Press Release

Step into Spring and Summer at Kew Gardens and Wakehurst Place

22 February - October 26

Leave those winter blues behind and step into spring and summer at Kew Gardens and Wakehurst Place. We have a range of courses to fill those extra balmy hours, from horticulture and botany to crafts and lectures.

Taking place at Kew Gardens on Thursday 22 February and at Wakehurst Place on Thursday 8 March, both from 10:30 am to 3:30pm, is our popular course Orchids for beginners. This course aims to provide amateur horticulturists with enough knowledge and confidence to grow orchids in their own home. It coincides with Kew 's Tropical Extravaganza festival - which runs from Saturday 3 February to Saturday 4 March - where orchids will be joined by other tropical rainforest flowers in a colourful display in the Princess of Wales Conservatory. Places on Orchids for beginners are £45 each.

In September you will be able to learn how to Plan Your own Japanese Garden. You can take a guided tour around Kew 's Japanese landscape led by Professor Fukuhara, who designed these gardens. Styles, techniques and Japanese artefacts will all be explored and you will then have the chance to design your own garden or modify an existing one. The Japanese design course is £45 per person.

Spend the day learning about vegetable gardening in The asparagus to zucchini of vegetable gardening. This runs on Tuesday 24 April, 10:30 to 4pm, and is hosted by writer, broadcaster and professional gardener Matthew Biggs. It provides essential information on growing under glass, pest control and maintaining productive plots and also covers a range of techniques from seed sowing to a successful harvest. This includes how to create maximum yields for minimal input, choosing the best varieties and advice on new exotic vegetables. Places are £50 each.

You can also join us on our new course which is exploring versatile and beautiful subtropical and dry climate plants. This consists of a series of talks and tours about Mediterranean plants and is led by an expert in the field - Martyn Rix, author and editor of Curtis's Botanical Magazine. Forming part of summer festival, Mediterranean Year - which runs from 26 May to 9 September - this course explores themes including how plants native to the Mediterranean regions can be successfully cultivated in cooler climates. Copies of Martyn Rix's new book on Subtropical and Dry Climate Plants will be available for purchase/signing during the course and tickets cost £50.

We also have a series of thought-provoking lectures running throughout spring, including one on Perennial Favourites, led by Andy McIndoe. This illustrated talk will showcase the wonderful world of herbaceous perennials and all the ways they can be used in the garden. Planning continuity, using foliage, care and maintenance are all covered in addition to inspiring ideas for planting combinations. Andrew McIndoe is a leading figure in Hillier Garden Centres and has designed the Hillier garden at the Chelsea Flower Show for the past 17 years. This lecture will be held at Wakehurst Place on Tuesday 27 March at 2pm and tickets cost £5.

For further information please contact Catherine Owen, Oliver Basciano or Anna Quenby in the Kew Gardens press office on 020 8332 5607 or email pr@kew.org.

Notes to Editors

For course information/enquiries please contact the Adult Education Co-ordinator on 020 8332 5626 or email adulted@kew.org. Why not give a place on one of our courses or lectures as a gift? We are more than happy to arrange for a special card to be sent, whatever the occasion. Please contact the Adult Education Department for more details.

Royal Botanic Gardens , Kew

Kew Gardens is a major international visitor attraction and its 132 hectares of landscaped gardens attract over one million visitors per year. Kew was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and represents over 250 years of historical landscape. The site houses over 40 listed buildings and other structures including the Palm House, Temperate House, Orangery and Pagoda as well as two ancient monuments, Queen Charlotte's Cottage and Kew Palace. RBG, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world.

Wakehurst Place , Ardingly

Wakehurst Place at Ardingly, four miles north of Haywards Heath , West Sussex , is open daily from 10am . For further information telephone 01444 890466 or visit the website www.kew.org. Children under 17 are free, accompanied by adults.

Adult Education Courses Dates in Full

Feb 22: Orchids for Beginners (Kew)

Feb 27: Lecture - The Glory of Gardens (Kew)

March 1: Growing Orchids from Seed (Kew)

March 8: Orchids for Beginners (WP)

March 27: Lecture - Perennial Favourites (WP)

March 29: Living Willow Seats (WP)

April 3: Living Willow Seats (WP)

April 19: Lecture - Garden Natural History (Kew)

April 24: New! The Asparagus to Zucchini of Vegetable Gardening (Kew)

May 1 – 4: Creative Plant Photography (Kew)

May 5: Spring Photography Workshop (WP)

May 14: Kingfisher and Badger Watching Evening (WP)

May 22: New! Kew/RI Joint Lecture: From Seed to Seed (Kew)

May 24: Kingfisher and Badger Watching Evening (WP)

June 5: New! Wildflower Walk (Kew)

June 11 – 22: Kew School of Botanical Illustration (Kew)

June 26: New! Lecture – Woodlands (WP)

June 28: New! Subtropical & Dry Climate Plants (Kew)

August 9: Kingfisher and Badger Watching Evening (WP)

August 16: Bat Evening (WP)

September 4,5,6 (TBC): Planning your own Japanese Garden (Kew)

September 10 -14: Distance & Detail - Drawing and Painting Plants (Kew)

September 22: New! Basic Bushcraft (WP)October 22 – 26: Botany for Beginners (Kew)

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