Friends' Member Only Events

Growing Friends' Nursery Plant Sales - 2017

 
MEMBERS ONLY - Join now to access Nursery sales
The Growing Friends Nursery will be OPEN for direct sales to Members only. 
Members will receive 10% off plants. Please remember to bring your Membership Card with you.
When:       Friday 2 June, 7 July, 4 August, 1 September, 3 November, 15 December 2017
                   from 8 am to 1 pm
Where:      Growing Friends' Nursery
                   located next to RBG Melbourne works yard
                   enter from E Gate 
Members of the Friends may visit the Nursery each and every Friday morning to look at the beautiful plants, to check out what is being grown, and hence will be available in the near future, and if they wish, seek advice from the Growing Friends on plants and\or plant problems.

Garden Book Sale

Grow your library with pre-loved garden books at prices to make a publisher weep. Books on gardens, gardening, horticulture and related subjects have been donated for our first ever garden book sale and cover an extraordinary array of topics.

The first day is reserved for members and RBGV staff, and the second day is open to the public. Come early if you want a bargain, they will go fast. Prices start at 50 cents for magazines up to $20 for glorious illustrated and reference books and even some ‘out of print’ priceless items that will enhance any gardener’s knowledge. All were once cherished but now need to be re-homed. Come to browse or come to buy; items will only be available at these prices for two days.

When: Friday 23 June 10 am – 3 pm
Members and RBGV staff ONLY
JOIN THE FRIENDS NOW TO TAKE PART IN THIS Members only Sale
Saturday 24 June 10 am – 3 pm
Open to the Public
Where: Mueller Hall, National Herbarium

Winter Insiders Walk - Chocolate and Spice

Members Only

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. Today 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 and finish with spiced treats at Plant Craft Cottage.

When: Thursday 29 June 2017 at 10 am
Where: Walk starts at the Plant Craft Cottage, near H Gate
Cost: $20 Members Only
Bookings essential Online
JOIN THE FRIENDS NOW TO TAKE PART IN THIS WALK
Refreshments will be served before and after the walk.

National Herbarium of Victoria Insiders’ Walk 

Women and Botanical Science - Members Only


Many women are represented in the State Botanical Collection (SBC) housed in the National Herbarium of Victoria at the RBGV. Stories and items from the library and herbarium specimen collection will be used to highlight the rich contribution women collectors, researchers, botanical artists and authors have made to our understanding and appreciation of algae, fungi and plants. Dr Pina Milne (Collections Manager) and Sally Stewart (Librarian) will guide us through this valualble collection.

When: Wednesday 19 July at 10 am
Where: meet at Gate Lodge, 100 Birdwood Ave
Cost: $20 Members Only
JOIN THE FRIENDS NOW TO TAKE PART IN THIS WALK
NUMBERS STRICTLY LIMITED
Bookings essential Online
Meet for refreshments at 10 am. The walk begins at 10.20 am.

Tea and Camellias Insiders’ Walk

Members Only


Take a tour of the Melbourne Gardens’ world class Camellia Collection which includes a range of early and modern cultivars and wild-collected species, some of which are fragrant. There are over 900 varieties of Camellia in the Gardens’ collection which is recognised by the Australian Camellia Society. Camellias begin to flower in early winter and can continue to flower until the end of summer, depending on the species.

Come and see what might look spectacular in your garden, and see some of the rarest and most spectacular varieties. This walk starts with a refreshing tea made using the leaves of Camellia sinensis.

When: Wednesday 9 August at 10 am
Where: meet at Gate Lodge, 100 Birdwood Ave, Melbourne
Cost: $20 Members Only
JOIN THE FRIENDS NOW TO TAKE PART IN THIS WALK
Bookings essential Online
Meet for refreshments 10 am
The walk begins at 10.20 am

New Members Welcome


at the reFraming Nature exhibition


To all new members - Please join us for the next New Members’ Welcome!

Invitations will be sent to all recently-joined Friends to come to our next ‘Getting-to-know-you’ gathering. Refreshments will be served while you mingle and meet other new members. Learn about the Friends’ wide range of activities in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, with conveners of all groups on hand to provide information. Finish up with a special tour of the Gardens with an expert Voluntary Guide.

All those who have joined the Friends since our last welcome, and those who have already requested an invitation to a future welcome, will automatically receive one. If you have not been able to attend a previous New Members’ Welcome and would like to come this time, you are warmly invited as well, so please call our office on 9650 6398 and we’ll make sure you are invited.

When: 11 October 2017 at 5:30 pm
Where: Domain House, Dallas Brooks Drive, Melbourne 3004
 
Growing Friends Location Map
(Adobe PDF File)