DIARY
1 Winter garden tours Explore the stunning Winter Garden at Cambridge University Botanic Garden, which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary. To mark the milestone, free one-hour tours will take place every Sunday through January and February. Visitors must sign up at Brookside Gate on the day and places are limited. From 6 January, tours leave from the Glasshouse Terrace at 2.30pm. Cambridge University Botanic Garden, 1 Brookside, Cambridge CB2 1JE. Tel 01223 336265, botanic.cam.ac.uk
2 Handle with Care Exhibition Discover how RHS Lindley Library protects and conserves its collections in this new exhibition, with many precious items, including the notebooks of 19th-century plant collectors, on display. 7 January – 15 February, 10am-5pm, Monday to Friday. Free. RHS Lindley Library, 80 Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PE. Tel 020 7821 3050, rhs.org.uk
3 Traditional Orchard Management Workshop Learn how to prune traditional standard, half standard and bush trees on this one-day workshop, which will introduce you to the principles of seasonal orchard management. 9 January, 9.30am-3.30pm. £66. Thornhayes Nursery, St Andrews Wood, Dulford, Cullompton, Devon EX15 2DF. Tel 01884 266746, thornhayes-nursery.co.uk
4 Encouraging Wildlife into Your Garden Get tips on how to make your garden more wildlife friendly from entomologist Andrew Halstead, in a talk organised by Plant Heritage’s Hampshire & Isle of Wight group. 17 January. 7.30pm. Warnford Village Hall, nr Southampton, Hampshire SO32 3LE. Tel 01483 447540, nccpg.com
5 Snowdrops and Other Winter Bulbs Find inspiration and advice on growing snowdrops and other winter bulbs from Avon Bulbs’ creative maestro Alan Street, as part of part of Oxford Botanic Garden’s Winter Lecture series. 24 January, 7pm. £15. Andrew Wiles Building, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6CG. Tel 01865 610305, botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk
6 Winter Tree Identification Learn how to identify trees in winter, on this one-day workshop designed to help you recognise trees by their shape and colour, and by the position and arrangements of buds on branches. 26 January, 10am. £50. Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH3 5NZ. Tel 0131 248 2937, rbge.org.uk
7 Big Garden Birdwatch Help the RSPB keep track on the birds visiting our gardens over winter in its annual big garden birdwatch. To take part all you need to do is count the number and species of birds that land in your garden during one hour on any of the three days on which the survey takes place. 26-28 January. Register at rspb.co.uk
8 Design Your Own Garden Course Get a feel for garden design on this six-week design course, led by experienced designer and teacher Mary Swan. On the course you’ll learn how to shape a space and analyse a site, and Mary will also look at the importance of soil testing. No design experience needed. Wednesday evenings from 30 January, 6.30-8.30pm. £95. Bowery Visual Arts, 54 Otley Road, Leeds LS6 2AL. Tel 0113 224 2284, thebowery.org
9 Harlow Carr Flower School Master the basics of floristry and flower farming on this six-month course aimed at those who want to pursue a career in the industry. The workshop is run by Rachel Petheram of Catkin Flowers who will tailor each session to a different area of the business. Each month Rachel will be joined by a guest florist or flower grower. First session is 31 January, 10am-4pm. £2,000 for the whole course. RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG3 1QB. Tel 020 3176 5830, rhs.org.uk
10 A Year in the Cut Flower Garden Book ahead for this fascinating talk from organic flower grower and florist Gabriel Reid of floristry studio Gabi’s Garden on behalf of the NGS. Gabriel will share her experience of growing flowers and foliage and the best cultivars to grow for cutting. 27 February, 10.30am-12.30pm. £12. Gissing Community Building, nr Diss, Norfolk IP22 5XB. ngs.org.uk