Lecture Programme

Currently we offer a lecture programme which starts each October. Monthly talks are scheduled throughout the winter, and are usually held in the Zoology Building, University of Aberdeen, on Tillydrone Road. Topics are varied, but concentrate on horticulture and the natural world.

Please see below for the latest programme. Talks are usually on the second Thursday of the month at 1930. Refreshments are provided afterwards, and Friends are encouraged to socialise and have the opportunity to chat to the speaker.

Featured
Jane Clifford : “A journey through the Japanese Garden at Cowden, 1908-2025”
Feb 13
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.

Mike Dale : "The North Coast 500, a floral road trip"
Mar 13
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.

Janne Richardson : “A study of the lifecycle of Aesculus hippocastanum and the preparation required to exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art Exhibition”
Apr 10
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.

Doug Boatman : "The best plants I have grown"
May 15
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.

Past events

Featured
Prof Lorna Dawson CBE : "Natural Justice: How soil and plants have helped solve crimes"
Jan 9
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"
Dec 12
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”
Nov 14
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”
Oct 10
Natasha Lloyd : “An introduction to foraging in the Cairngorms”

Looking at plants used for food, cosmetics and medicine.

Caroline Holmes: “Impressionists in their Garden – Living light and colour”
May 16
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”
Apr 11
David Rankin: “The Rocky Road to Chelsea”

How Kevock Nursery prepares an exhibit for Chelsea

John Mattingly: “Cluny after Arwen”
Mar 14
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)
Feb 8
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”
Jan 11
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.