Growing Friends Nursery Plant Sales - 2018

The Growing Friends' Nursery will be open for Plant Sales to Friends and their guests on the first Friday of each month (except when it clashes with the main sales' months).
When: Friday 11 May, 1 June, 6 July, 3 August, 7 September, 2 November, 7 December 2018 - 8 am to 1 pm
Where: Growing Friends Nursery, next to the RBGV, Melbourne Gardens works yard, enter via Gate E (downloadable map right)
Members and their guests only - Join the Friends to qualify for member discount

Members receive 10% discount on all plants

Don’t forget membership cards and carry bags.

Join Members only Photo Group

Join our photography group. This group is just part of an exciting range of activities and events the Friends run for their members. The Friends support the Botanic Gardens providing financial and volunteer support for projects and events. Love the Gardens? Join the Friends! 
The aims of the group are -
-  To enrich the Friends through photography in the RBGV Melbourne Gardens
-  Fellowship
-  Improve member’s photographic techniques

To join the Friends Photo Group you need to be a member of the Friends so Join Us now to get involved. 
For more information:
John Harrison, Photography Group Convener
04 0709 8887 or harrisondesign.photography@gmail.com

Urban Colour - Autumn Insiders Walk 

Members only walk In autumn, to see many of our trees that lose their leaves and we see the Botanic Garden in a different light.

For this Autumn walk we have chosen a diverse mix of trees in the Southern section of the Garden; all are trees that would be suitable for a reasonably sized suburban garden; some are deciduous and display good autumn colour before they shed their leaves; others have striking spring flowers.

Trees are vitally important in the broad landscape, in parks and home gardens. Trees reduce temperature on a hot day, and our health and well being depend on them. We hope this walk will encourage you to appreciate the different characteristics of many of our trees and help you to choose a beautiful one for your garden

When: Wednesday 23 May at 10 am
Where: meet at Gate Lodge, 100 Birdwood Ave
Bookings close 21 May
Cost: $20 MEMBERS ONLY
Bookings essential
Book online under What's On
Refreshments will be served before the walk which will begin at 10.20 am.

Historic Buildings in the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

Winter Insiders Walk with Volunteer Guide Ian Polmear
The RBGV, Melbourne Gardens has a number of historic buildings. Commencing at Gate Lodge (1902) we pass several buildings of the former Melbourne Observatory, some of which were first occupied in 1863. We will then call by the Herbarium (1934,1988) and F Gate Lodge (1887) that served as Guilfoyle's original office, and behind which he once created a Museum of Economic Botany and Plant Products. The Maintenance area will next be visited where we will inspect the original Carpenters and Sign writers’ workshops, stables where the draft horses were housed that pulled the lawn mowers until 1947, and some early pre-fabricated galvanised iron sheds made in London in 1848 that were shipped to Melbourne to house military personnel.
We will pass by William Tell Shelter and Rose Pavilion on our way to visit Plant Craft Cottage (1851) after which we will return via Gardens House, the Director’s residence for about 135 years.

When: Monday 25 June at 10 am
Where: Gate Lodge, 100 Birdwood Avenue
Cost: $20 MEMBERS ONLY
Book online under What's On
Refreshments will be served before the walk

Winter Insiders Walk 2 - Chocolate and Spice

Due to popular demand we are repeating this fantastic Members only walk this Winter.  Discover a world of spice in the plant kingdom. The very word spice is an evocative one. What does it conjure up for you? Does it bring to mind the traditional flavours and fragrances of winter that are brought to us by chocolate, cinnamon, bay, cardamom, pepper and vanilla? Where do these familiar yet exotic flavours come from? The history of the spice trade, the value we have placed on spices, the stories of their propagation and use is what we will discover during the walk. The quest for spices triggered the early exploration which led to the discovery of the new world.

Join us on this hugely popular walk and we will explore some of these tales and the plants that have added so much spice to our lives. We will start with a spiced hot chocolate at Mueller Hall and finish with spiced treats at Plant Craft Cottage. 

When: Tuesday 31 July 2018 at 10 am
Where: Meet at Mueller Hall, National Herbarium
Cost: $20 Members Only
Bookings close Friday 27 July
Book online under What's On
Refreshments will be served before and after the walk.
Numbers limited. Bookings essential

Spring Insiders Walk - Herbarium - 2 sessions

Members Only National Herbarium of Victoria Tours - Digital Access – Unlocking the Collection in the 21st Century
There is an interest and increasing demand in the general community for on-line access to arts, scientific, and cultural heritage collections. View first-hand a selection of items from the State Botanical Collection (herbarium specimens and library collection) and hear how current projects conducted within the herbarium building are enabling on-line access to this scientifically significant natural history collection.
Join Dr Pina Milne (Collections Manager) and Sally Stewart on this Herbarium Tour as they guide us through this valuable collection.
When:  
Day 1 - Tuesday 9 October: Meet for refreshments at 10 am. The walk begins at 10.20 am
Day 2 – Wednesday 10 October: Meet for refreshments at 10 am. The walk begins at 10.20 am
Where: Meet at Gate Lodge, 100 Birdwood Avenue
Cost: $20 Members Only 
Bookings close 5 October
Bookings essential ONLINE under What's On
Refreshments will be served before the tours
NUMBERS STRICTLY LIMITED to 12 per tour

Spring Insiders Walk - Tour of The Art of Botanical Illustration 2016 Botanic Art Exhibition

Members of the Botanical Illustrators’ Group will lead a visit to the 2018 Art of Botanical Illustration exhibition. The tour will be an opportunity to make discoveries about the design and technique in botanical illustration and exhibition. A botanical artist will demonstrate the craft and we will be able to appreciate first-hand the intricacies involved in this exquisite art form.
The works on display cover a huge range of subjects and artistic styles and your guide will endeavour to help you observe and understand these differences. A selection of artists’ sketch books will be displayed allowing the visitor a ‘behind the scenes’ view of the workings that make up the final illustration.
We will meet at Gate Lodge for morning tea and a brief introduction before walking over to the Domain House Gallery to view the exhibition.
When: Tuesday 23 October at 10 am
Where: meet at Gate Lodge Birdwood Ave, South Yarra
Cost: $20 MEMBERS ONLY 
Meet for refreshments at 10 am
Bookings essential - Book Online
 




Growing Friends Location Map
(Adobe PDF File)