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What happens when you collaborate with an astronomical observatory and a doughnut shop? Magic of course!
We recently launched a star studded evening with Kielder Observatory here at The Garden which completely sold out in record breaking time. An evening of star gazing with professionals where The Garden will transform into a pop up planetarium!
With such avid interest, we didn’t want the fun to end there! Reaching out to Deep North UK for a sweet collaboration, we decided to create the perfect way for you to join in the fun. Introducing the limited edition…
STARGLAZING DOUGHNUT!
A vibrant blueberry glaze mirroring the galaxies above, this limited edition doughnut is available from both Deep North’s Tynemouth and Newcastle shops!
But the sweetness doesn’t stop there! £1 from every sale will go directly to The Alnwick Garden Trust and our community programmes. This means by simply purchasing one of these doughnuts, you’ll be playing a role in supporting our local community. You can read more about our charitable programmes HERE
Keep an eye out for more collaborations in the future but for now, go quick!
When you’re next at The Treehouse, you can be confident that you are eating well and sustainably!
We are thrilled to have been awarded the Bronze Award for’Food for Life’ as part of the soil association. This comes after recently appointing new Head Chef Gareth Clarke who has trained under Gordon Ramsey and Jamie Oliver. Adapting the menu to incorporate more locally sourced produce whilst celebrating the Northumbrian landscape!
Caron Longden, Senior Business Development Manager, Food for Life Served Here, said:
“I would like to congratulate The Alnwick Garden on achieving the Bronze Food for Life Served Here award. All of us at Soil Association are proud to be supporting your clear commitment to sourcing and serving food that is better for climate, nature and health. A fantastic achievement, leading the way for visitor attractions, please do visit for a great day out with great food!”
It is inspiring that The Alnwick Garden have achieved the Bronze award. A clear commitment to sourcing and serving good food. We recognise the challenging time that caterers are facing, and this case study shines a light on best practise.
As Bronze FFSH award holders, we are serving food that is freshly prepare by trained chefs, using ingredients that are good for our climate, nature and health, serving meat that can be traced back to the farm and meets UK animal welfare standards and much more!
Now time for silver!
The Alnwick Garden has welcomed a stinger of a plant as the official unveiling of Gympie Gympie happened this week!
Imagine being set on fire and electrocuted at the same time, got that image in your head? Well that is what an interaction is like with the native Australian plant Gympie Gympie which was recently added to our weird and wonderful collection here at The Poison Garden in Alnwick, Northumberland. Known as the ‘Australian Stinging Tree’ it is described as being the word’s most venomous plant with its nettle like exterior and tiny brittle hairs packing a punch if touched!
Sitting proudly in a glass cage, under strict lock and key, we are taking all precautions necessary to keep our gardeners safe! Situated next to Cannabis, Ricin, Henbane and hundreds of narcotic and poisonous plants all with the aim of educating and entertaining.
Gympie Gympie – whose technical name is dendrocnide moroides – was discovered in its native Australia when a road surveyor’s horse was stung, went mad and ‘died within two hours’ in 1866. Its name comes from the language of the Indigenous Gubbi Gubbi people of south-eastern Queensland.
The plant usually flowers and produces its fruits when it is less than 3m tall, and it could reach up to 10m in height. The stem, branches, petioles, leaves, and fruits are all covered in the stinging hairs and not to be touched, warns John.
“The tiny brittle hairs (known as trichomes) are loaded with toxins over the entire plant and if touched, stay in the skin for up to a year, and release the toxin cocktail into the body during triggering events such as touching the affected area, contact with water, or temperature changes,” he added.
“Even if touched for even a second, the tiny hair-like needles will deliver a burning sensation that will intensify for the next 20 to 30 minutes, continuing for weeks or even months. In some cases, it’s been said that the pain is so intense it can lead to suicide!”
If you wish to see the newest addition, make your way to The Alnwick Garden and complete a tour at The Poison Garden (included with your ticket)
Okay maybe we’re being over-dramatic…but a mutated Foxglove has shocked and delighted The Gardening Team with some members having never seen this natural phenomenon!
Foxglove (digitalis pupera) is a garden favourite this time of year, recognisable for its towering, tubular petals in the summertime which can be seen below…
Whilst delivering a tour, Gardener Amy and Visitor Christine carefully spotted this spontaneous and sporadic mutation whilst in the Primula Wood of The Alnwick Garden.
Foxglove would usually have ‘Indeterminate inflorescences’ This means that the the plant will continually produce flowers until it no longer can or becomes tired. This is what gives Foxglove’s their signature height.
This is not the case when a mutation is present and instead, it becomes an example of ‘terminal peloria’ which stops the new growth of flowers and makes way for a unique and abormal ‘bell-flower’
Peloria’ being the Greek word for ‘Monster’ we think this mutation is a beautiful part of nature!
Discussed by botanists from the mid-nineteenth century onwards, this mutation is often referenced as Digitalis purpurea monstrosa. There has been a few studies to suggest when and why this happens but there is absolutely no predicting the eventuality of a mutation. It has been suggested that a common time for this to occur is Autumn, or perhaps when the ground the Foxglove has been uprooted or had plants removed.
Despite it’s uniqueness and rarity, it is absolutely something to keep an eye out on your next woodland walks!
Photo Credit: Christine Talbot
Take a look at ‘Poisons in The Garden’ a unique day at The Alnwick Garden which won us an award! 2023 Inspirational Comittee Award
The North East Region Analytical Science Community developed and delivered a major initiative to bring chemistry to the public. ‘Poisons in the Garden’ was a collaboration with Alnwick Garden in Northumberland. Held over a weekend (8-10 July 2022), the event attracted over 2,200 visitors to the garden. A variety of unique fun resources to suit all ages were especially prepared for the weekend.
Short, pre-recorded presentations on four plants from the family Solanaceae (nightshade) gave visitors insight into their poisons and historic or fictional stories of their uses. A paper chromatography activity allowed participants to separate a series of compounds to introduce the concept of separation science. A pop-up sensory laboratory allowed participants to guess the plant type (all common kitchen herbs) by touch and smell, whilst blindfolded. One of the most popular activities for all ages was painting with cabbage.
The main legacy of the event was the development of four unique chemistry storyboards, based around the Teacup Poisoner, the Curry Killer, Doctor Death, and the Umbrella Murder. These storyboards will be used as part of the Alnwick Garden Drugs Education Programme and will reach thousands more young people in the coming years.
*Article provided by Royal Society of Chemistry and can be read in full HERE
Despite being open all year round, some of The Poison Garden’s high profile plants can’t withstand the Northumberland Winter. Each year, The Gardener’s remove certain plants and keep them in a safe, warm place under lock and key! As soon as we are given the all clear for any frost warnings, The Poison Garden returns to its tropical self!
See The Garden though a Gardener’s eyes! In this case, Gardener Amy documented what it’s like in a not-so-average morning in The Poison Garden!
A Tractor is needed to pack up all the plants, tools and of course The Gardeners!
Marijuana or cannabis is a common sight in The Poison Garden but mainly a feature of The Alnwick Gardens Drugs Education Programme
Photos are taken at each step of the seeding, growing and planting process to send to The Home Office as we have a special license to have it on site!
All ready for the cage to be returned right by the trusty “Please Keep Off The Grass Sign”
Salvia divinorum has made its Spring return to The Poison Garden. Illegal to posses and to grow in the UK, this plant can cause severe and often terrifying hallucinogenic effects! Learn more on a Poison Garden Tour!
It is always a long awaited spectacle when all 329 Taihaku Cherry Trees erupt into bloom, and this year was no exception.
The Blossom Watch Live Stream went live in March and we were gladly inundated with excited messages all wondering when the blossom would finally bloom!
We officially announced full on bloom on April 17th and the following two weeks were spent celebrating the transient nature of blossom season! Here are some of our favourites…
Taihaku Cherry Blossom is bright white and makes the perfect picture!
Exploring the blossom is best with company!
A view you won’t see often…
There’s plenty of room on one of the 50 swinging benches throughout The Orchard
Blossom Season can also mean selfie season!
Head Gardener Rob pleased with this year’s bloom and watching everyone enjoy!
See our favourite images from the recent March frost…
Looks like we’re gonna need a bigger shovel! Gardener Amy can be seen here making a start to clear paths for visitors!
Head Gardener Rob and Senior Gardener Ben saying hello to our very own Alnwick Garden drone…
Birds eye view of snow shovelling just starting to begin!
A recognisable view with the perfect dusting of snow!
After a busy yet magical festive season, we recently closed The Garden’s Gates for annual and essential Winter Maintenance. Usually this entails the takedown of thousands of Christmas lights and The Grand Cascade scrubbed from top to bottom! This year, however, also saw a grand total of 150 pine trees with nowhere to go!
Once used for decoration, these aromatic and evergreen trees perfectly lined the walls of The Alnwick Garden during our annual Winter Light Trail. Come January, our Gardening Team set out to take them down uncertain of their potential use.
That was until Craig Ellis, The Alnwick Garden’s Climate Action Programme Manager delightfully discovered they could have a second lease of life in an unexpected way! Remarkably, the Christmas Trees that we excitedly haul into our homes every year make excellent natural food and bedding for various animals and with various appeals made up and down the country, we found the perfect place right on our door step.
Successfully delivering all 150 trees to Northumberland Zoo we were lucky to receive some in-action shots of the animas already enjoying our donation. Maxine Bradley stated ‘Christmas Trees make great enrichment for various species; they are particularly fragrant which some animals love and they are tasty to animals like our tree porcupines. They also make great objects for keepers to hide food in, which makes feed time a bit more challenging’
The Pine Tree journey doesn’t stop there with Maxine adding ‘Once all of the excitement has worn off, we then chip these trees for bedding around planted areas as well as for fuel in our biomass boiler that heats our bat house’
The Alnwick Garden abides by a set of values which include collaboration, accountability and working whilst being climate conscious. Knowing that we can all have small part in making a big difference is how we made this donation and we are thrilled to have been able to help.
This blog was originally uploaded in January 2023 but has been re-uploaded March 2023
Kids Go Free, All Summer Long!
We have decided to extend our Kids Go Free campaign to ensure a great day out, for great value for money!
Although the campaign was originally introduced last year, after witnessing the negative impact of continuous price increases, we are dedicated to making The Alnwick Garden more affordable than ever before.
CEO of The Alnwick Garden, Mark Brassell addresses the decision stating “It is vital for us to continue providing an excellent day out for families in the North East for an affordable price. Our visitors have enabled us to achieve so much in the last year and we want to make sure they don’t miss out on the incredibly exciting summer of Play and Imagination that we have planned. This will see each day vary from water fights and giant lawn games all led by a brand-new Entertainments Team. We are elated to be in a position to give back at a time where we feel it is most needed”
Whilst Kids Go Free, why don’t you join them? Whilst on-site you can upgrade your Day Ticket for just an extra £5 to an Annual Pass giving you unlimited visits for the next 12 months!
Ian McAllister, Head of Marketing at The Alnwick Garden says ‘We have gone above and beyond this year with our events schedule to make up for the time we lost over the last two years. Experimenting more with evening events, we have a wide range of opportunities including Outdoor Theatre, Live Comedy and a Regency Garden Party. We hope to have something that can suit everyone which will allow them to see The Garden like they’ve never seen it before’
Visit our What’s On Page to see our jam packed summer schedule and adventure into summer you’ll remember!
See our full list of events by clicking HERE
