Join us on Sunday 11th October when we will be taking advantage of free entry to the gardens at Hampton Court Palace. Lucy and Sheila will meet anyone who wants to travel with us outside Highbury and Islington tube station 11-11.15am. We will then travel by tube to Vauxhall, where we will connect with a train to Hampton Court. This event is for anyone who would like to come. 

Send us an email to let us know you are coming.

It may be of interest to know that there are a number of days to choose from throughout the Autumn / Winter season. All of the info about the open days and the gardens is on the Historic Royal Palaces website.

Garden open days

Palace gardens will be open free of charge on the following dates throughout the year, with no tickets or pre-booking required.  Entrance to the Palace, the Maze and the Magic Garden will still require a ticket.

2026

• 12 and 13 September

• 10 and 11 October

• 21 and 22 November

• 26 December (The Wilderness garden only)

Save the date for our Autumn event in The Garden Room @ St Mary’s Church Annex, Upper Street, Islington. Guest speaker is Errol Reuben Fernandes, Head of Horticulture at Horniman Museum and Gardens. Full details on Eventbrite.

Winter garden visit to Kew Gardens, and final chance to see Henry Moore ‘Monumental Nature’ exhibition. Full details TBA.  

This is what Kew has to say about visiting in the Winter:

‘In 2022, our Horticulture Team began the restoration of a forgotten corner of Kew to offer something to visitors whatever the season. 

Now, Kew's new Winter Garden not only provides a wonderful range of plants year round, but unique views across the Gardens – take in the Temperate House and Pagoda during the winter months. 

A number of Euonymus trees frame the entrance to the garden, joined by hellebores, snowdrops and eranthis, all of which have been lifted and replanted here from elsewhere in the Arboretum. A winding gravel trail takes visitors through plantings of hardy winter specimens, to a vista at the base of an old concrete footing that once supported a 300ft flag pole.

While ‘tender’ plants would be killed by freezing temperatures, the plants in the Winter Garden are ‘hardy’. They have evolved adaptations that allow them to flourish in winter conditions including frost, reduced sunlight, and fewer opportunities for pollination.

The history of this patch of Kew stretches back through centuries of change. 

It was first home to the Temple of Victory, built in 1759 to commemorate the Battle of Minden. It was later replaced by a succession of three flagpoles which towered over Kew until 2007. 

The third and final flagpole was erected in 1959, and was, at the time, the world’s tallest wooden flagpole at a record-breaking 225 feet tall. This colossal final flagpole was removed due to suspected rot in 2007.‘

For now all you need to do is save the date. Full details TBA.

A visit to Savill Garden Windsor to see camellias, daffodils and the like. Full details TBA. For now, just save the date.

You can read more about the Savill Garden here: https://www.windsorgreatpark.co.uk/explore/the-gardens/the-savill-garden/#spring

Islington Gardeners walking tour “Secret City Gardens” with London on The Ground. Full booking details TBA.

You can read about the tour here: https://www.londonontheground.com/service-page/secret-city-spaces-in-spring

Our annual plant sale is our main fundraiser for all that we do. Stand by for full details For now all you need to do is save the date. ;)

Guided tour of Lullingstone Castle and the World Garden in Kent. Full details TBA.

For now have a look at their website: https://www.lullingstonecastle.co.uk/