We’re delighted to be hosting an online symposium with four world-class researchers exploring different approaches to urban planting. This all-ticket event is a fund-raiser for the restoration of the prairie at the Botanical Gardens. For information and to book a place, visit the symposium page on Eventbrite.

Thanks to Alan for his lecture this week on the Meditation Garden, which looked at gardening with nature for health, happiness and spiritual well-being. A recording of the lecture is available on the password-protected Friends Area of the site.

Sadly, given the extending of restrictions on public gatherings, we have had to cancel our planned public tour of the Gardens later this month. But we still hope to offer our high summer tour on 27th July, which will take in the perennial flower displays, the bear pit and many of the other attractions of the Gardens.

The latest edition of our monthly newsletter News Shoots is now available in the password-protected Friends Area of the website. Print copies will shortly be on the way to Friends without email addresses. We’ll be taking a break from producing News Shoots over the summer; let us know how you’d like to see it evolve in the Autumn.

Our next lecture on 15th June, will be by Alan Clements, creator of the Cascades meditation garden near Matlock. It will explore our interest in gardening and the deeper satisfaction that we can get from creating our own special natural sacred space.

Our volunteers continue to contribute much to the upkeep of the Gardens. The specialist propagation team volunteered for 222 hours during May, while those working in the Gardens provided another 266 hours.

The next pop-up sale, hosted by Irene May, will take place at 232 Millhouses Lane S11 9JA  on Saturday 19th June between 2 and 4 pm. 
Tea and cake will also be on offer between 2.15 and 4.30, with the chance to look at her garden, all for £5 a head.


Thanks to Nicola Thorpe, Project Development Officer, for sharing with us the final plans for the Education and Engagement Project at the Botanical Gardens. In her lecture this morning, she explained about the programme delivery strands, new volunteering and training opportunities, and some of the partnerships that will help grow and sustain education at Sheffield Botanical Gardens.

Thanks to everyone who came along to the pop-up plants sale in Broomhall on Sunday. It was a treat to meet so many people in person again, and to send so many of our plants off to new homes. We raised lots of funds for the Gardens. As a result, our first batch of plants grown on for the online shop is now sold out.

Our next lecture will be 'Planning an Education Future for the Gardens' by Nicola Thorpe, who’ll be explaining the ideas she’s developed for activities & events in the Gardens, if our National Lottery Heritage Fund application is successful. Come along on Tuesday 25th May at 10.30am and learn about the themes, opportunities and partnerships that are included in the bid.

We’ll be selling a range of gorgeous garden plants, including some from our online shop and unusual species from our plant lists, next Sunday (23rd May) from 2pm till 4pm at 4 Park Lane, S10 2DU. There's free street parking nearby, and we can take payments by cash or card.

We’re thrilled that our colleagues at the Sheffield Botanical Gardens Florilegium Society have a new book coming out. Published by the Crowood Press, the book is called A Florilegium: Sheffield’s Hidden Garden and should be available from early July.

We are pleased to have become one of 20 members of the Friends of Botanic Gardens Forum. This was set up in 2019 as an association to bring Friends groups around the UK into contact with each other, to share experiences and knowledge. The organisation has already been helpful to us when we were researching the ways in which other botanic gardens run their education programmes.

The latest edition of our monthly newsletter News Shoots is now available in the password-protected Friends Area of the website. It is being distributed to Friends by email, and print copies will shortly be on the way to members without email addresses.

Thanks to Pilar Medrano Dell for her thought-provoking lecture this morning talking about ways of planting historic gardens, from complete restorations of original designs through to more contemporary horticultural styles. She illustrated her lecture with examples including Rousham, Wrest Park, Trentham and the Kensington Roof Gardens.