Press releases

Early birds and night owls flock to RHS gardens this summer

Calling all night owls and early birds. From sunrise to sunset, this summer you can get close to nature at RHS gardens.

On Friday 4 August 2006 RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey will host an opportunity for visitors to experience the sights, sounds and smells of the garden at dawn. ‘Wake up to Wisley’ takes visitors on a garden walk as wildlife awakens, all to the soundtrack of the dawn chorus. Experts will help visitors identify birds and mammals and there might even be kingfishers on the lilies in the canal. At RHS Garden Hyde Hall in Essex the ‘Nature Awakens’ walk starts as birds, bugs and flora begin to wake. A biodiversity specialist, horticulturists and a member of the RSPB will be on hand to point out highlights. As night falls, RHS Gardens at Rosemoor and Harlow Carr will be hosting ‘Wild Night Out’, an opportunity to explore gardens under the cover of darkness and catch a glimpse of nocturnal creatures such as owls, bats, moths and possibly hedgehogs. (See below for full details including prices, times and booking lines).

If you can’t make it to an event, you can hold a Wild Night Out in your own garden. The RHS has produced a handy guide including tips on what to expect on your nocturnal garden safari and what creatures to look out for. Or visit the RHS website at www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/wildnightout.asp.

Across the country Britain in Bloom communities are also holding their very own Wild Night Out events. Nantwich, a finalist in the Town Category, is planning a 'Senior Citizens’ Batty Night Out' to record and report the wildlife they see and Aberdeen, a finalist in the City Category, is planning an event for children to look for animals in a park after dark.

To help you create a night-time border, and give you an indication of which plants will be hotspots of activity on a Wild Night Out, the RHS has devised a Top 10 of ‘Night-time’ plants, all chosen for their attractiveness to wildlife and either their evening fragrance, their striking silhouette, or their luminous colour. Hebe ‘Great Orme’ AGM has small pink to white flowers clustered in dense spikes and is attractive to moths. Another plant loved by moths is Cynara cardunculus Globe Artichoke AGM, which creates a striking silhouette at dusk. Moths, as well as bees and butterflies during the day, are attracted to the clusters of small, purple flowers of Verbena bonariensis AGM.

Matthew Wilson, Curator of RHS Garden Harlow Carr, said: “By choosing the right plants your garden can attract a host of wildlife including moths, which will provide just as much movement and interest as their daytime cousins, the butterflies. I think many people will be amazed at the amount of activity they’ll discover in their gardens after dark.”

This year’s events are part of Wild About Gardens, a project from the RHS and The Wildlife Trusts, in partnership with Ribena, which aims to bring the worlds of gardening and nature conservation closer together and to increase understanding of the significance of local wildlife character. After your dawn walk or Wild Night Out, log on to the project website, join in with the discussion board and share your experiences of what you’ve seen with other enthusiasts in your local area. Visit www.wildaboutgardens.org

Notes to Editors

For further information please contact Kerry Law in the RHS Press Office on 020 7821 3044, or e-mail: kerrylaw@rhs.org.uk

Images available: All plants in the ‘Night-time Top 10 ’, and creatures to spot on a Wild Night Out

Event details

RHS Garden Wisley, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB

Event: Wake up to Wisley
Date/Time: Friday 4 August, 4.45am - 7.30am approx.
Prices: RHS members £10, non members £17.50 (same rates for children)
Booking No: 08456 121253

Arrive at 4.45am to try and catch a glimpse of the return of the bats. Then onto other parts of the garden to hear the dawn chorus, along the way enjoying the fabulous scents, colour changes and tranquillity. The walk is followed by breakfast at the restaurant.

RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG3 1QB

Event: Wild Night Out
Date/Time: Friday 4 August, 6.30pm
Prices: RHS members £5, non-members £11, children £1.60
Booking No: 01423 724680 or 08456 121253

Enjoy the sights, sounds and scents of Harlow Carr in the evening and learn about the nocturnal creatures in the garden. Please wear clothing suitable for outdoors and bring a torch.

RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Buckhatch Lane, Rettendon, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 8ET

Event: Nature Awakens
Date/Time: Friday 4 August, 5.30am to 9am
Prices:  RHS members£14, non-members£20
Booking No: 08456 121253

A rare chance to enjoy the garden before normal open hours and to experience both a wildlife and horticultural tour of the garden at its most beautiful. Led by one of the RHS Biodiversity Team, horticulturists and a member of the RSPB, this walk starts early to capture the birds, bugs and flora as they awake. This fascinating walk will culminate in a wonderful full English breakfast served in the Thatched Barn Restaurant.  

RHS Garden Rosemoor, Great Torrington, North Devon EX38 8PH

Event: Wild Night Out

Date/Time: Friday 4 August 2006, 8-11pm

Prices: RHS member £10, non-members £15.50 (same rates for children)

Booking No: 01805 626800

Come and see the wildlife at Rosemoor in the evening. There will be bats and moths and who knows what else in the garden and woodlands! There will be a talk from a member of the Devon Bat Group in the log cabin and Nigel Eaton, Rosemoor's Plant Centre and Shop manager will give a talk on the plants that will attract night visitors. Visitors will then be taken on guided walks around Rosemoor with moth and bat experts, followed by a get together at the end of the evening so everyone can discuss what they saw.

The proceeds taken from events and tickets sales at all RHS gardens help to fund the many activities undertaken by the RHS to promote horticulture and help gardeners.

www.rhs.org.uk/pressoffice

The RHS is the UK’s leading gardening charity dedicated to advancing horticulture and promoting good gardening. RHS work includes providing expert advice and information, advancing horticulture, training the next generation of gardeners, helping school children learn about plants, and conducting research into plants, pests and environmental issues affecting gardeners.

An interest in gardening is all you need to enjoy being a member of the RHS. For more information visit www.rhs.org.uk or call 0845 130 4646.

Founded in 1804, the Royal Horticultural Society is Britain's largest gardening charity and is committed to being the leading organisation demonstrating excellence in horticulture and promoting gardening. Renowned for its outstanding gardens and inspirational flower shows, the RHS is a key source of advice and information for all gardeners. It encourages gardening through its publications, trials, lectures, education programmes and scientific research and is home to the Lindley Library, which contains the most comprehensive collection of horticultural books in the world.

Membership of the Royal Horticultural Society offers many exclusive benefits including a monthly copy of The Garden magazine; free entrance to RHS Gardens Wisley in Surrey, Rosemoor in Devon, Hyde Hall in Essex and Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire; free access to a further 88 beautiful gardens across Britain and 20 gardens in Belgium and France; access to seeds collected at RHS gardens; free gardening advice and privileged tickets to 18 RHS flower shows, including the Chelsea Flower Show, the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show and the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park.

For further enquiries about membership of the RHS contact: Membership Department, Royal Horticultural Society, PO Box 313, London SW1P 2PE; 0845 130 4646 Monday - Friday 9.30am - 5pm or via the RHS website

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