Astrum Cleaning Services Supports Educational Excellence at Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Astrum Cleaning Services has partnered with Birmingham Botanical Gardens to further the growth of young minds.

The Gardens delivers a diverse range of school sessions in science, geography, and art, that ignite young learners’ curiosity. Our dedication to delivering engaging and unforgettable learning experiences has built a high reputation as an esteemed educational institution. Last year was the Gardens most successful year ever for educational visits, where we welcomed almost 17,000 students, and delivered over 800 teaching sessions.

Over the past year, Astrum Cleaning Services has carefully ensured a high level of cleanliness at our historical site, helping the Gardens to achieve a positive and welcoming visitor experience.

In recognition of the Gardens’ unwavering commitment to education and high standard of teaching, Astrum has generously donated £750 to support the delivery of the Education programme.

As an educational charity, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens are dedicated to promoting plant biodiversity and fostering an understanding of its importance in the natural environment through conservation, education, engagement, and enjoyment. The award-winning education programme at BBG plays a pivotal role in fulfilling this mission.

This partnership between Astrum Cleaning Services and Birmingham Botanical Gardens reflects a shared commitment to nurturing the growth and development of future generations. It serves as a heart-warming example of partnership to support vital work in the community. We are immensely grateful for their support.

Update 26/02/2024:

Update 07/02/2024:

Update 20/01/2024:

For more information please call our Welcome Team on 0121 454 1860.

Update 23/12/2023:

Festive opening times: We are open every day 11am – 4pm, except Christmas Day and Boxing Day. See our opening times here. 

Update 22/12/ 2023:

Update 21/12/ 2023:

It’s a very blustery day! Due to the very high winds, the outside areas of the Gardens and the Glasshouses are closed for visitor and staff safety. The Gift and Plant shop, and Café, will remain open and are free of charge* to visit today! So why not come along and pick up some lovely festive gifts and a hot chocolate! *Parking charges still apply.

Update 12/12/2023:

The Café has reopened, however they are currently not serving hot food due to technical issues.  Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Update 11/12/2023:

Unfortunately the cafe is currently closed due to technical issues. Please refer back to this page for an update when it has reopened. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Update 09/12/2023:

We are pleased to confirm the Gardens have reopened and normal business hours will resume from Saturday 9th December.

Luminate Winter Lights are going ahead as planned. For more information, or to enquire about bookings, please visit the Luminate website.

For any function bookings please contact Aramark directly.

Thank you for your kind understanding.

Important Visitor Announcement 08/12/2023:

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Gardens are closed today (Friday 8th December).

This evening’s Luminate Winter Lights will go ahead as planned.

We will continue to update customers on when the Gardens will reopen via our website and social channels.

Thank you for your kind understanding. We hope to welcome you back to the Gardens very soon.

Education is Blooming at Birmingham Botanical Gardens!

Birmingham Botanical Gardens has been awarded with the prestigious Sandford Award for Heritage Education. Judges praised the Gardens as “a truly immersive and wholly engaging educational experience”. The educational program offers an imaginative and innovative approach to teaching across multiple curriculum areas. Our green learning environment creates a unique educational gem, where learning happens amongst an array of over 7000 plants, which brings the natural world to life like nowhere else in the city.

Obtaining both The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge and the Sandford Award, is a testament to our commitment to quality education.

A huge congratulations to the educational team for their achievements.

Take advantage of our special offer “Buy one, get one half price” on teaching sessions until 9th February 2024!
Click here to visit the education page on our website or email education@birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk to find out more or book your session.

The Gardens needs your help to protect and care for our trees!   

Trees are vital for life and the environment, and essential in our fight against global climate change and increasing biodiversity by providing clean air, shelter, and a natural habitat for wildlife. They provide daily life with astonishing beauty, changing colour and structure as the seasons pass and can live for hundreds and even thousands of years.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens is home to over 500 magnificent indigenous and non-native trees and are proud to be part of the International Conifer Conservation Programme.  Our trees create a unique, biodiverse ‘urban lung’ and green canopy right in the heart of Birmingham – capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and producing oxygen.  They create a micro-ecosystem to provide maximum benefits to local fauna. These natural wonders can reduce indoor and outdoor pollution by as much as 50%. Our unique green space, situated in a dense urban environment is a critical contributor to the city and regional net zero carbon targets for 2030 and 2041 respectively.

As great protectors, trees are fundamental to the survival of all life on earth; but we need your help to protect and care for our trees, ensuring this unique lifeforce continues to grow in our landscape now, and for future generations. Help us support nature’s recovery and the reconnection of people with green spaces.

With the drought of recent summers, our trees have been subject to extreme stress and their health is likely to deteriorate further over the next 5 years. Our oldest tree, the Copper Beech, predates the Gardens at over 200 years old but is now in suffering disease caused by compaction. We must raise funds to provide the nutrients, care, and maintenance for this striking tree to ensure its survival.

The Handkerchief Tree (Davidia involucrata) is of commemorative value to the gardens after Ernest Henry Wilson, a student at the gardens, introduced it to cultivation in the west after his second expedition on behalf of the Veitch nursery.  This beautiful specimen has survived nearly 120 years but is now in decline due to the stress from paving and other trees growing into its canopy.

Our Tree Plan seeks to fundamentally transform BBG’s tree care, health, and maintenance programme, but requires us to raise £13,850 to help protect, save and maintain happy, healthier trees at the Gardens throughout the seasons. With your help, we can provide strength for climate resilient trees:

• £1,000 would enable us to purchase an iPad for GPS tagging to monitor our trees health more proactively.
• £1,100 would enable us to provide LANTRA Level 2 training for two staff members, to equip our team with key tree inspection skills.
• £2,250 would enable us to mulch and fence off our Copper Beech.
• £4,500 would enable us to purchase a chainsaw and woodchipper and suitable personal protective equipment to develop our in-house tree maintenance.
• £5,000 would enable us to plant more trees!

As a registered charity, Birmingham Botanical Gardens receives no regular public funding.  Instead, the charity relies on income we can generate from visitors, members, grants we can secure and generous donations from people who share our vision to educate and make the Gardens accessible for everyone now and for future generations.  Your donation, however much, will make a real difference.

Please support us by donating via our website, writing a cheque or donating in person with our staff.

Thank you.

Reg Charity 528981.

A Warm Welcome to Our New Residents
During your recent visit to the the Gardens, you might have noticed the charming addition of two new feathered friends. We are thrilled to introduce you to an African Grey parrot and an Amazon parrot, who have found a loving home next to Polly and Casper on the Terrace.

These delightful birds have recently joined our botanical family, coming from a nearby site that is closing down. We couldn’t be happier to welcome them to their new home here at the Gardens. As they settle in, we encourage you to pay them a visit and say hello. You may hear them before you see them, one in particular is very keen to make themselves known!

A Sad Farewell to Our Peafowl
We are deeply saddened to share the news that our Peafowl have unfortunately passed away, whilst off show, from natural causes. Due to the upcoming developmental works around the site, the difficult decision has been made not to replace the free roaming Peafowl, as it would pose a safety risk to both the birds and the project team. We may well be able to introduce them once again when our capital project is completed.

In the meantime, we invite you to come and meet our new African Grey and Amazon parrot, who are already spreading joy with their delightful presence. Your support and understanding mean the world to us as we continue to create a haven of beauty, nature, and tranquility at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

An important change is happening at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens that will positively impact both our environment and the overall visitor experience.

On the 3rd July, as part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability and resource management, we will be transitioning to a cashless site and invite you to support us by paying by card. By decreasing cash transactions, we can effectively streamline our operations, conserve resources, minimise our environmental impact, and lower our carbon footprint.

However, while we are making this transition, we understand that some of our visitors may rely on cash as their preferred method of payment. We want to assure you that we value inclusivity and strive to accommodate everyone’s needs. We recognise that certain circumstances may make digital payment options inaccessible for some individuals, and we want to ensure that no one feels excluded from visiting our gardens. A member of our team will be able to accommodate those who can only pay with cash.

We appreciate your understanding and support as we embark on this journey toward a more sustainable and efficient future. Together, we can make a difference for our environment and the generations to come. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your visit please reach out to our team at admin@birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk or call 0121 454 1860.

Thank you for helping us create a greener future. We look forward to welcoming you to Birmingham Botanical Gardens soon.

Volunteers Week is our chance to recognise the fantastic contribution volunteers make to the Gardens and say a massive thank you!

Our volunteers give their time and expertise which hugely benefits all areas of our operation.

From helping in the Garden and supporting schools sessions, to stewarding events and keeping our Library and Second-hand Bookshop in perfect order, we really couldn’t do without our fabulous volunteers! We are now recruiting more volunteers to come and join us.

Come along to our volunteer open days, where you can learn more about the variety of volunteer opportunities at the Gardens.

Our Volunteer Open Days will be:

Friday 30^th June 2-4pm and

Saturday 1^st July 11am-1pm

Our volunteers help in many ways including:

• Meet and Greet
• Welcome Desk/Ticketing
• Visitor Tour Guides
• Gardening
• Education
• Young people/family crafts
• Retail services
• Admin duties
• Event support

To register your interest and find out more about the roles available visit our volunteers page. 

Again, a huge thank you to all of our volunteers, your support is invaluable to the Gardens.

We are very excited to announce that our appeal to raise funds for the Composting Project has been successful, and work will commence shortly.

Thank you to Veolia Environmental Trust, via the Landfill Communities Trust, and everyone who has supported this project; every donation makes a difference, thank you.  Since the gardens opened in 1832, composting has been a vital procedure to dispose of green waste, condition the soil, and improve its fertility. The Composting Project means we can replace the existing 60-year-old structures with new facilities to process green waste and establish a fully environmentally sustainable composting process at the Gardens, from which our unique collection of plants will continue to thrive. The use of compost leads to a multitude of benefits for all green spaces: saving water by helping soil hold moisture; adding nutrients to soil that helps plant growth, encouraging healthy root structure; balancing soil pH (acidity); and preventing erosion. An effective composting process is pivotal to our ability to sustain a varied ecosystem of plants, and soil biodiversity is key to success. Since 1829, we have been devoted to conservation, sharing public education and growing plant diversity in one of the UK’s most significant historic botanical gardens.

The project works will enable a purpose-designed facility to be constructed in the nursery area of the site, costing £101,000. Following a formal tendering process, we are pleased to have awarded the contract to Big Fish Landscapes and the project will be managed with assistance from Conservation Architects, Donald Insall Associates.

Matthew Vaughan of Donald Insall says “We have been working with the Birmingham Botanical Gardens for some years, having carried out projects such as repair of the Grade II listed chimney and Grade II listed Bandstand, and we are delighted to see this project come forward, another step in the masterplan to ensure the Gardens’ continued growth.”

We are grateful to the generosity of all our funders, members and individual supporters who have made this project possible. As a registered and independent charity, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, we receive no regular public funding. The charity relies on income we can generate from visitors, members, grants we can secure and generous donations from people who share our vision to nurture and make the Gardens accessible for everyone now, and for future generations.

We are immensely grateful for the grant from Veolia Environmental Trust, via the Landfill Communities Trust. We are also very grateful to The Banister Trust, Roger & Douglas Turner Trust, 29^th May 1961 Charity, Loppylugs & Barbara Morrison Trust, Open Gate Trust, HDH Wills Wildlife Trust and CB & HH Taylor Trust. We wish to acknowledge our very special thanks to all those individuals and members who have made a donation to the project, whether by cheque or on-line or in our donation boxes- your donations have made a real difference. Without your support we could not have claimed the grant! We hope you enjoy watching the benefits of your donations grow.