Chelsea Fringe 19-27 May
A showcase of events celebrating the joy of gardening and plants, from community projects and thought-provoking films to curious installations and art exhibitions
1 Urban Tree Festival: Mindfulness in the City
Take a mindful walk in the company of yoga and mindfulness teacher Mel Sutton, while discovering some of London’s greener spaces.
• When 19 May, 4-5.15pm. £10. 60. St Giles
High Street, London WC2H 8LG.
• Tel 07725 555460.
• Web museumofwalking.org.uk
2 Chelsea Fringe at the Geffrye Museum
The Geffrye Museum in Hoxton, east London, is dedicating a day to the joys of the urban garden with veg-carving and herbal tea blending workshops, market stalls and lawn games. Or you can simply sit back in a deckchair and enjoy the garden.
• When 19 May, 10am-6pm. Geffrye Museum of the Home, 136 Kingsland Road, London E2 8EA.
• Tel 020 7749 6026.
• Web geffrye-museum.org.uk
3 Tour de Plants
Dress your bicycle and helmet with plants and join the guided cycle tour around east London’s green spaces. The trail begins and ends at the Geffrye Museum in Hoxton and bikes are available to hire.
• When 19 May, 11am-12.30pm. 136 Kingsland
Road, Hackney, London E2 8EA.
• Tel 020 7749 6026.
• Web geffrye-museum.org.uk
4 Bitter and Twisted
Step aboard the Herb Boat, a narrow boat moored in Hackney Wick, to explore the history of bitters. See and smell some of the roots, herbs, spices, bark and berries used in their production and discover why introducing bitter herbs and foods into our diets may be beneficial for gut health.
• When 19-20 May, 10am-5pm. The Herb
Boat, The Slipway, London E9 5EN.
• Tel 07769 913938.
• Web theherbboat@aol.com
5 Chelsea Fever at Pentillie Castle
Located on the banks of the River Tamar in Cornwall, Pentillie Castle and Estate is hosting a floral demonstration from Miranda Hackett Flowers on how to create a pretty floral tablescape using seasonal flowers and foliage, followed by traditional afternoon tea. All plant materials used at the event will be sourced from local growers and businesses in Devon and Cornwall.
• When 22 May, 11.30am-2.30pm. £39.50. Pentillie Castle & Estate, Paynters Cross, St Mellion, Saltash, Cornwall PL12 6QD.
• Tel 01579 350044.
• Website pentillie.co.uk
6 Seed: The Untold Story
A free screening at London’s Royal College of Art of this film by Collective Eye Films, which follows five passionate seed keepers, including Vandana Shiva (above) and Jane Goodall, in their David and Goliath
battle with biochemical companies to defend the future of our food.
• When 22 May, 7pm-9pm. Studio RCA,
1 Hester Road, London SW11 4AN.
• Tel 020 7590 4415.
• Web rca.ac.uk
7 Plant swap
Doddington Place Gardens is hosting a plant swap in the grounds of its amazing ten-acre historic garden. It’s a great opportunity to find a home for some unwanted plants and pick up some replacements to give your garden a new lease of life.
• When 23 May, 11am-4.30pm. £7.50. Doddington Place Gardens, Doddington, nr Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 0BB.
• Tel 01795 886101.
• Web doddingtonplacegardens.co.uk
8 Gorgeous: Poetry and Art
The Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery is hosting award-winning poet Edward Barker for a poetry-reading evening on the theme of gardens. He’ll be surrounded by the work of two portrait artists: Dutch artist Barbara Hoogeweegen and Madridbased María Torroba. Both will explore the theme of portraiture in contrast with floral motifs, textures and colours.
• When 24 May, 6pm-7.30pm. Rebecca
9 Plants Play Music
Hossack Art Gallery, 2a Conway Street, London W1T 6BA.
• Tel 020 7436 4899.
• Web rebeccahossack.com Artist Carol Sharp demonstrates a device that can read the electromagnetic vibration of a plant and translate it into music, during an installation at Phytology, an artist led project at Bethnal Green Nature Reserve. There will be performances with invited musicians during the day and Carol will talk about her exploration into plant intelligence. You can also visit between 21 and 24 May by appointment only.
• When 25-26 May, 11am-6pm. Bethnal Green Nature Reserve, Middleton Street, London E2 9RR.
• Tel 07802 183723.
• Web carolsharp.co.uk
10Walthamstow Street Gardeners
The residents of Walthamstow in east London have taken greening up the streets into their own hands and have created wildflower verges, pocket parks, streetplanters and a community food-growing plot complete with a pizza oven. This tour takes you to some of their best-loved areas and gardeners from each project will be on hand to answer questions and share their experience of community gardening.
• When 26 May, 11am-1pm. Tour starts at Brown’s Green at the junction between Brown’s Road and Hoe Street, London E17 4RZ.
• Tel 07473 912113.
• Email helena@poldervaart.co.uk
11 Feeding Dreams
Omved Gardens was restored in 2017 to create a beautiful event and exhibition space that made use of the existing gardens and glasshouse. This year, for the Chelsea Fringe, Omved will host a series called Feeding Dreams to connect people to food, plants, gardens and art, and run individual workshops including Herbs in the Garden with chef Arthur Potts Dawson, who will share his experience of how herbs are used in dishes around the world. • When 26 May – 4 June, 11am-5.30pm. Check the gardens website for date and time of individual events. Omved Gardens, Townsend Yard, London N6 5JF.
• Tel 07949 445459.
• Web omvedgardens.com
Find more events at chelseafringe.com. Please check event details with venue before travelling. Follow #Chelsea Fringe on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.