Free Drop-in Weekend Tours (cancelled for the forseeable future)
Enjoy a free-of-charge Garden tour with one of our expert guides, taking in the seasonal highlights of the Garden.
Tours run:
March, April : first Sunday of the month – 2.00pm
May: every Saturday and Sunday – 2.30pm
- Tours last one hour and start from the Glasshouse Terrace
- Tours are free-of-charge but normal Garden admission charges apply
- To join a tour, visitors must sign up at the main Brookside ticket office
- Places are allocated on a first-come basis and numbers are limited
- Not recommended for children under 12 years
Meet the Vegetable Gardener in the Schools Garden (cancelled for the forseeable future)
Tuesday afternoons, 2pm-3.30pm, during the school holidays on the following dates:
- Tues 18 Feb
- Tues 7 April
- Tues 26 May
- Tues 28 July
- Tues 4, 11, 18, 25 Aug
Get your vegetable growing questions answered and learn more about how to grow vegetables and meet our vegetable growing experts, who will be on hand to answer any of your gardening queries. For adults, families and/or children.
Normal Garden admission applies, under 16s are free.
Science on Sundays (cancelled for the forseeable future)
Third Sunday of the month, March-August
Science on Sundays is a programme of informal, monthly drop-in plant science talks at Cambridge University Botanic Garden featuring some of the latest University plant science research, delivered in a nutshell.
- The talks launch on Sunday 15 March and run on the third Sunday of each month up to, and including, August.
- Each 30-minute talk begins at 11am and is then repeated at 2pm.
- There is no need to book, just drop-in to the Classroom, close to the Brookside Gate.
The talks are free, normal Garden admission charges apply.
*New for 2020*: ‘Spotlight on Science’ – University student science ‘explainers’ will be on hand on the third Sunday of each month, March-September, to explain more about the science taking place in the Botanic Garden.
**PLEASE NOTE: OUR MARCH SCIENCE ON SUNDAYS TALK AND SPOTLIGHT ON SCIENCE EVENTS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED**
Science Pop up: Trees under threat (part of Cambridge University’s Science Festival) *CANCELLED*
Sunday 15 and 22 March, 10am- 3pm *CANCELLED*
Researchers from the Cambridge University Department of Plant Sciences will be at the Garden during the Science Festival, showcasing their research on the threats our native trees are facing and explaining what the public can do to help.
Tree diseases are a major threat to urban trees and forests in the UK. To understand the spread of disease and to develop methods to combat their spread, researchers need help with mapping trees across the UK. However current data on locations of different tree species is limited and is often not very accurate. An important part of their research is looking at how more accurate information on the location and species of trees within the UK can be collected.
Visitors will be able to contribute to this project by taking part in a tree ID trail around the Botanic Garden and discovering which species are under threat. A research pop up stand will be based near the café where visitors will be able to interact with the researchers and discover more about the latest plant science taking place within the University.
Normal Garden Admission charges apply. Recommended age: 11+
Easter (activities cancelled)
There will be plenty of treats in the Garden over Easter:
For families – Easter Trail Bingo: Saturday 28 March – Sunday 19 April
This Easter, the Botanic Garden is offering a giant game of outdoor bingo to visiting families. To join in the fun, pick up a free bingo sheet on your way into the Garden, get hunting for different springtime sights and claim your prize at the end.
The bingo trail includes lots of amazing springtime plants and animals including the brightly coloured Brimstone butterfly, beautiful cherry blossoms and the elusive Purple Toothwort plant. Outdoor fun for all ages.
For plant lovers
Wander around the Garden at leisure and enjoy the seasonal flowering highlights: the narcissus and cherry blossom to name two. In the warmth of the Glasshouses, the extraordinary jade vine is expected to be in flower, and admire the colourful national collection of tulips and the mountain perennials, all bursting into bloom in the Mountains House.
Earth Optimism event workshop, Friday 24 April (cancelled)
We’ll be holding a series of workshops about wildlife gardening, sustainable gardening, with hints and tips on how to record wildlife in your own garden as part of Cambridge Conservation Initiative’s ‘Earth Optimism’ event.
There will also be an evening batwalk, moth extravaganza and wildlife trail around the Garden for visitors. Details to follow.
