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| Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh - May Newsletter |
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In this issue Our Gardens Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Benmore Botanic Garden Dawyck Botanic Garden Logan Botanic Garden
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Season's Highlights Check out our weekly guide to the Season's Highlights at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
What's On See our full, searchable calendar of events and exhibitions. Pass it on Know anyone who might be interested in our newsletter? Click here to forward this email to up to 5 friends at once. New email address? If you're changing your email address, make sure you continue receiving our monthly e-newsletter by subscribing your new email address, and then unsubscribing your old address by clicking the link at the bottom of this email. If you are a Member, please inform our Membership office of the change by emailing members@rbge.org.uk |
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On 21 May, Richard Lochhead MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, will preside over the topping out ceremony for the new John Hope Gateway. The conclusion of the building phase of the project will be marked as is traditional in the Scottish construction industry. The final stages – fitting out the interior of the visitor facility – will then begin. The John Hope Gateway is scheduled to open later this summer. Find out more about it on our website. New bike parking at our Gardens New, improved cycle parking is now available at the Botanics in Edinburgh, as well as at Benmore, Dawyck and Logan. The provision of new cycle rack space means that all cyclists can safely and easily lock their bikes outside our entrance gates. We welcome visitors who arrive in this eco-friendly manner! Read the full story. Garden tours with the (new) experts 
Make the most of your visit to the Garden – join our experienced Garden Guides for a tour of seasonal highlights and hidden treasures. Regular tours depart from the East Gate at 11am and 2pm daily until the end of September. Cost £3; tickets from the Botanics Shop, Palm House Reception Desk or East and North Gates. Duration around one hour. See details for morning and afternoon tours. Group bookings available too. A new generation of Garden Guides (above) recently qualified after five months of training. The nine new Guides bring fresh talent and enthusiasm to the established team of Guides. Read the full story. 
Saturday 9 May On World Fair Trade Day, come and find out how choosing fair trade products, from coffee and chocolate to bananas, benefits countries and the local people. Free, drop-in event with the Garden Rangers. See event details. Southeast Asia at Inverleith House 
Exhibition 9 May to 5 July; Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles is best known as the founder of Singapore, but he also amassed a superb collection of Southeast Asian drawings and manuscripts. Acquired by the British Library in 2007, Inverleith House presents a selection of these botanical and zoological drawings in Raffles' Ark Redrawn. The exhibition catalogue is available from our online shop. The Botanics and Southeast Asia - Art and Nature on 24 May: join RBGE's Dr Henry Noltie for a viewing of the exhibition, followed by a tour of the Glasshouses with botanist Axel Poulsen to look at Southeast Asian plants he has collected. Cerith Wyn Evans at Inverleith House 
9 May to 5 July 2009 Cerith Wyn Evans is recognised internationally for the conceptual clarity of his work which incorporates a wide range of media. This exhibition, selected by the artist for Inverleith House, is his first solo museum exhibition in Scotland. Presented with White Cube, London. See exhibition details. 
Sunday 10 May We all love the sight of a bluebell wood in May... but did you know that Britain's native bluebell faces threat from its Spanish cousin? Find out what RBGE is doing to assess the risk to our favourite wildflower. Free, family event. See event details. 
16 to 24 May Celebrate Scottish Biodiversity Week with us! The Botanics programme of events for this week highlights a range of native plants and animals, including endangered plants growing in Edinburgh, rare mountain willows, and the honey bee. See full list of events or find out more about Scottish Biodiversity Week. 
Sunday 17 May The ever-popular Members' Annual Plant Sale returns - your chance to buy unusual and interesting Botanics-grown plants, along with books and home baking. View event details. 
Thursday 28 to Sunday 31 May A live show for ages 6 upwards. Two soil investigators suddenly hear strange, inexplicable sounds while constructing a subterranean car park. Scratchy, creaky noises, murmurs ... Witness the underground mystery unfold as they pursue their investigation. Performed by Studio ORKA and part of the Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival. View event details for performance times and booking. 
Sunday 31 May Rediscover some of Darwin's most fascinating discoveries, and find out why he was so interested in earthworms! A free, drop-in event with the Garden Rangers, part of our Darwin200 celebrations. See event details; more Garden Ranger events. A variety of family events in May 
Besides those listed above, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh presents a fantastic range of family events this month. So bring along the little ones for a fun day out. Art-tastic: Beautiful Bird Wings with Alchemy Arts, Sun. 3 May. Water Birds with the RSPB, Sat. 16 and Sun. 17 May. Talking Trees Storytelling, Sun. 17 May. Bee Aware, Tues. 19 May. Mini Worlds, Sun. 24 May. Events at Benmore, Dawyck and Logan All three of our Regional Gardens are open daily until 6pm. May is a marvellous month to visit Benmore in Argyll, Dawyck in the Borders and Logan in Dumfries & Galloway. Plants and Landscapes through the Lens (Benmore) 
Until 2 August Benmore's Courtyard Gallery hosts this exhibition of plant and landscape photography by David MacKinnon, including images of Benmore itself and from around Argyll. Limited edition framed prints available to order. Visit www.davidmackinnon.co.uk See exhibition details; view all events at Benmore. Benmore Fernery Fundraiser at Inveraray Castle 
Saturday 2 May An evening of canapés, wine, a buffet supper and entertainment to raise funds for the restoration of Benmore's Victorian Fernery, to be completed this summer. Includes a guided walk with Benmore staff to the Fernery on 27 May. See event details; more about the Fernery. 
Until 14 June Mountains, people and plants on the way to the world's highest peak. An exhibition of photos by James Ogilvie and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh staff. View exhibition details; see all events at Dawyck. Saturday 23 May Find out about the medicinal properties of plants with a practising herbalist Drew McNaughton-Ingram as your guide. See event details. Sunday 3 May Rise and shine for an early tour of Logan to experience the legendary bird chorus at dawn. Tea and toast in the Discovery Centre afterwards. See event details. Famous Scottish Plant Collectors (Logan) Tuesday 12 May Find out more about Scotland's famous plant collectors and take a walk around the Garden to see their most notable contributions. See event details. Walking with Dinosaurs (Logan) Tuesday 26 May What plants were around in the time of the dinosaurs? Find out during this fun-filled event for children... you might even meet a caveman! Workshops and courses in May and early June 
Places are still available for the following courses and workshops. Further details of all our courses on our website, or contact the Education team on tel. 0131 248 2937, education@rbge.org.uk Download course booking form. Weekend workshops and courses Warehouse of the World’s Temperate Trees Simple Art of Meditation Alpines – Troughs and Care Silk Painting – The Wonderful Wych Elm Tree Surveying Sketching at Dawyck Masterclass 5: Veronica McKenzie Grow Your Own Vegetables Pests, Disease and Weed Control Digital Plant Photography RBGE Diplomas We are now taking applications for RBGE Diploma courses starting in September. Follow the links for course handbooks and application forms. RBGE Diploma in Botanical Illustration Image credits: The British Library (Inverleith House); Helen Pugh (Family events in May). |
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