Join us as we celebrate Awakening Spring, part of our year long theme Folklore Re:Rooted, with a fascinating talk from renowned folklorist Roy Vickery. Spend a peaceful afternoon in London’s oldest botanic garden, where for centuries snowdrops, hellebores, daffodils, primroses and other early spring plants have returned each year, marking the quiet turning of the season and inspiring many of the stories that surround them.

Roy, author of Vickery’s Folk Flora and an expert from Brompton Cemetery, will guide us through the folklore and traditions connected to these much loved plants. From snowdrops long linked with hope, to hellebores and their protective associations, to the bright daffodil and the primrose often viewed as a threshold flower, he will explore how these spring arrivals have shaped beliefs, customs and remedies across centuries.

After the talk you are invited to wander through the Garden and see these plants in their natural setting. A self guided trail will lead you through our winter and early spring collection as it begins to emerge across the historic landscape. A warm cup of tea will bring the afternoon to a gentle close.

Join us to welcome the returning light of spring and discover how folklore and the living world come together in one of London’s most historic gardens.

Speaker Bio:

Roy Vickery

Roy Vickery, born in rural Dorset, worked as a botanist at the Natural History Museum, London, from 1965 to 2007 and remains a Scientific Associate, focusing on lichen collections. He served as Chairman and later President of the South London Botanical Institute, retiring in 2022 after 10 years in leadership. From 2011 to 2014, he was Vice-President of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland and is the botanical recorder for Tooting Common.

For over 40 years, Roy has collected and written about plant folklore, producing more than 140 publications on the subject. He also gives lectures and leads plant folklore walks