January 1, 2009

to

August 31, 2009

Sporti-culture – Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 July
11am – 3pm

Wellies at the ready…Get the summer holidays off to a flying start and join in the excitement at the Wisley Summer Sports Weekend.
Challenge your family to a range of fun track and field events including welly wanging, garden sack races and tossing the turnip.

The Great Victorian Plant Expedition – 1st to 31st August
Throughout August, there will be a Victorian theme at RHS Wisley

Daily activities

• Monday – Victorian craft activities (including flower pressing)
• Tuesday – Storytelling
• Wednesday – Enjoy Victorian garden advice, bug hunting and find out what Victorian gardeners do!
• Thursday – Victorian garden games (hopscotch, skittles, hoops, croquet, etc)
• Friday – Family Planting activity

Weekend 1st/2nd August

• Witness an informal visit from Queen Victoria and her entourage.
• They will tour the gardens, enjoy some leisurely garden pursuits and offer Victorian gardening advice.
• Children will be able to collect fallen petals and leaves and make crowns to celebrate the arrival of the Queen.

Weekend 8th/9th August

• Visitors can meet some of the famous Victorian Plant Hunters as they tell stories of their exciting adventures around the garden.

Weekend 15th/16th August

• Witness an informal visit from Queen Victoria and her entourage.
• They will tour the gardens, enjoy some leisurely garden pursuits and offer Victorian gardening advice.
• Children will be able to collect fallen petals and leaves and make crowns to celebrate the arrival of the Queen.

Weekend 22nd/23rd August

• Visitors can meet some of the famous Victorian Plant Hunters as they tell stories of their exciting adventures around the garden.

Plant Hunting Adventure Weekend 29th to 31st August

• The month will end with a pirate spectacular. Visiting families will be presented with a treasure map trail that leads them in the footsteps of one of the great plant hunters.
• They will have to follow the map to collect clues by finding certain items, taking part in survival activities, making eye patches, navigating the maize maze (and beating the pirates), walking the plank, all to lead them to the end of their voyage – their plant treasure (which they can pot up and take home).

The Maize Maze

• Victorian times return at Wilsey
• August marks the return of a 65m x 65m Maize Maze, complete with pirate ship and tropical planting, a grass maze, garden trails, a whole host of Victorian-themed daily activities and costumed actors roaming the garden as the great plant hunters of the 1800s.
• Parents needn’t worry about the activities breaking the bank either

Victorian Grass Maze

• Race around our freshly mown Grass Maze, which is based on a historic RHS maze that featured in our RHS South Kensington gardens in 19th Century.
• It was commissioned by Prince Albert (one of our many illustrious RHS presidents) and constructed in 1862.

Wild at Wisley

• Get up close to nature in our new area of natural play located in the Arboretum. ‘
• Wild at Wisley’ features pathways through wildflower meadows, stepping logs to balance on, tree stumps to jump between, a bark-chipping pit and a snail-shaped grass maze to race a sibling or friend around.

Remember that kids are free in August

In summary

1, 2 Aug

• Victorian Wisley – Practise your curtsey – Queen Victoria herself will be conducting a Royal tour of the Garden as well as enjoying some leisurely garden games.
• Children can also make a crown from fallen petals and leaves to celebrate the visit.
• 11am – 4pm

3

• Victorian Craft Activities
• Clore Learning Centre, 10.30 – 4pm
• Make bonnets, peg-dolls, paper windmills or tussie-mussies.

4

• Punch and Judy Show
• Seven Acres
• 11am, 1pm & 3pm
• A traditional Victorian puppet show.

5

• Visit Victorian Wisley
• Various locations
• Meet the Victorian gardeners as they go about their duties in their own unique way. 11am – 4pm

6

• Victorian Garden Games
• Seven Acres
• Have fun playing croquet, hopscotch and skittles as a family

7

• Be a Victorian Garden Designer
• Clore Learning Centre
• 10.30am – 4pm
• Sow seeds to create a mini carpet bedding design

8, 9 Aug

• Meet the Plant Hunters
• Various locations around the Garden
• Listen to exciting tales of adventure bought to life by famous Victorian plant hunters.
• Storytelling will be at 10.45am – 12.45pm and 2.15pm – 3.15pm at special plants around the garden, or outside the Glasshouse at 12.30pm and 3.30pm.

10

• Victorian Craft Activities
• Clore Learning Centre,
• As above

11

• Storytelling with Sudha
• Pinetum
• 12 noon, 1pm & 2pm

12

• Visit Victorian Wisley
• Various locations
• As above

13

• Victorian Garden Games
• Seven Acres
• As above

14

• Be a Victorian Garden Designer
• Clore Learning Centre
• As above

15 16

• Visit Victorian Wisley
• Various locations around the Garden
• As above

17

• Victorian Craft Activities
• Clore Learning Centre,
• As above

18

• Punch and Judy Show
• Seven Acres
• 11am, 1pm & 3pm
• As above

19

• Visit Victorian Wisley
• Various locations
• As above

20

• Victorian Garden Games
• Seven Acres
• As above

21

• Be a Victorian Garden Designer
• Clore Learning Centre
• As above

22 23

• Meet the Plant Hunters
• Various locations around the Garden
• As above

24

• Victorian Craft Activities
• Clore Learning Centre,
• As above

25

• Storytelling with Sudha
• Pinetum
• 12 noon, 1pm & 2pm

26

• Visit Victorian Wisley
• Various locations
• As above

27

• Victorian Garden Games
• Seven Acres
• As above

28

• Be a Victorian Garden Designer
• Clore Learning Centre
• As above

29 – Monday 31 (August Bank Holiday)

• Plant Hunting Adventure Weekend
• Various locations around the garden
• Follow in the footsteps of famous plant hunters and take the adventure trail around the garden.

For more information:
See the Fun Kids review of RHS Wisley