There are some particularly inspiring botanical activities taking place in and around London this month, so don your spring coat and cap and sally forth!
PAINTING PARADISE: THE ART OF THE GARDEN
The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace
Friday 20 March - Sunday 11 October
This fascinating exhibition delves into the way gardens have been represented and celebrated throughout art and literature across four centuries, exploring the changing character of the garden through an extensive collection of paintings, botanical studies, drawings, books, manuscripts and decorative arts.
Works by Leonardo da Vinci, Carl Fabergé and scientific illustrator Maria Sibylla Merian will be on show, as will some of the rarest surviving depictions of gardens and plants, not to mention the world’s oldest gardening manual, dating back 700 years and once owned by Henry VIII.
Adult entry £10
Under 5s free
NGS OPEN GARDEN
The Grove, Highgate Village
Sunday 29 March
This month GROW London’s charity for 2015, the NGS, is offering the opportunity to explore this half-acre walled garden in Highgate, a real gem hidden behind a classic Victorian townhouse. Secret paths, tunnel arbours, leafy screens, unexpected views and a water garden make for a magical afternoon wander. Fantastic use is made of evergreens and there are some exquisite shrubs, including a row of Camellias down one wall and a huge Hydrangea petiolaris, both of which will be looking exceptionally lovely in late March.
Adult entry £3.50
Children free
RUTH EWAN, BACK TO THE FIELDS
Camden Arts Centre
Until 29 March
London-based artist Ruth Ewan is bringing the French Republican Calendar to life in her new work ‘Back to the Fields’. Temporarily replacing the Gregorian Calendar, the French Republican Calendar renamed seasons and days to reflect nature and agriculture, and Ruth has collected all 365 items used to identify the redefined days of the year. From a lettuce to a turnip, honey, a fir tree, ivy, figs and an axe - see the gallery space in the Camden Arts Centre transformed into a tangible calendar. And once you’ve had a look around the exhibition, you can enjoy a spot of lunch in the cafe followed by a stroll through the centre’s own gardens.
Free entry
CHISWICK HOUSE CAMELLIA SHOW
Chiswick House
Until 29 March
Pop along to Chiswick House to admire the Camellia collection - the oldest in the country - in the glorious setting of the historic and fully restored conservatory. There are 33 different varieties in an array of colours to delight in; pinks, reds, whites and stripes, as well as some rare and historically important examples of the plant to see, too. And if the show inspires you to grow your own Camellias, you can choose from a wide selection at the Chiswick House shop, including the new range of heritage varieties from their collection.
Free entry