There’s a lot of wisdom out there amongst professional and amateur gardeners. Much folklore and science knowledge handed down from generation to generation. In the post second world war ‘nuke everything with a chemical’ era, a lot of native knowledge about what grew well with what, was lost and indeed strongly poo-poohed as ‘magic’ and…
Sometimes all you want on Sunday afternoon at this time of year is a bit of fresh air and a stretching of the legs. No kitting up for a long walk in the hills, just a stroll around a green and peaceful place… This winter we are having a series of special weekend openings at…
The Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo) is a easy tree or shrub to identify, having both flowers and fruit present at the same time. The strawberry (or I think more like lychee) like fruit take up to a year to ripen, so as last year’s fruits turn red, the flowers that will form next year’s…
If you take a walk along the top of the Upper Wilderness to the far end and gaze underneath the large Yew tree, you will see the tiny but perfectly formed Cyclamen hederifolium coming into flower. A mixture of pink and white, the tiny flowers appear before the foliage, which as its name suggests is…
Five weeks of good value summer fun at the Gardens Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 12- 3.30… it’s Unplug and Play Crafts, gardening and outdoor exploration. Children and families can enjoy outdoor play and/or craft activities under gentle supervision. The mud kitchen, maze, dipping pond and some gardening activities available for families to explore…
We have 4 hives on site. Two are owned by Norman and are well established in the Gardens. They have been joined by two new ones, owned and looked after by Malcolm. They’ve been a bit feisty settling in and Malcolm realised they were missing their queen…”where did you go to my lovely?” Today Malcolm…
Did you shrink or did the flowers just grow? Wander amongst our beautiful towering plants over 4 metres tall – they’re crocheted! This May half term join in the festival atmosphere with our Alice in Wonderland sized installation… All week from Bank Holiday Monday (29th May) through to Friday (June 2nd) we’ll also running family…
We’ve always valued our connection with Warwickshire Wildlife Trust’s Hedgehog project. Officer Simon Thompson has always thought our mix of cultivaed grass and wilder areas have been an ideal habitat for these really threatened creatures. With him and our younger visitors we have carried out a couple of population surveys in an around the Gardens…
Unplug and Play! Our school holiday programme for families to get outside, together in a safe and creative place. Suddenly the Back Garden grew… to 10acres! Want to try out your work skills? Why not volunteer with us. *We’re looking right now for volunteers for February half term, Easter and summer holidays apply now to find out…
Yesterday 14 young people invaded the Gardens and started plotting to take over! The young people, from nearby Braidwood School for the Deaf, are part of a Birmingham wide programme run by the group Kids in Museums. Takeover Birmingham is a pilot programme for 11 – 14 year olds, designed to ensure arts and culture are…