Freshers plant giveaway
Calling all biology first years!
The Friends of the Cruickshank Botanic Garden would like to help you brighten up your accomodation with a free houseplant! Just come on down to the Cruickshank on Wednesday 17th September from 12.00 to 13.30.
If you would like to donate a plant to the giveaway, please bring it to the Garden on Tuesday 16th September 0800-1300 or from 10:30 on the 17th.
Joint Winter Schedule of Aberdeen “Outdoor” Talks, 2025-26
Hello Friends!
Attached here is a list of talks given throughout the Aberdeen area for the 2025-2026 season. They are put on by the Friends and other local groups with various interests in gardening, nature, and other environmental subjects.
All talks at 7:30pm unless otherwise specified under Date. A few 2026 talks have not yet been determined, but a Spring 2026 JWS version will be issued at end-2025.
Any talks marked * are expected to be hybrid. To discover the Zoom or Teams procedure for online delivery, non-members should contact the relevant website or email.
For talks by Aberdeen Geological Society (normally at 6.30pm on Thursday evenings, commencing in October) see www.aberdeengeolsoc.org.uk; by North East Mountain Trust (NEMT) see nemt.info@gmail.com; by the Saltire Society, try jdamacartney@btinternet.com.
Autumn Plant Sale - 4th October 2025
The Autumn plant sale is on the horizon in early October and the hope is to repeat the success of the spring sale. Our spring plant sale raised £1838 to support the work of the Cruikshank Botanic Garden. This was a record for one of our sales and helped in no small measure towards funding for a summer gardener. A brilliant sunny day and a bumper number of plants on sale made a big difference. The Botanic Garden certainly needs as much support as possible at the moment.
Continued success of our plant sales depends on donations of plants to sell. Whilst we rely on plant donations from members gardens, we are happy also to receive plants from other sources.
So, whilst you are busy tidying your beds after the long hot summer how about lifting and splitting some of those overgrown perennials? Or maybe there are some self-sown seedlings that could be potted up? We aim to have on sale plants of all types: annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, veg, herbs and even indoor plants. But all will be suited to growing in north-east Scotland.
Delivery instructions for donated plants are given below but if there are any questions about the plant sale or delivery of plants, please contact Stuart Wale at stuart.wale@btinternet.com .
Delivery of Donated Plants
Friday 3 October from 9am to 2pm or Saturday 4 October before 10am
Enter via the gate on St Machar Drive. Please take plants to the Nursery Area. You will need to go through the security gate next to the Friends Summerhouse. Place plants on the area of rough ground behind the left gate just as you enter the Nursery Area, between the orange traffic cones.
If you have a heavy load to deliver, you may drive to the Friends Summerhouse with great caution, heeding the 5mph restriction and with your hazard lights on. Plants must then be carried towards the Nursery Area.
The Seed Box - Horticultural Training and Outdoor Therapy for People with Additional Support Needs
Belinda Rowlands & Joanne Harmon will be joining us to talk about their group, Seed Box.
The Seed Box is a social enterprise that aims to improve the social, emotional and physical health of its co-workers through horticultural and outdoor activities. Belinda writes:
“Join us as we share the story of The Seed Box – what we do, how it all began, and the journey of growth along the way. From small beginnings to where we are today, we’ll reflect on the ideas, challenges, and community that have shaped The Seed Box into what it is now.”
As a teenager in Liverpool, Belinda volunteered at a school for learning disabilities. She loved the environment and the benefits to the students that were there, and the head teacher was an inspiration for her as well. She then went into agriculture, and was a shepherdess for 20 years. She had never forgotten her volunteering experience, and always wanted to do something like that. Once her children started school, she saw that as an opportunity and started working with learning disabilities again. In 2013, with the help of her husband Peter, Belinda started The Seed Box. From there it has grown exponentially and Belinda has recently received the British Empire Medal for her work.
As with all our lectures, the event will take place at the Zoology Building Lecture Theatre at the University of Aberdeen, Tillydrone Ave, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ. Lectures are hybrid with Microsoft Teams link sent to Friends via email before the event.
Woodland Plants and Peonies
Billy Carruther from Binny Plants will be joining us to discuss woodland plants and peonies.
As with all our lectures, the event will take place at the Zoology Building Lecture Theatre at the University of Aberdeen, Tillydrone Ave, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ.
Gardening the Globe - The Horticulture of Commonwealth War Graves
Neil Cameron is a volunteer speaker for the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation and will give a talk on Gardening the Globe. This presentation looks at how the CWGC's plots and graves are enhanced by the horticulture, looking at the early influences on their design and the challenges faced with climate change. Neil will share how the CWGC's horticulture design and maintenance is influenced by the climate and the different circumstances of the cemeteries around the world.
Neil is keen to stress he is no expert gardener and will look for audience participation during the talk!
As with all our lectures, the event will take place at the Zoology Building Lecture Theatre at the University of Aberdeen, Tillydrone Ave, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ.
Doug Boatman : "The best plants I have grown"
Doug Boatman, owner of Scotplants, will talk about the very best plants he has grown over the past 40 years.
Janne Richardson : “A study of the lifecycle of Aesculus hippocastanum and the preparation required to exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art Exhibition”
Janne's series of 6 horse chestnut paintings for exhibit at the RHS were years in the making. Follow her story.
Mike Dale : "The North Coast 500, a floral road trip"
A look at the fascinating and surprising flora to be found on this popular route.
Jane Clifford : “A journey through the Japanese Garden at Cowden, 1908-2025”
ONLINE ONLY ON TEAMS
How this amazing garden was created, destroyed by vandals and then restored in the past decade.
Prof Lorna Dawson CBE : "Natural Justice: How soil and plants have helped solve crimes"
Having worked on over 200 criminal cases, Lorna discusses this discipline using examples from UK and abroad.
Alan Featherstone : "Restoring the Caledonian Forest"
Now less than 1% of its original 1.5 million hectares, Alan is restoring parts of this forest in Glen Affric via his charity Trees for Life.
Pamela Ferns : "Siberian Iris and their history in British Gardens”
What is a Siberian Iris, and how/who introduced them to our gardens from as early as 1597.
Natasha Lloyd : “An introduction to foraging in the Cairngorms”
Looking at plants used for food, cosmetics and medicine.
Autumn Plant Sale
Our Autumn Plant Sale takes place from 10.30am till 12 noon on Saturday 5 October. Hardy shrubs and easy-going herbaceous perennials will be among the types of plants available to buy at very reasonable prices.
All plant donations, clearly labelled, are gratefully received. Please hand plants to the helpers on the day, letting them know if you have brought anything rare or unusual so we can price it accordingly.
Our sales have become increasingly popular and usually sell out, so we advise arriving in good time!
Afternoon Tea with Friends
We had a lovely gathering of around 80 Friends and their family / friends for our summer event. The good weather held and the Garden provided a wonderful setting full of colour and scent.
There was a delicious spread of home baking to choose from and a plant sale courtesy of Richard and Ellen Firmin in aid of the conservation charity, Flora and Fauna.
Many thanks to all who made the event possible and everyone who came along to support it.
Spring Plant Sale
Join us for our Spring plants sale on Saturday the 18th May at the Cruickshank Botanical Garden from 10:30 - 12:00
Caroline Holmes: “Impressionists in their Garden – Living light and colour”
This lecture explores gardens through the senses of the Impressionists. ENTRY IS FREE TO ALL. PLEASE JOIN US.
David Rankin: “The Rocky Road to Chelsea”
How Kevock Nursery prepares an exhibit for Chelsea
John Mattingly: “Cluny after Arwen”
Discovering how the garden at Cluny is recovering two years after Storm Arwen.
Razvan Chisu: “Plants and Castles of Transylvania: (online event)
Discover the amazingly diverse wild plants in woodlands, meadows and high mountains of Transylvania.
Harry Watkins: “The Tangled Bank - how changing the landscape affects the atmosphere of the botanic garden”
The Tangled Bank project in St Andrews Botanic Garden is recreating some of Fife’s most threatened habitats. Drawing inspiration from Darwin, the Tangled Bank will be
an ecologically vibrant place to learn about evolution and botany.