidance on preparing artwork in advance will be provided. On the first day, you’ll create test prints to understand timing and exposure with both sunlight and UV light. You will learn how to mix the cyanotype sensitiser solution and to individually coat suitable paper before producing your own unique botanical compositions.

Day two will build on these foundations, introducing creative techniques such as masking and double exposures. We will be looking at the cyanotypes of Anna Atkins as inspiration; a rare copy of her book ‘Sun Gardens’ will be available to look through. On the second day, there will also be an opportunity to make cyanotypes on supplied blueprint fabric pieces. Cyanotype is a simple, accessible, and rewarding process. Some standing and movement between indoor and outdoor areas is involved. Aprons and household gloves are recommended, as the sensitiser solution may stain clothing.

No previous experience is required

Tutor: Grace Hailstone
Date: Friday 19 June 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm
Cost: £45
Location: Classroom


Make unique monoprints exploring silhouettes of leaves and ‘ghost prints’ using a miniature etching press. Working with positive and negative shapes, spacing and texture, we will create unique original prints on cotton-based paper using real leaves and materials. Participants can bring collected organic materials to print with, but materials will also be provided. We will begin with making simple silhouettes, then expand to create multi-layered images full of organic shapes and textures. Image sizes will be a maximum of 10 cm.

Suitable for complete beginners

Tutors: Studio 84
Date: Thursday 16 April 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £90
Location: Classroom


Drypoint etching is a centuries-old intaglio printmaking process. Environmentally safe and without the use of any chemicals, the image is scratched into the surface of the plate using a drypoint needle.
Gathering inspiration from the wealth of flora in the Botanic Garden, you will collect, sketch or photograph leaves and flowers to create a botanical image. You will transform this into a drypoint etching and learn how to ink and print your image on a small, table-top press. Developing your work throughout the day you will create multiple, varied prints using a seasonal colour palette. The beauty of this technique is that you do not need any drawing skills or prior knowledge to create a beautiful print. All printing materials will be provided and etching needles will be available to use. Gloves and cleaning materials will be supplied but you will need to bring an apron or similar.

The course is suitable for complete beginners as well as those with some experience.

Tutor: John Wiltshire
Date: Wednesday 26 August 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £85
Location: Classroom


This course is designed to build on your existing experience with watercolour and provide you with tools which will help you continue to grow as a watercolour painter. Over the session, you will be introduced to various approaches and methods to apply your own painterly vision to your practice. We will look at the Botanic Garden and how to approach this exciting and vibrant subject for yourself ‘en plein air’. You will be briefly revisiting the basics of watercolour technique and introduced to practical applications of a limited palette technique. Materials will be provided, but you are welcome to bring any materials that you would prefer to use.

Suitable for those with some experience of watercolour

Tutor: Karin Eklund
Date: Tuesday 21 April 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £85
Location: Classroom


Keeping a sketchbook is the best habit an artist can have. The more you draw from reality the easier it will be to develop your own style and compositions. Using the Garden and Glasshouse Range as your starting points, Karin will give creative prompts to introduce new materials and techniques throughout the course: looking carefully at plants, drawing from observation and gradually introducing elements of imagination, memory and found materials. The day will start with a short introductory talk introducing examples of botanical drawings from art history and by contemporary artists. Through these examples, we will gain inspiration and be given a focus and theme for the session before heading out in the Garden. It is up to you how you interpret and develop your ideas. You can expect a joyful, creative and explorative approach set in a friendly and informative atmosphere. Mostly we will be working in our sketchbooks, and a suggested material list will be supplied a few weeks before the start of the course

Suitable for all abilities

Tutor: Emma James
Date: Thursday 12 November 2026 - Friday 13 November 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £170
Location: Classroom


Capture the Garden’s rich textures and seasonal colours in this creative two-day printmaking workshop. You will begin by exploring the Garden to gather photographs and sketches. Back in the Classroom, you will transform your images into a linocut design — carving, inking, and printing your work in a single colour. You’ll then learn how to combine printmaking with watercolour painting and tissue paper chine collé to add colour and new shapes to your print.
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.

The course is suitable for beginners as well as those with some experience of linocut techniques. The course requires fine motor skills, including the ability to use a lino tool and craft knife to cut lino.

Tutor: Ian Olsson
Date: Tuesday 08 September 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £85
Location: Classroom


Move from a quick snap in fully auto mode to creating beautiful photos you would love to print and hang on the wall! Join Cambridge-based professional photographer Ian Olsson for a fun, interactive workshop to learn all about phone photography and editing. Including a walk around the Garden to take your own photos, which you can then edit during the session.

Suitable for Android and iPhone.

Tutor: Susie Turner
Date: Wednesday 04 November 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £85
Location: Classroom


This one-day workshop will introduce you to the simple technique of monoprinting with leaves. Using collected and pressed leaves from the Botanic Garden, you will learn how to make unique, colourful handmade prints using non-porous plates, a small etching press and artist quality printing inks. There will be opportunities to print onto both pre-dampened printing paper and samples of fabric.

The technique is very easy to learn and no previous experience is necessary.

Tutor: John Wiltshire
Date: Tuesday 02 June 2026 - Wednesday 03 June 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £155
Location: Classroom


On this two-day course in oil painting technique, professional artist John Wiltshire will demonstrate techniques and approaches to oil painting in the open air. With enough time to create your own painting this is a rare opportunity to work in the beautiful, historic setting of the Botanic Garden and explore oil painting over an extended period. Use the techniques of ‘il primatura’ and ‘a la prima’ painting and expect to learn some of the ‘tricks of the trade’ that will enhance and accelerate your own painting so that you will come away with practical insight into how to develop as a painter. Materials will be provided, but you are welcome to bring any materials that you would prefer to use.

This course is suitable for beginners or those looking to improve their painting technique.

Tutor: Emma James
Date: Tuesday 29 September 2026 - Wednesday 30 September 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £170
Location: Classroom


Celebrate the beauty of autumn in this two-day printmaking workshop inspired by the colours and textures of the season. Begin by exploring the Garden to sketch and photograph autumnal scenes, gathering inspiration for your own linocut design. Guided by the tutor, you’ll plan, carve, and print a three-layer reduction linocut, capturing the rich tones of your chosen scene. Materials and some tools will be available to use, but you will need to bring your own set of lino cutting tools, as well as a box or folder to take away your prints.

The course is suitable for beginners as well as those with some experience of linocut techniques. Fine motor skills are required, along with the ability to safely use a lino tool and craft knife to cut lino.

Tutor: Karin Eklund
Date: Saturday 16 May 2026 - Sunday 17 May 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £155
Location: Classroom


Join illustrator Karin Eklund for an immersive weekend exploring drawing techniques, tailored for all levels. Both sessions will start with time in the Garden, where we'll engage in short observational drawing sessions, followed by time in our on-site Classroom where we will delve into various aspects of illustration, including composition, character design and creating captivating environments. Karin will offer creative prompts and share a selection of picture books to inspire your artistic endeavours and encourage you to mix your imagination and memories to create visual stories with the Garden as your backdrop. By the end of the weekend, you will have developed multiple sketches and a few finalised illustrations and might even come away with the seeds of a new book idea. It is up to you how you interpret and develop your ideas. You can expect a joyful, creative and explorative approach set in a friendly and informative atmosphere.

This course is suitable for all abilities

Tutor: Karen van Oostrum
Date: Thursday 30 April 2026 - Friday 01 May 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £155
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 and 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: Ros Bennett
Date: Thursday 04 June 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £80
Location: Classroom


Trees make up one of the most impressive and beautiful features of our landscape - undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of our natural heritage. The different seasons are reflected dramatically in their changing appearance throughout the year. Late May is a great time for looking at broad-leaved trees as their leaves are fully formed and some will still be flowering. This course is concerned with their identification. We will explore the natural history of our native trees and look at how to recognise individual species. The main emphasis will be on trees that are native to Britain, but we will also pay attention to well-established, introduced species. We will practise working with different keys to identification. Part of each day will be spent in the classroom, sorting through specimens, and getting to grips with the terminology of the different shapes of leaves and the different floral designs of those that are still in flower. We shall also spend plenty of time exploring the Botanic Garden for our native trees to put into practice what we have learned.

Suitable for beginners

Tutor: Ros Bennett
Date: Thursday 25 June 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £80
Location: Classroom

The grass family is one of huge ecological and economic importance. Grasses play a dominant role in the landscape and provide food for a vast variety and number of animals including humankind. Their role in evolution and throughout history cannot be overestimated. The course is designed to give the beginner a sound foundation in identifying our native grasses. By mid-June many will be flowering when they are at their most attractive. We shall not be hunting for rarities or clocking up a long list of species, but rather we shall spend time consolidating an understanding and developing confidence to tackle their identification independently by learning to use keys and hand lenses. Spending plenty of time in the Garden, we will concentrate on the commoner species and focus particularly on their floral, rather than vegetative, features.

Suitable for beginners

Tutor: Ros Bennett
Date: Monday 06 July 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £80
Location: Classroom


By July many of our finest native plants have finished flowering, with the notable exception of glorious shows of thistles, ragworts, dandelions and mayweeds. The Asteraceae is the biggest flowering plant family in the world and is also the family that is most strongly represented in the British Isles. It therefore seems appropriate for anyone seriously interested in our native flora to feel confident in identifying them. Despite the apparent confusion between hawkweeds and hawkbits, mayweeds and chamomiles, this is not in fact a difficult task to do! Much of the course will be devoted to helping participants increase their confidence and competence in using scientific keys to identify the look-alikes that are such a notorious feature of this family. The Botanic Garden harbours a rich selection of members of this family, and studying garden species often helps to put our native species into better perspective.

This course is suitable for those who have previously shied away from these notorious look-alikes.

Tutor: Peter Wrapson
Date: Thursday 20 August 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm
Cost: £40
Location: Classroom


Latin has long been the shared language of botany, used to describe, classify and communicate about plants across the world. This half-day beginner-friendly course offers an accessible introduction to the fascinating language that underpins plant names and scientific classification. We’ll start with a brief history of botanical Latin and an exploration of how the binomial naming system developed to bring order to the plant kingdom. You’ll learn the basic grammar behind plant names, explore how these words reveal clues about a plant’s features and origins and cover the major Latin and Latin-derived terms used to describe plant morphology. The session will finish with a guided tour of the Garden, where you’ll put your new knowledge to the test by collectively interpreting plant labels and discussing the stories behind their names.

No prior knowledge of Latin or botany is required, though some familiarity with simple grammatical terms is desirable.

Tutor: Gwenda Kyd
Date: Tuesday 01 September 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm
Cost: £40
Location: Classroom


We have used plants in every part of our lives throughout history and wherever we are in the world. From a source of materials for building and making things to providing us with food and medicines, we have found ways to utilise our plant neighbours. Today, we understand much more about how and why plants have proved so useful. This workshop will explore some of these beneficial plants looking at why and how we’ve used them and also look forward at the prospects for their further uses. Weather permitting, we’ll visit a few of the plants growing in the Garden.

Tutor: Nathan Smith
Date: Thursday 24 September – Friday 25 September 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £155
Location: Classroom


Covering fungal biology and 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. Nathan will also direct participants to available resources and local groups should they wish to continue their fungal adventures.

Suitable for beginners

Tutor: Ángela Cano
Date: Friday 30 October 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £80
Location: Classroom



A herbarium is like a time capsule made of plants – thousands of pressed and preserved specimens that tell the story of our planet’s plant life. The University of Cambridge curates one of the most significant of these, known to scientists as the University Herbarium (CGE). Among its more than one million specimens are plants collected by the man who transformed our understanding of life itself: Charles Darwin. But herbaria aren’t just about the past. They’re living, growing resources that support some of today’s most exciting research across many scientific fields. How are these plants collected, pressed and preserved to last for centuries? What botanical skills are needed to create scientifically valuable specimens?

Your tutor has travelled the world studying the great herbaria and collecting some of nature’s most challenging plants – from spiny giants to tough, long-lived succulents. She’ll show you how to read a plant to collect and press the perfect specimen and how to record the details and images that bring it to life. You’ll also follow the full journey of a herbarium specimen during a visit to the wonderful CGE – seeing how samples are mounted, digitised and added to the collection. And, of course, you’ll encounter historic specimens that form the very foundation upon which modern plant sciences stands.

Tutor: Matthew Jeffery
Date: Wednesday 18 November 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm
Cost: £40
Location: Classroom


In this half-day course, you will learn about the stages of seed collecting and storage that are important to consider from the perspective of a gardener, from assessing ripeness and determining quality to successfully storing seed at home using everyday equipment. You will get hands-on experience in the Botanic Garden with plants, fruits and seeds, as well as behind the scenes access to the Garden's seed processing and storage facilities. By the end of the session, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge to collect, clean and store seed successfully for use in your own garden, as well as an understanding of how the Botanic Garden conserves plant diversity through its seed collections and research.

Tutor: Ros Bennett
Date: Wednesday 25 November 2026 - Thursday 26 November 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £155
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.

Tutor: Angie Cano
Date: Tuesday 01 December – Wednesday 02 December 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £155
Location: Classroom


Join our Deputy 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: Twigs Way
Date: Friday 27 March 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm
Cost: £40
Location: Classroom


As the ‘wild garden’ gained popularity outside, textiles and fashion reflected looser more ‘natural’ fashions inside. Flowers decorated hats and house parties, whilst sports for all dictated both clothing and landscapes, as tennis courts and croquet invaded the country house landscape. ‘Allotment fashion’ appears on postcards and down the plot, and women in bloomers bicycled to Tea Gardens laid out in fashionable rustic style.

The third and final part in our chronological monthly series examining the interplay of textiles, fashion, culture, and garden design will include the influence of sport and leisure on landscapes and fashions. Each session is sold separately.

Tutor: Charlot King
Date: Tuesday 22 September 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm
Cost: £40
Location: Classroom


Plants have featured heavily in fiction, whether celebrating their beauty or being used to poison in murder mysteries! This course will celebrate murderous plants in a selection of stories. From Shakespeare’s plays to Colin Dexter’s Morse, and in between, we will explore deadly plants featured, as well as some storytelling skills.

Tutor: Nic Wilson
Date: Wednesday 22 April 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £80
Location: Classroom


Are you inspired by gardens and plants? Do you enjoy reading about how others engage with these external domestic spaces and how they relate to our lives, our pasts, our futures? Perhaps you want to write about your own experiences in a garden or discuss the ways that plants feature in different styles of garden writing. Led by an experienced writer and teacher, this course involves exploring short pieces connected to plants and gardens. You’ll have the opportunity to experiment with some of the themes and linguistic techniques identified and to use plants in the Botanic Garden as inspiration for your own creative pieces.

Tutor: Gwenda Kyd
Date: Thursday 23 April 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm
Cost: £40
Location: Classroom


Samuel Hahnemann harnessed the healing effects of animals, vegetables and minerals. This course will focus on his plants, looking at what we know about their beneficial properties today. Some of the plants are commonly used in medicine but others are so poisonous that they have found only limited use. And the toxicity of a few has led to their misuse to harm people rather than heal them. Weather permitting, we’ll visit some of Hahnemann’s herbs which grow in the Garden.

Tutor: Laura Mayer
Date: Friday 12 June 2026
Time: 6 - 8:30 pm
Cost: £30
Location: Online


During the first part of the eighteenth century, the garden underwent a gradual transformation from geometric formalism to pastoral Arcadian idyll. This shift in landscaping style mirrored the political, intellectual and stylistic revolutions of the century, as authoritarianism was rejected in favour of something looser and more natural. Yet this complex and fascinating period of British garden history is frequently raced through, in a bid to reach the perceived apex of the style, and the minimal designs of Lancelot Brown and his contemporaries. This lecture focuses on the early informal landscape, and considers the fledgling ‘rural gardening’ style and ferme ornée promoted by men like Philip Southcote and Alexander Pope. It highlights the ingenuity of Stephen Switzer, who believed that the extortionate upkeep of geometric, axial designs could be solved simply by laying the whole country open to view. This notion ultimately transformed the way landscape was viewed forever, and encouraged every designer from Batty Langley to William Kent to embrace informality and build increasingly less structured gardens.

Tutor: Laura Mayer
Date: Monday 14 December 2026
Time: 6 - 8:30 pm
Cost: £30
Location: Online


The aesthetic category known as the Picturesque developed in the latter part of the eighteenth century. Defined by the artist and travel writer William Gilpin as ‘that peculiar kind of beauty which is agreeable in a picture’, it was equally applicable to art, architecture and even music. In the case of British landscape, the Picturesque aesthetes championed a Romantic appreciation for rugged and sublime topography. Through their writings, Sir Uvedale Price and Richard Payne Knight harnessed a growing disdain for the minimal landscapes of Brown and his contemporaries, instead encouraging Picturesque values of irregularity and wildness. This lecture grapples with the paradoxes inherent in a movement which championed unbridled naturalism through the artificial lens of taste, whilst recognising the early role of the Picturesque writers in championing wilderness preservation.

Tutor: Twigs Way
Date: Saturday 27 June 2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Cost: £80
Location: Classroom


Taking the ‘long view’ on the garden’s relationship with nature this one-day course will reach back into garden history, before turning to examine the present-day contexts and future issues within which we garden. Encompassing discussion of the cross-over between visions of historic landscape and gardens within movements of ‘romanticism’, ‘picturesque’, and ‘wild’, we will go on to examine understanding and usage of modern terms including ‘wildlife friendly’, ‘re-wilding’ and, crossing to land management, ‘regenerative’. We will also consider the impact of changing climate and disease patterns, and managing the balance between past, present and future visions of heritage gardens, landscapes and current design.