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Cambridge University Botanic Garden Courses & Events Programme

Drawing, Painting and Photography 2025

Drawing, Painting & Photography

Keeping a sketchbook: Drawing the Garden - 26 April 2025

£85.00

Description

Tutor: Karin Eklund
Date: Saturday 26th April 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
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.
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Drawing, Painting & Photography

Plant colour palette: Organic dyes, inks and paints - 03 to 05 June 2025

£210.00

Description

Tutor: Nabil Ali
Date: Tuesday 03rd June 2025 - Thursday 05th June 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £210
Location: Classroom

During this course you will explore the Botanic Garden to gather materials to develop a plant colour palette. This hands-on experience will provide you with the knowledge and tools to create your paint systems using plants as a medium for artistic expression. You will learn about colour compositions, paint layering, natural binders, organic fillers, preservatives and coloured egg glazes. Each day will be dedicated to exploring specific plants related to different colours, such as blue, red, yellow, orange, purple, green and black. Additionally, you will have exclusive access to an 'organic paint recipe archive' and the Botanic Dyes Colour Research, offering detailed insights into the practical foundations of paint-making using a variety of common and unusual plants. During the course Nabil will guide you around the Botanic Garden following the 'Dyes from Plants' garden trail.
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Drawing, Painting & Photography

Improvers' watercolour - 10 June 2025

£85.00

Description

Tutor: John Wiltshire
Date: Tuesday 10th June 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
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 to 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.
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Drawing, Painting & Photography

The secret garden: Drawing for picture books - 21 and 22 June 2025

£155.00

Description

Tutor: Karin Eklund
Date: Saturday 21st June 2025 - Sunday 22nd June 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
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.
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Drawing, Painting & Photography

Oil painting en plein air - 08 and 09 July 2025

£155.00

Description

Tutor: John Wiltshire
Date: Tuesday 8th July 2025 - Wednesday 9th July 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
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.
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Drawing, Painting & Photography

Mobile phone photography - 17 September 2025

£85.00

Description

Tutor: Ian Olsson
Date: Wednesday 17th September 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £85
Location: Classroom

Learn how to make the most out of your mobile phone camera on this half day course
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.
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Drawing, Painting & Photography

Lichen dyes - 21 October 2025

£85.00

Description

Tutor: Nabil Ali
Date: Tuesday 21st October 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £85
Location: Classroom

Learn about the dye processing techniques that date back hundreds of years with an insight into the Herbarium digital collections of lichen research by past lichen explorers. You will have the opportunity to use lichen dyes and paint to create lichen images and dye samples.
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Printmaking and Collaging 2025

Print and make a sketchbook

Print and make a sketchbook 10 and 11 Jul 2025

£170.00

Description

Tutor: Emma James
Date: Thursday 10th July 2025 - Friday 11th July 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £170
Location: Classroom

We will start with a walk in the Garden to collect leaves and fallen plant material. Once back in the classroom we’ll use these to use to print your own individual covers, pages and inserts for your sketchbooks. There will be demonstrations of printmaking technique and uses of materials. You will work with monoprinting to create unique prints to build within the construct of your books, and create layered prints using and combining plant materials, mark making, textured materials and masking techniques. On day two we will select which prints to use for your books: a simple sewn sketchbook with printed covers and inserts, and a printed concertina Artist’s Book, including printed inserts. A step-by-step demonstration will be given of how to measure, cut, crop and prepare your prints and how to construct your books. By the end of the course, you will have created three individual books and many prints.
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Botanical mini monoprints

Botanical mini monoprints 16 Jul 2025

£85.00

Description

Tutor: Grace Hailstone
Date: Wednesday 16th July 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £85
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, materials will also be provided. We will begin with making simple silhouettes then expanding to create multi layered images full of organic shapes and textures. Image sizes will be a maximum of 10 cm.
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Botanical blueprints

Botanical blueprints 29 and 30 Jul 2025

£170.00

Description

Tutor: Susie Turner
Date: Tuesday 29th July 2025 - Wednesday 30th July 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £170
Location: Classroom

This practical workshop will introduce participants to the simple technique of cyanotype using the rich collection of foliage and found objects in the Botanic Garden as inspiration. Participants will learn how to transfer botanical specimens, found objects, drawings and photographs into unique cyanotype prints using a range of suitable papers and ready-made cyanotype sensitizer solution. There will also be the opportunity to work with pre-coated fabric.
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Zine making

Zine making 13 Sep 2025

£85.00

Description

Tutor: Grace Hailstone
Date: Saturday 13th September 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £85
Location: Classroom

A zine (pronounced "zeen") is a small, homemade booklet or magazine. They can be created to share ideas, art, stories, or interests. On this course we will discuss zine making and look at examples, then we will individually explore the Botanic Garden to take photos and do some sketching. Afterwards we will return to the Classroom for more drawing and discussion, and come up with our narrative for our zines. We will then make hand drawn or collaged zines together using cutting and folding techniques.
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Monoprinting with leaves

Monoprinting with leaves 29 Oct 2025

£85.00

Description

Tutor: Susie Turner
Date: Wednesday 29th October 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £85
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.
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Etching the Garden

Etching the Garden 28 May 2025

£90.00

Description

Tutor: Charlotte Aldis and Patsy Rathbone
Date: Wednesday 28th May 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £90
Location: Classroom

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.
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Linocut: The Winter Garden

Linocut: The Winter Garden 27 and 28 Nov 2025

£170.00

Description

Tutor: Emma James
Date: Thursday 27th November 2025 - Friday 28th November 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £170
Location: Classroom

In this two day workshop we will explore the Garden to sketch and take photos of winter views for the lino image to cut and print. We will then plan, cut and print a reduction linocut with three colour layers in winter tones of greys and blues. 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.
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Gardens in History, Culture and Writing 2025

Garden painting

Painters in their places: Charleston and the Bloomsbury Group - 07 March 2025

£30.00

Description

Tutor: Twigs Way
Date: Friday 7th March 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £30
Location: Online

Famously described as ‘Living in Squares and Loving in Triangles’ the Bloomsbury Group also lived (and loved) in gardens of all shapes and sizes. In this session we will concentrate on the overlap between the creation of gardens and the creation of art, textiles and interior design at Charleston, Sussex, but will also look at other Bloomsbury gardens and their link to literature. This is the second in a series of three mornings examining different artists and their relationship with gardens and other aspects of design.
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Garden History, Culture and Writing

Painters in their places: Edward Bawden, Eric Ravilious and the artists of Great Bardfield 28 Mar 25

£30.00

Description

Tutor: Twigs Way
Date: Friday 28th March 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £30
Location: Online

Edward Bawden, Eric Ravilious and the artists of Great Bardfield: Gardens, Landscapes, Heritage and Textiles (c. 1920s-1970s). Taking inspiration from the wide range of paintings, prints, posters and book illustrations by Bawden and Ravilious, we will explore links with gardens from Great Bardfield to Kew, Bawden’s work with garden furnishings and his Garden Diary. We will also reference the artists group at Benton End ‘led’ by Cedric Morris and the impact of war on the portrayal of landscape and garden. This is the last in a series of three mornings examining different artists and their relationship with gardens and other aspects of culture.
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Garden History, Culture and Writing

Digging with the pen: An introduction to garden writing - 15 April 2025

£80.00

Description

Tutor: Nic Wilson
Date: Tuesday 15th April 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
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
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Garden History, Culture and Writing

Medieval medicinal plants: Miasmas, monks and mandrake - 29 April 2025

£40.00

Description

Tutor: Gwenda Kyd
Date: Tuesday 29th April 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £40
Location: Classroom

In this history course, we will explore the medieval view of illness – what were the causes of disease thought to be? What diseases were common? Who did you go to if you got ill and how did they diagnose you? Our main focus will be on the plants involved in the prevention and treatment of disease. Today, some of these plants have proven medicinal benefits and other uses and a few are still used in herbal medicine. Is it possible that, in some cases at least, medieval medics really did have the right idea? Weather permitting, we will also visit some plants used in medieval medicine that grow in the Garden.
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Garden History, Culture and Writing

Heliconia serenade: Rootical folklore workshop - 02 May 2025

£40.00

Description

Tutor: Natty Mark Samuels
Date: Friday 2nd May 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £40
Location: Classroom

Heliconia Serenade is the title of an interactive reading by Natty Mark Samuels, author of The Encyclopedia of Rootical Folklore: Plant Tales from Africa and the Diaspora. It will include participatory chanting, poetry, dialogues, riddles and other brain teasers.
Rootical Folklore is the neologism for his celebration of African and Caribbean Folklore through flora. Rootical, because of the first syllable and its obvious connection to plants; and the whole word, meaning seed or root of an idea. The reading will include pieces about soursop, mango, breadfruit, baobab, pineapple and ackee, among others. Heliconias grow in the back garden of his father, in the village of Cambridge near Montego Bay, Jamaica, generating visits from the Mango Hummingbird.
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Garden History, Culture and Writing

All about saffron - 24 June 2025

£40.00

Description

Tutor: Sally Francis
Date: Tuesday 24th June 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £40
Location: Classroom

Saffron is the dried stigmas of an autumn-flowering crocus called Crocus sativus. It is a hugely valuable spice with a fascinating history. Saffron is used around the world to flavour food as well as being used for dyeing, perfumery and in herbal medicine. On this half-day course Sally will introduce you to the history of the cultivation of this fascinating flower and teach you how to get the best from this precious spice in your cookery at home.
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Wild, wilder, wilding

Wild, wilder, wilding - 05 July 2025

£80.00

Description

Tutor: Twigs Way
Date: Saturday 5th July 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
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.
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Garden History, Culture and Writing

Cultivating Creations: Medieval, Early Tudor, Elizabethan and Early Georgian - 2025 series

£120.00

Description

Tutor: Twigs Way
Date: Friday 19th September 2025, Friday 17th October 2025 and
Friday 14th November 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £120
Location: Classroom

This exciting series of three sessions will explore the interplay between fashions in garden design and planting, textiles, fashion and culture more broadly. Focusing on the English experience but including the influence of trade and contacts more widely, we will use both images and texts to explore this cultural interplay between inside and out, chronologically in monthly sessions, commencing with the Medieval and Early Tudor and running through Elizabethan and Early Georgian.
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Garden History, Culture and Writing

Deadly plants in fiction - 23 September 2025

£40.00

Description

Tutor: Charlot King
Date: Tuesday 23rd September 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
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 story-telling skills.
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Garden History, Culture and Writing

Humphry Repton and the Regency garden - 26 November 2025

£30.00

Description

Tutor: Laura Mayer
Date: Wednesday 26th November 2025
Time: 18:30 - 20:30
Cost: £30
Location: Online

Humphry Repton (1752–1818) ambitiously styled himself as Capability Brown’s successor: the century’s next great improver of landed property. Developing a new aesthetic, which he termed ‘Ornamental Gardening’, his landscapes were laced with flowers and crammed with exotic features. Immortalized in Jane Austen’s novel Mansfield Park, Repton turned his hand to everything from ghoulish garden mausoleums to George IV’s seaside palace, Brighton Pavilion. His famous Red Books – illustrated to help his clients visualize the potential of their properties – did much to encourage an appreciation of landscape aesthetics during the Regency period. This course will trace his career from its picturesque beginnings to the progressive Gardenesque style, which both made his name and changed England’s relationship with nature forever.
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Craft and Wellbeing 2025

Beginners' spoon and Kuksa bowl carving

Beginners' spoon and Kuksa bowl carving 25 and 26 Mar 2025

£185.00

Description

Tutors: Nick Gosman and Fay Jones
Date: Tuesday 25th March 2025 - Wednesday 26th March 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £185
Location: Classroom

In ancient times, woodlands provided everything we needed from building materials, food, firewood, herbal remedies and natural dyes. Woodcarvers Nick Gosman and Fay Jones will take you through how to sharpen tools safely, which tools to buy and basic carving techniques. At the end of the first day, you’ll take home your own spoon. On day two you will learn how to make a simple Kuksa bowl similar to those made by the Sámi nomads in Finland. We will take you from basic wood preparation, carving the bowl with an axe, gouge work and finishing to make a bowl that you can take away with you. All tools are provided including chopping and gouge blocks.
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Botanical cake decorating

Botanical cake decorating 29 May 2025

£45.00

Description

Tutor: Anna Martin
Date: Thursday 29th May 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £45
Location: Classroom

A fun short course to introduce you to the joy of decorating cakes with beautiful flowers.
Learn different piping techniques with buttercream and how to make fondant flowers.
Using the flowers you make, as well as edible seasonal fresh and dried flowers, you will then decorate four cupcakes baked by Anna to take home.
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Aromatic herbs for wellbeing, beauty and cooking

Aromatic herbs for wellbeing, beauty and cooking 15 Jul 2025

£90.00

Description

Tutor: Maike Dring
Date: Tuesday 15th July 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £90
Location: Classroom

In this course we explore how you can make the most out of aromatic herbs growing in your own gardens and pots. You will discover how you can use them and their essential oils to enhance your everyday health and wellbeing and how to use them in cooking. We will also make some home-made beauty and wellbeing preparations during the course for you to take home. We will cover ten different herbs over the day. A light lunch prepared with herbs will be available to share.
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Round and oval baskets

Round and oval baskets 30 Sep and 01 Oct 2025

£185.00

Description

Tutor: Catherine Tregaskes
Date: Tuesday 30th September 2025 - Wednesday 1st October 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £185
Location: Classroom

In this course, we will use a variety of willows to make a round or oval basket. Beginners would be able to make a round basket with a traditional or contemporary handle. Improvers can make a round basket and try different weaves or make an oval basket if they are confident in the steps required to make a round basket. No qualifications are required; 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.
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Beginners' tankard carving

Beginners' tankard carving 14 Oct 2025

£95.00

Description

Tutor: Nick Gosman and Fay Jones
Date: Tuesday 14th October 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £95
Location: Classroom

Have you dabbled with greenwood spoon carving and are keen to take your skills to the next level? Then this one-day course in end-grain greenwood tankard carving is an opportunity to extend your skills. We will teach you how to make a tankard, like the ones seen on House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. 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.
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Sustainable flower arranging

Sustainable flower arranging 12 Jun 2025

£75.00

Description

Tutor: Paula Edgington
Date: Thursday 12th June 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £75
Location: Classroom

In this workshop, we will discuss ways and means of working more sustainably when flower arranging by looking at alternative methods of arranging without traditional floral foam. You will create your own beautiful arrangement to take home with you. In addition, during the workshop, we will discuss a wider, more holistic approach to arranging sustainably. Materials and equipment are provided.
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Botanical Art 2025

Illustrating cherry blossom and magnolia

Illustrating cherry blossom and magnolia 13 and 14 Mar 2025

£155.00

Description

Tutor: Lizzie Harper
Date: Thursday 13th March 2025 - Friday 14th March 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £155
Location: Classroom

This two-day course gives you the chance to get lost in drawing and painting the gorgeous cherry blossom and magnolias flowering in Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Join Lizzie for a two-day course looking at, learning about, and drawing and painting these stunning springtime blooms.
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Looking inside: Illustrating fruits and vegetables

Looking inside: Illustrating fruits and vegetables 18 - 20 Mar 2025

£210.00

Description

Tutor: Janie Pirie
Date: Tuesday 18th March 2025 - Thursday 20th March 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £210
Location: Classroom

Fruit and vegetables have long been a favourite of the botanical illustrator, but taking a look at them from the inside is possibly even more exciting. We’re not talking about two or three tiny pips inside an apple but more the glorious formation of pips inside a bell pepper or a melon, or even the juicy inside of an orange or grapefruit. There are endless subjects just waiting for us to open them up and record the bits we don’t see. There will be lots of demonstrations as well as individual tuition from your RHS gold medal award-winning tutor.
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Illustrating tulips

Illustrating tulips 08 and 09 April 2025

£155.00

Description

Tutor: Reinhild Raistrick
Date: Tuesday 8th April 2025 - Wednesday 9th April 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £155
Location: Classroom

Celebrate the beauty of spring by learning to illustrate vibrant tulips in this two-day watercolour course. Early April is the perfect time to capture these stunning blooms, and the course offers a unique opportunity to work in situ with tulips from the Garden's national collection displayed in the Alpine glasshouse. Under the expert guidance of Reinhild, you'll learn techniques for recording the rapidly changing blooms and capturing their brilliant colours with precision. Cut stems and potted bulbs will also be provided in the classroom for close observation and practice.
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Illustrating spring leaves in watercolour

Illustrating spring leaves in watercolour 14 - 16 May 2025

£210.00

Description

Tutor: Lizzie Harper
Date: Wednesday 14th May 2025 - Friday 16th May 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £210
Location: Classroom

This workshop will look at leaf variety and is a chance to take plenty of time to study and illustrate one leaf in detail in watercolour. We’ll look at using watercolour and mixing greens, shadows, veins and patterns on a leaf, and how to build up layers of colour and detail. If there’s time, you’ll be able to work on more than one leaf, comparing colour, shape, and vein structure. Lizzie will be on hand throughout the course doing demonstrations, teaching, and giving one-to-one advice and tips. This course is suitable for all levels with group and individual guidance. A suggested materials list will be provided a few weeks before the start of the course.
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Illustrating meadow flowers

Illustrating meadow flowers 02 - 04 Jul 2025

£210.00

Description

Tutor: Lizzie Harper
Date: Wednesday 2nd July 2025 - Friday 4th July 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £210
Location: Classroom

This three-day course will celebrate the beautiful annual summer flower meadow at Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Over the first two days, we will observe, draw and paint the cornflowers, poppies, marigolds, grasses and daisies growing in the meadow. This will include a talk on the wildflower meadow by Dr Raphaella Hull, the Garden’s Higher Education and Interpretation Coordinator. On the final day, you will use your sketches and skills to work on an illustration combining several of these glorious summer flowers.
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Illustrating fruit, berries and seedheads

Illustrating fruit, berries and seedheads 09 and 10 Sep 2025

£155.00

Description

Tutor: Reinhild Raistrick
Date: Tuesday 9th September 2025 - Wednesday 10th September 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £155
Location: Classroom

The end of summer and the beginning of autumn reward us with a wonderful array of brightly coloured fruit and unusual seedheads. In this two-day watercolour course, you will create a medley of images using various watercolour techniques, from dry brushwork to wet-in-wet washes. Botanical artist Reinhild Raistrick will be on hand to guide you through the process, from composing a pleasing portrait to painting the shine on glossy berries and mixing the colours for an autumn leaf.
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Beginners' botanical illustration in coloured pencil

Beginners' botanical illustration in coloured pencil 07 - 09 October

£210.00

Description

Tutor: Janie Pirie
Date: Tuesday 07th October 2025 - Thursday 09th October 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £210
Location: Classroom


It’s not often beginners get the chance to learn the absolute basics of coloured pencil art. On this course, Janie will take you through all the fundamentals to start your journey into the wonderful world of coloured pencils. Simple subjects will be available for you to draw, before transferring your drawing to good quality art paper. You will then begin learning how to lay down colour so it looks like a brush stroke of paint, how to blend colours seamlessly and how to create veins and contours on leaves to make them look amazingly three-dimensional.
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Illustrating Rosa Mundi

Illustrating Rosa Mundi 11 - 13 Nov 2025

£110.00

Description

Tutor: Janie Pirie
Date: Wednesday 11th November 2025 - Friday 13th November 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £110
Location: Online

A chance to learn about using coloured pencils without the worry of having to draw something first! You will be supplied with a photograph taken by Janie, your tutor, together with a line drawing for you to trace and transfer. Instructions will be sent before the course. You will see demonstrations throughout the course to help you go through the process in the right order, helping you to end up with a beautiful rose illustration of your own.
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Horticulture and Garden Design 2025

Grow your own vegetables

Grow your own vegetables: Theory and practice - 22 March 2025

£80.00

Description

Tutor: Pete Wrapson
Date: Saturday 22nd March 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £80
Location: Classroom

This day-long course on vegetable gardening will cover seed sowing, raising seedlings, planting, plant care and harvesting, addressing the requirements of different vegetable crops. It will highlight seasonal tasks and will include a discussion about soil health and plant nutrition, helping you to plan your planting strategy and make the most of your growing space. Part of the afternoon will be spent in the nursery glasshouse and the Schools’ Garden practising some of the horticultural techniques discussed.
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Growing orchids

Growing orchids: Theory and practice - 29 March 2025

£45.00

Description

Tutor: Luigi Leoni and Phil Gould
Date: Saturday 29th March 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £45
Location: Classroom

Do you have a passion for orchids? Or have you just received one as a present and want to care of it in the best possible way? Then join our orchid experts at the Botanic Garden as we cover the fundamentals of cultivation and propagation for this fascinating and diverse plant family. Learn about the botanical diversity of orchids, their importance through history in different cultures and science, as well as up to date knowledge of how orchids are cultivated (temperatures, humidity, growing media, fertilising, etc.) There will then be a practical session showing the plants that we have in the collection at the Botanic Garden and the way they can be propagated. The course will be based both in the Classroom and in the Glasshouse Range and Reserve Houses.
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Garden design

Beginners' garden design - 2025 series

£320.00

Description

Tutor: Paul Herrington
Dates:
Saturday 17th May 2025
Saturday 31st May 2025
Saturday 14th June 2025
Saturday 28th June 2025

Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £320
Location: Classroom

Across four 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 how to ensure year-round structure and interest. 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.
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Dry gardening

Dry gardening - 21 July 2025

£40.00

Description

Tutor: Sally Petitt
Date: Monday 21st July 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £40
Location: Classroom

Have you been thinking about how to garden in a more water efficient way? Did you know that East Anglia's low rainfall and increasingly mild winters give us conditions suited to growing many plants from the Mediterranean and similar climates from around the world? Join our Head of Horticulture Sally Petitt to discover how it is possible to create a garden that requires little to no watering. On this course you will get an opportunity to learn more about our dry garden and the plants within it, as well as picking up tips for your own garden at home.
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Garden design

Intermediate garden design - 2025 series

£320.00

Description

Tutor: Paul Herrington
Dates:
Thursday 18th September 2025
Thursday 2nd October 2025
Thursday 16th October 2025
Thursday 30th October 2025

Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £320
Location: Classroom

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.
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Growing and identifying ferns

Growing and identifying ferns - 25 October 2025

£40.00

Description

Tutor: Luigi Leoni
Date: Saturday 25th October 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £40
Location: Classroom

This course in fern cultivation and identification aims to cover the fundamentals of this fascinating group of plants. We will cover fern diversity (including some fern families), the Victorian fern craze, and fern biology in order to better understand their growing requirements (temperatures, humidity, growing media, fertilizing, etc.) and behaviour in cultivation. The course will also look at fern propagation, showing how to collect spores and how new plants develop from spores, gemmae and rhizomes.
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Getting the best from your roses

Getting the best from your roses - 04 November 2025

£80.00

Description

Tutor: Ian Limmer
Date: Tuesday 4th November 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
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.
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Winter garden

Winter interest for the garden - 09 December 2025

£40.00

Description

Tutor: Sally Petitt
Date: Tuesday 9th December 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £40
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 Sally 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.
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Science and Identification 2025

Fungi

Entangled lives: Exploring partnerships between plants and fungi - 06 and 13 May 2025

£80.00

Description

Tutor: Alan Wanke and Raphaella Hull
Date: Tuesday, 6th May 2025; Tuesday, 13th May 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £80
Location: Classroom

Land plants and fungi have a rich history of interactions across various environments and geological time periods. While some of these interactions can be harmful, leading to plant diseases, others offer mutual benefits to both partners. Notably, partnerships like the mycorrhizal symbiosis between plant roots and fungi play pivotal roles in supporting plant health and maintaining ecosystem balance. They enhance nutrient and water absorption, promote overall plant growth, and aid in stress resilience. This two-part course will unveil the largely unseen plant-fungal interactions that surround us in our daily lives. It will explore the intricate ways in which different kinds of plant-fungal symbioses shape our environment, influence agriculture, and contribute to sustainable ecosystems.
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Shrubs

Beginners' guide to botany - 08 and 09 May 2025

£155.00

Description

Tutor: Karen van Oostrum
Date: Thursday, 8th May 2025; Friday, 9th May 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
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.
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Tree branch

Identifying native trees - 19 May 2025

£80.00

Description

Tutor: Ros Bennett
Date: Monday, 19th May 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
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.
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Botanical keys

How to use a botanical key - 20 to 22 May 2025

£210.00

Description

Tutor: Ros Bennett
Date: Tuesday, 20th May 2025 - Thursday, 22nd May 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £210
Location: Classroom

Using a key is not rocket science but can be fun. The important thing is to understand the terminology used and to hunt carefully for the (often exquisite) distinguishing key features. This three-day course is designed to give you confidence to identify plants using botanical keys. In doing so, it will also give you a better understanding of botanical terms and flowering plant classification.
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Bumblebee

Attracting bees to your garden - 09 June 2025

£40.00

Description

Tutor: Beverley Glover and Paul Aston
Date: Monday, 09th June 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £40
Location: Classroom

This short course will introduce you to the fascinating world of bees and flowers, and help you develop planting schemes to attract more bees to your own garden. It will begin with a talk by the Director of the Botanic Garden, Professor Beverley Glover, on the relationship between bees and flowers; Beverley has been studying the interaction between pollinating insects and the surface structures of flowers for over a decade. This will be followed by a walk and talk amongst the plants in the Bee Borders with one of our expert horticulturists, Paul Aston, who is responsible for the design and maintenance of these beautiful beds.
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Garden

Flowering plant taxonomy and systematics - 16 to 20 June 2025

£460.00

Description

Tutor: Ángela Cano and Ros Bennett
Date: Monday, 16th June 2025 - Friday, 20th June 2025
Time: 09:30 - 17:30
Cost: £460
Location: Classroom

This five-day intensive course will introduce flowering plant families to committed amateurs, undergraduates, graduates and professionals. The aim is to help you develop an understanding of the evolution and systematics of the major plant families, and the practical skills needed when approaching the identification of plant material. Teaching will be through a combination of practical sessions and lectures covering exemplars of major flowering plant families, with an emphasis on those of North Temperate regions. The course will make extensive use of plant material and the living collections across the Botanic Garden and includes a visit to the University’s Herbarium, housed in the Sainsbury Laboratory. A lunch on the final day is included in the price.
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Mushroom

Introduction to mycology - 04 and 05 September 2025

£155.00

Description

Tutor: Nathan Smith
Date: Thursday, 4th September 2025 - Friday, 5th September 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
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.
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Fungal identification

First steps in fungal identification - 25 and 26 September 2025

£80.00

Description

Tutor: Nathan Smith
Date: Thursday 25th September 2025 - Friday 26th September 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £80
Location: Classroom

This course will focus on the practical aspects of fungal identification—covering the basics of basidiomycetes and ascomycetes. Participants will work with seasonably available fungi to learn spore prints, basic microscopic and chemical identification, and how to collect, dry, and record fungi for scientific analysis. The fundamentals of DNA-based identification will also be covered. This course assumes a basic knowledge of fungi equivalent to the level covered in "Introduction to mycology".
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Tropical Flower

Exploring tropical botany - 04 and 05 February 2025

£60.00

Description

Tutor: Ángela Cano
Date: Tuesday 04th February 2025 - Wednesday 05th February 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £60
Location: Online

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 of flowering plants.
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Festive 2025

Christmas willow: Reindeer, angels, trees and stars

Christmas willow: Reindeer, angels, trees and stars 19 Nov 2025

£45.00

Description

Tutor: Catherine Tregaskes
Date: Wednesday 19th November 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
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.
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Christmas willow: Reindeer, angels, trees and stars

Christmas willow: Reindeer, angels, trees and stars 20 Nov 2025

£45.00

Description

Tutor: Catherine Tregaskes
Date: Thursday 20th November 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
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.
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Frankincense, myrrh and more: Aromatic presents

Frankincense, myrrh and more: Aromatic presents 02 Dec 2025

£70.00

Description

Tutor: Maike Dring
Date: Tuesday 2nd December 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £70
Location: Classroom

Get into the festive spirit! Explore the many ways in which essential oils can make and enhance Christmas presents. We will make aromatic bath salts and create a personal perfume pulse oil as an early Christmas present for ourselves! Last but not least, you will take a special essential oil blend home to create a lovely Christmas atmosphere. Course notes and materials provided. Spaces on this course are limited to make time for plenty of 1:1 guidance.
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Festive wreath making

Festive wreath making 04 Dec 2025

£75.00

Description

Tutor: Paula Edgington
Date: Thursday 4th December 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
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.
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Collage card workshop: Winter holly and robins

Collage card workshop: Winter holly and robins 11 Dec 2025

£45.00

Description

Tutor: Caroline Henrickson
Date: Thursday 11th December 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
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!

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Festive wreath making

Festive wreath making 05 Dec 2025

£75.00

Description

Tutor: Paula Edgington
Date: Thursday 5th December 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
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.
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Wild Garden Walks 2025

Wild Garden Guided Walk: Monday 14 April 2025

Wild Garden Guided Walk: Monday 14 April 2025

£10.00

Description

Wild Garden: Guided walks exploring British native plants in the Botanic Garden

Explore the wildflowers of the Botanic Garden with our early-morning guided walks, a special opportunity to experience the Garden before it opens to the public. Each walk highlights seasonal species, from bee orchids in the Old Pinetum to eyebright on the Ecological Mound, offering insight into their identification, ecology and distribution. You’ll also hear about their historical uses and folklore. Join us for one or more sessions and discover the rich diversity of British flora.
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Wild Garden Guided Walk: Monday 12 May 2025

Wild Garden Guided Walk: Monday 12 May 2025

£10.00

Description

Wild Garden: Guided walks exploring British native plants in the Botanic Garden

Explore the wildflowers of the Botanic Garden with our early-morning guided walks, a special opportunity to experience the Garden before it opens to the public. Each walk highlights seasonal species, from bee orchids in the Old Pinetum to eyebright on the Ecological Mound, offering insight into their identification, ecology and distribution. You’ll also hear about their historical uses and folklore. Join us for one or more sessions and discover the rich diversity of British flora.
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Wild Garden Guided Walk: Monday 16 June 2025

Wild Garden Guided Walk: Monday 16 June 2025

£10.00

Description

Wild Garden: Guided walks exploring British native plants in the Botanic Garden

Explore the wildflowers of the Botanic Garden with our early-morning guided walks, a special opportunity to experience the Garden before it opens to the public. Each walk highlights seasonal species, from bee orchids in the Old Pinetum to eyebright on the Ecological Mound, offering insight into their identification, ecology and distribution. You’ll also hear about their historical uses and folklore. Join us for one or more sessions and discover the rich diversity of British flora.
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Wild Garden Guided Walk: Monday 21 July 2025

Wild Garden Guided Walk: Monday 21 July 2025

£10.00

Description

Wild Garden: Guided walks exploring British native plants in the Botanic Garden

Explore the wildflowers of the Botanic Garden with our early-morning guided walks, a special opportunity to experience the Garden before it opens to the public. Each walk highlights seasonal species, from bee orchids in the Old Pinetum to eyebright on the Ecological Mound, offering insight into their identification, ecology and distribution. You’ll also hear about their historical uses and folklore. Join us for one or more sessions and discover the rich diversity of British flora.
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Wild Garden Guided Walk: Monday 11 August 2025

Wild Garden Guided Walk: Monday 11 August 2025

£10.00

Description

Wild Garden: Guided walks exploring British native plants in the Botanic Garden

Explore the wildflowers of the Botanic Garden with our early-morning guided walks, a special opportunity to experience the Garden before it opens to the public. Each walk highlights seasonal species, from bee orchids in the Old Pinetum to eyebright on the Ecological Mound, offering insight into their identification, ecology and distribution. You’ll also hear about their historical uses and folklore. Join us for one or more sessions and discover the rich diversity of British flora.
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Wild Garden Guided Walk: Monday 15 September 2025

Wild Garden Guided Walk: Monday 15 September 2025

£10.00

Description

Wild Garden: Guided walks exploring British native plants in the Botanic Garden

Explore the wildflowers of the Botanic Garden with our early-morning guided walks, a special opportunity to experience the Garden before it opens to the public. Each walk highlights seasonal species, from bee orchids in the Old Pinetum to eyebright on the Ecological Mound, offering insight into their identification, ecology and distribution. You’ll also hear about their historical uses and folklore. Join us for one or more sessions and discover the rich diversity of British flora.
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