October 2022 at Kew Gardens and Wakehurst

Short Courses 

Why not sign up for a short course at Kew, choose from a botanical bead and wire workshop or a masterclass in growing winter crops and learn a brand-new skill? Led by a selection of experts, these one-day courses offer unique opportunities to develop fresh skills within the stunning surroundings of Kew’s UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

Growing perennial vegetables | 4 October | 10.30am – 4pm | Cambridge Cottage | £80 

Perennial vegetables are a staple in Hélèna Dove’s Kitchen Garden at Kew. Join her on this one-day course to discover which plants are grown as perennials, how to care for them, and when to crop them. This course will also cover more unusual perennials that can be planted or foraged throughout the year. 

Halloween pumpkins in coloured pencil | 31 October – 1 November | 10.30am – 4pm | Botanical Restaurant Courtyard | £215  

Celebrate the spookiest season with this two-day workshop teaching you how best to capture an ornamental pumpkin in coloured pencil. Suitable for beginners and intermediate level students, this course will allow participants to learn how to create a simple composition using a miniature pumpkin as the subject under the guidance of botanical artist Hazel Wilks.

Kew Publishing Book of the Month: The Magic of Mushrooms by Sandra Lawrence

Explore the wonderful world of some of the most incredible natural forms on our planet – fungi. At the centre of countless superstitions, folkloric tales and magical beliefs, as well as appearing in recipes and medicines both traditional and modern, mushrooms have incredible powers. Featuring images of over 100 fascinating species, sourced from the archives at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, The Magic of Mushrooms shows that from saving lives to expanding the mind, the potential of these fascinating organisms should not be underestimated. 

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  | 5 October | 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 | 7 & 14 October | 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. 

Christmas at Kew - book now 

From Wednesday 16 November 2022 to Sunday 8 January 2023, Christmas at Kew, a much-loved highlight of London’s festive calendar, returns for its tenth year.

This year’s trail features a host of firm seasonal favourites alongside pioneering new light installations, illuminating Kew Gardens’ UNESCO World Heritage landscape with vibrant bursts of colour and over a million twinkling lights.

A celebration of nature by night, and the wonder of biodiversity, this is an enchanting seasonal experience like no other, for visitors of all ages.

Pre-booking essential. 

Workshops 

Willow hare sculpture workshop | Friday 7 October | 10:30am – 4:30pm | Adults: £89, £80 for Wakehurst and Kew members  

Discover the secrets of the traditional art of willow weaving and create your own willow structure. Workshop leader Dominic Parrette, a Sussex-based basket maker and willow grower, will guide you through the willow weaving process to help you produce a stunning willow hare structure that will look great in your garden. 

Willow deer making workshop | Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 October | 10am – 4:30pm | Adults: £89, £80 for Wakehurst and Kew members: £80 

Create a stunning willow deer for your garden. Workshop leader Martin Brockman will offer a step-by-step guide to weaving willow, coppiced hazel and other hedgerow materials over the course of the day.   

Digital photography workshop | Saturday 22 October | 10:30am – 1pm & 2pm – 4:30pm | Adults: £49, £45 for Wakehurst and Kew members  

Join this fun and informative workshop at Wakehurst to learn basic photography techniques and feel inspired to explore your creativity this autumn. Photography expert Lillian Spibey will show you how your camera works and explain in detail how aperture, shutter speed and ISO combine to make your images really pop.    

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 and scientific expertise in plant and fungal diversity, conservation, and sustainable development in the UK and around the globe.

Kew’s scientists and partners lead the way in the fight against biodiversity loss and finding nature-based solutions to the climate crisis, aided by five key scientific priorities outlined in Kew’s Science Strategy 2021-2025. Kew Gardens is also a major international and top London visitor attraction.

Kew’s 132 hectares of historic, landscaped gardens, and Wakehurst, Kew’s Wild Botanic Garden and ‘living laboratory’, 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 the Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world and a safeguard against the disastrous effects of climate change and biodiversity loss.

RBG Kew received approximately one third of its funding from Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and research councils. Further funding needs to support RBG Kew’s vital scientific and educational work comes from donors, memberships and commercial activity including ticket sales.

For tickets, please visit www.kew.org/kew-gardens/visit-kew-gardens/tickets.

In the first six months since implementing a new accessibility scheme for those in receipt of Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Legacy Benefits, Kew has welcomed 10,000 visitors with £1 tickets. 

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 25th 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.