Future events
Here you can see all the events that we’re organising, including Friends lectures, the schedule for our public tours of the Gardens, and any planned plant sales. You can find more details on the lecture programme and on our tours schedule.
For information on public courses and workshops, visit the official website for the Gardens.
Type of Event
Bank Holiday Book Sale and Art Exhibition
We’re joining the Hallam Art Group Exhibition, selling bargain books, tote bags, cards and more from 10-4pm on 4-6 May in the Dorothy Fox Centre in Sheffield Botanical Gardens
Spring Plant Sale
Your chance to buy beautiful plants, many of them propagated from perennials growing in the Gardens, plus some unusual seed-raised plants. Happening alongside the Hallam Art Group exhibition and our bank holiday vintage books sale.
Fran Halsall ‘The Edible Herbal Wildlife Garden’ live lecture
Fran will look at 30+ trees and plants that are easy to grow in UK gardens and provide details about their traditional and contemporary uses and their wildlife benefit.
FOBS at the Pollen Market, Castlegate
We are back at the Pollen Market in the city centre, promoting the Friends and publicising the Botanical Gardens.
Isobel Denton ‘Growing for Dyeing’ live lecture
Textile practitioner Isobel Denton will share details of plants that can be grown for their natural dyeing properties and provide advice on planting and growing a dye garden.
Natural Dyes Public Tour
In May we will be looking at plants used to make natural dyes.
RHS Garden Harlow Carr Trip
Our first coach trip of 2024 will be to the Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens at Harlow Carr in Harrogate.
Shakespeare’s Botanicals Public Tour
.This June evening we will be looking at Plants that Shakespeare referenced in his works.
Dr Michael Klemperer ‘The History and Restoration of the Victorian Gardens at Brodsworth Hall’ live lecture
Dr Klemperer will focus on the gradual restoration of certain key elements within the Brodsworth site, making it one of the most unique Victorian Gardens in the country and the challenges of undertaking accurate restoration and interpretation as fashions change in horticulture .
Geoff Hodge ‘Happy Healthy Houseplants’ live lecture
Houseplants are a great way of bringing joy to you and colour to your home; they help lift the spirits – as well as helping to create a healthier environment, but they don’t always live up to our expectations. Garden writer Geoff Hodge will provide hints and tips to keep your plants in very good health.
Shakespeare’s Botanicals Public Tour
This afternoon we be exploring plants that Shakespeare included in his works.
Pollinators and Plants Public Tour
This evening we will look at how plants and pollinators work together.
Rob King ‘My Sheffield Garden’ live lecture
Rob King will share how he has not only created a beautiful garden for adults, but for children to enjoy too! He will speak about his gardening influences, how he created this garden from scratch on a shoestring budget, and how he manages to have colour all year round.
Natasha Johnson ‘Managing a Heritage Garden- Gunby Hall Estate and Gardens, National Trust and other Horticultural Tales’ live lecture
Senior Gardener Natasha will describe how her team keep, maintain and manage eight acres of garden at National Trust, Gunby Estate, Hall and Gardens in Lincolnshire.
Painting with Flowers - Celebrating Summer Public Tour
For July we will be joined by a local artist to explore how flowers have influenced her work.
Gala Celebration
Save the date!
We’re organising a gala day to celebrate the Friends ruby anniversary.
Ollie Pike ‘Creating the Psalm 27 Garden And other stories’ live lecture At Sheffield General Cemetery
Sheffield landscape architect Ollie Pike will describe the inspiration for and implementation of the Bible Society’s Psalm 27 garden at Tatton Park, its relocation to Sheffield General Cemetery and some future plans and projects
Painting with Flowers - Celebrating Spring Public Tour
In April we will have our first tour looking at how flowers have inspired artists.
Doug Kemp ‘From Grass Field to Organic Farm in 5 Years’ live lecture
Doug Kemp, Farm Manager of Regather organic farm and community benefit society, describes his journey from desk job in London to organic farming cooperative on the outskirts of Sheffield. (THIS LECTURE REPLACES THE ADVERTISED TALK BY SHEFFIELD FRUIT TREES)
New Members Event
New FOBS members are invited to come along and find out a bit more about the Friends. We will have a short talk by Carolyn, our Chair, a photo review of recent events, tours of the gardens and home-made cakes and coffee. New Friends will receive a personal invite at the beginning of March.
Richard Brown ‘ThE Therapeutic Benefits of Horticulture and the Quest for the Hero of Lockinge Melon’ live leCture
In this talk Richard Brown aims to explain why horticulture is good for our physical and mental health and takes us on his own therapeutic gardening journey, to find the lost Victorian melon, the ‘Hero of Lockinge’.
People, Plants and Pavilions Public Tour
For March we’ll be exploring the history of the Gardens.
Alison Hunter ‘ A Gardens Trip Down Memory Lane’ live lecture
Using previously unseen slides from a private collection, FOBS Gardens historian Alison Hunter will examine the more recent history of the Gardens, including the National Heritage Lottery funded restoration project and the role of the various partners who are responsible for the ongoing development and maintenance of the Gardens.
Claire Margetts ‘My Time as the National Trust’s first ever Sissinghurst scholar’ online lecture
National Trust scholar, Claire Margetts describes what she has done and what she has learned in her 18 month scholarship at Sissinghurst Castle Gardens in Kent and beyond.
Highfield House snowdrops trip
Our first trip of 2024 will be a walk amongst the nodding snowdrops at Highfield House in Alfreton. Places are limited, so please let Lorraine Milne know by 26 January if you would like to join us .
Perfumes and Potions Public Tour
For February we’ll be exploring some of the scents and smells of the early Spring garden, as well as examining the medicinal heritage of some of our plants.
Prof David Rankin ‘ The Yellow ‘Lampshade Poppy’ Meconopsis: botany and gardening’ live lecture
Not all Himalayan blue poppies are blue! By drawing on the wealth of information available, Professor Rankin will help us to understand the wonderful yellow Meconopsis - and to explain how relationships between different kinds emerge, and sometimes names have to change.
Catherine Howell ‘Seed Sovereignty - a Food Revolution Starts with Seed!’ online lecture
As northern region co-ordinator for the Gaia Foundation's Seed Sovereignty programme, Catherine Howell will examine the history and politics of seed production, the importance of diversity, and some simple 'next steps’.
Margaret Boulton ‘A History of Allotments in Sheffield’ live lecture
Author and keen allotmenteer Margaret Boulton describes and celebrates the history of allotments in Sheffield from the 18th century to the present day.
CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS Catherine Horwood ‘The Cutting Garden’ online lecture
CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS Author and biographer Catherine Horwood explores the origins of the cutting garden and reveals its fascinating links to a social history involving walled gardens, plant introductions, commercial floristry and flower arranging.
Wild, Wet and Windy - creating the garden at Kerrachar
Trish and Peter Kohn will give an updated talk on the establishing of their garden at Kerrachar in the far north-west of Scotland. This talk replaces the publicised ‘Cutting Garden’ talk due to illness.
Christmas mini market and Social
FOBS members, new and old are invited to join our Christmas festivities.
National Tree Week Public Tour
For November we’ll be exploring some of the beautiful trees in the collections.
Film Screening at the Education Centre
Join us for a viewing of a gardening themed film at our informal movie morning
AGM with simon olpin ‘Creating a hardy ‘subtropical’ garden - plant history and present challenges’ live lecture
Following the business of the AGM, retired NHS consultant Simon Olpin will share the challenges of establishing a range of hardy ‘subtropical’ plants in his Sheffield back garden.
Rod Weston ‘Composting for Enthusiasts’ live lecture
Master Composter Rod Weston will look at different approaches to making compost and provide hints and tips on composting successfully.,
CANCELLED: Linda Heywood ‘Echium World: In the land of the Giants’ live lecture
We regret that due to illness, Linda is unable to deliver her talk and our meeting scheduled for Monday 9 October has been CANCELLED.
Day trip to National Memorial Arboretum
For our last day trip of 2023 we are going to the National Memorial Arboretum. The NMA has over 400 military and civilian memorials set in 150 acres offering peaceful woodlands, colourful gardens and riverside walks in Alrewas, Staffordshire.
Shakespeare’s Botanical Public Tour
For September, we’ll be exploring some of the plants and flowers that appear in Shakespeare’s writing.
Pam Smith ‘Skills, stories, dilemmas and ambitions of caring for our National Trust Gardens’ live lecture
Pam will explain the work, conservation dilemmas and future ambitions of working with over 400 years of garden history, over 200 gardens and the largest plant collections in Europe.
Darren Myers ‘My Year in Sweet Peas’ Live Lecture
Award winning sweet pea grower Darren Myers will provide hints and tips on growing better Sweet Peas, whether it be for garden decoration, cut flower or exhibition.
Plant Sale
Join us for our last plant sale of the season. Your chance to buy beautiful plants propagated in the Gardens.
Heritage Open Days - Discovering Marnock Exhibition
Come along to this free exhibition about celebrated garden designer Robert Marnock. The exhibition explores the life and times of this incredibly important and prolific gardener and how his influence continues today.
CANCELLED: Painting With Flowers - Tour of the Gardens
THIS TOUR HAS BEEN CANCELLED
Another chance to catch our popular tour, given as part of 'Dutch Flower Paintings Exploring Art in Bloom' with Sheffield Museums Trust.
Textiles & Dyes in Nature Public Tour
For August, we’ll be exploring some of the plants and flowers in the Gardens that have been used as textiles and dyes.
This tour will also be offered on Monday 14th August at 6pm.
New talk: Laura Alston and Jill Sinclair ‘Celebrating Marnock’ live lecture
Jill Sinclair and Laura Alston will explore the life and career of Scottish landscape gardener, horticulturalist and writer Robert Marnock (1800 - 1889) as well as some of the unusual and engaging events that have been happening around the country as part of this summer’s Marnock Celebrations.