What’s on this July at Kew Gardens and Wakehurst

Kew Gardens

Food Forever

Food; we love it and we can’t live without it. But the world is changing, and so is what we eat. Kew’s exciting new summer programme, Food Forever, continues throughout July. Exploring the future of food and how the choices we make can help to transform the planet for good, visitors can discover large scale art installations around the gardens, including a fantastical cornfield labyrinth and a giant mythical troll picnic.

Food Forever Evening Talks

14^th July | Imagining a menu for tomorrow | Jenny Linford, Chantelle Nicholson, Dr James Borrell and Nick Saltmarsh

Chaired by Jenny Linford, editor of The Kew Gardens Cookbook, this talk will examine how chefs and growers are transforming the way we eat in the UK, and what our diets might look like in decades to come. How can traditional or lost foods become part of future solutions, and what are the innovative ideas being put forward by chefs and growers today? This talk will be followed by signing of The Kew Gardens Cookbook.

28^th July | Making change one harvest at a time | Dee Woods, Abby Rose and Hélèna Dove

Led by food and farming actionist Dee Woods, this discussion will explore our food systems from the perspective of farming and growing communities, with an in-depth look at where our food actually comes from. Where is innovation in food growing taking place, locally and globally, and how might the communities involved be better supported in the future?

Food Forever Weekends

2^nd & 3^rd July | Supermarketforest by Something & Son

Andy Merritt from Something & Son collaborates with artist Nicol Vizoli to explore how landscapes can provide our everyday products while also rebuilding ecosystems.

9^th, 10^th, 16^th & 17^th July | Pickle and Grind by Popeye Collective

Join us for an experimental workshop building on Popeye Collective’s work creating conversations about plant-based food systems.

23^rd, 24^th, 30^th & 31^st July | We are all Futurists with Sharp & Sour

Join the designers behind Future Food Stories to discover what kind of futurist you are and share ideas on how we might shape future food systems.

When Flowers Dream

Now open in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art is the debut London exhibition for acclaimed Australian artist Tanya Schultz, known as Pip & Pop. When Flowers Dream showcases an eclectic, playful and immersive mix of vibrant artworks and a brand-new bespoke installation created especially for Kew Gardens - an imaginary landscape brimming with foods of the future.

The Art of Food

Alongside When Flowers Dream in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art is The Art of Food, a new exhibition featuring a series of still life and plant portraiture from the Shirley Sherwood Collection. Works on display as part of this exhibition showcase plants which provide carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins as nourishment. Artists featuring include Phansakdi Chakkaphak, Brigid Edwards and Alvaro E. X. Nunes.

Horticultural Highlights

Horticultural highlights on display this July at Kew Gardens include the stunning Great Broad Walk Borders, believed to be the longest double herbaceous borders in Europe - and possibly the world. Stretching out in a rainbow of colour which runs at over 300 metres, this area of the gardens is home to dazzling flower beds which burst into vivid life during the summer months. Kew’s magnificent selection of water lilies are also on display in the Water Lily House and Princess of Wales Conservatory.  At Wakehurst, the American Prairie is blooming, with a sea of spectacular flowers on display as this special landscape continues to evolve.

Wellbeing at Kew

Kew’s popular wellbeing events support both physical and mental wellbeing within the inspiring surroundings of Kew Gardens’ 320-acre UNESCO World Heritage site.

Forest bathing 2^nd, 22^nd & 30^th July | 10.30am- 1.30pm | Arboretum | £60 (includes entry to the Kew Gardens and 20% discount in our restaurants)

Inspired by the Japanese art of Shinrin-yoku, forest bathing is a sensory woodland walk alongside an expert guide, who will lead participants as they disconnect from the stresses of everyday life. Organised in partnership with the Forest Bathing Institute.

Tai chi | 15^th, 22^nd & 29^th July | 9am – 10am | Mediterranean Garden | £35 (includes entry to Kew Gardens and 20% discount in our restaurants)

Boost your physical and mental wellbeing with the centuries-old Chinese martial art, tai chi, amidst the tranquil surroundings of Kew’s Mediterranean Garden.

Temperate House Yoga | 20^th July | 7.30am – 8.45am | Temperate House | £45 (includes entry to Kew Gardens and 20% discount in our restaurants)

These one-hour vinyasa flow sessions are held in the spectacular Temperate House. Enjoy pre-opening classes in the midst of 10,000 rare and endangered plants, led by Anil Jangi, Kew’s own yoga instructor.

Short Courses

Macro photography workshop | 6 July | 10.30am – 4.30pm | Victoria Gate | £90

Want to dive into the extreme close-up world of macro and still life photography? Then come on this course led by experienced photographer and tutor Marcus Clackson and learn the techniques for capturing detailed and exciting nature macro photos in the Gardens.

Gardening for beginners | 7 July | 10.30am – 4pm | Lady Sainsbury Lecture Theatre | £80

This one-day gardening course is aimed at keen amateurs who wish to improve their knowledge of growing and maintaining plants in their garden. Pick up hints and tips on selecting plants, and how and when to plant trees, shrubs and herbaceous species.

Theatre on Kew

This summer, Sixteenfeet Productions bring their unique style of theatre to both Kew Gardens and Wakehurst with productions which promise to enchant audiences of all ages, reimagining classic stories for a new generation within the magical natural  surroundings of Kew Gardens and Wakehurst.

Twelfth Night | 29^th, 30^th & 31^st July at 7.30pm

As twilight falls at Kew Gardens, a tale of passion, revenge and laughter begins to unfold. As the lovesick Duke Orsino pines for the beautiful Countess Olivia, Viola is separated from her twin brother Sebastian by a shipwreck. A hilarious love-triangle ensues, compounded by the mischievous antics of Sir Toby Belch and his companions.

The Jungle Book | 23^rd, 24^th, 27^th, 28^th, 29^th, 30^th & 31^st July at 11am and 2pm / 26^th July at 2pm

Inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s Mowgli Stories, The Jungle Book tells the much-loved tale of Mowgli and her adventures, as she meets the wise panther Bagheera, the noble wolf Akela and the irrepressible bear Baloo. This acclaimed production allows visitors of all ages to help Mowgli as she journeys through the jungle, avoiding Kaa the python and crossing paths with the infamous tiger Shere Khan.

Kew the Music

This July, Kew the Music is back with a series of open-air concerts featuring an array of headline acts. Enjoy iconic names in spectacular surroundings as you soak up the special ambience of Kew Gardens on a summer evening.

Van Morrison- 5 July | James Blunt - 6 July | DJ Spoony Presents Garage Classical - 7 July | Will Young, James Morrison and Cally Rhodes - 8 July | Bananarama supported by Gabrielle and Rebecca Ferguson - 9 July | Gipsy Kings - 10 July | Ticket prices vary

ENDS

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Notes to Editors

About Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world-famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding collections as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. Kew Gardens is a major international and a top London visitor attraction. Kew Gardens’ 132 hectares of landscaped gardens, and Wakehurst, Kew’s Wild Botanic Garden, attract over 2.5 million visits every year. Kew Gardens was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and celebrated its 260th anniversary in 2019. Wakehurst is home to Kew's Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world. RBG Kew receives approximately one third of its funding from Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and research councils. Further funding needed to support RBG Kew’s vital work comes from donors, membership and commercial activity including ticket sales.

About Wakehurst

Please note that Wakehurst is referred to just as Wakehurst, not Wakehurst Place. It is not a National Trust property.

Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex is home to the Millennium Seed Bank and over 500 acres of the world’s plants including temperate woodlands, ornamental gardens and a nature reserve. It is situated in the High Weald of Sussex, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and focuses on wild plant collections. The Millennium Seed Bank houses and protects seed from the world’s most substantial and diverse collection of threatened and useful wild plants, making it the most biodiverse place on Earth.

RBG Kew receives just under half of its funding from Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and research councils. Further funding needed to support Kew’s vital work comes from donors, membership and commercial activity including ticket sales. 

In March 2021, RBG Kew launched its 10-year strategy Our Manifesto for Change 2021. The institution’s ultimate goal is step up to help to end the extinction crisis and contribute to creating a world where nature is protected, valued by all and managed sustainably. In the wake of a global pandemic, and with the future of the planet in peril, the strategy represents a public commitment by RBG Kew to do everything in its power to reverse the environmental devastation of biodiversity loss and climate change.  The five key priorities are 1) Delivering science-based knowledge and solutions to protect biodiversity and use natural resources sustainably 2) Inspiring people to protect the natural world 3) Training the next generation of experts: 4) Extending our reach 5) Influencing national and international opinion and policy.

On May 25^th 2021 RBG Kew launched its new Sustainability Strategy – committing to become Climate Positive by 2030 and marking a step-change in our urgent action to tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis.