New Scientist |The science of botanical gardening and horticulture

Explore the science of botany and horticulture on this deep dive weekend break unraveling the secrets of our gardens and natural landscapes. With insights from leading biologists, horticulturalists and academics. Immerse yourself in a broad spectrum of botanical subjects from the subtleties of soil science, identifying the plant pathogens and diseases that are impacting biodiversity, and discovering how plant genetics are adapting to our rapidly changing environment.

Visit the oldest and most horticulturally diverse Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Garden, RHS Wisely. Located in Surrey, the garden was given to the RHS in 1903 and is now a hub of horticultural excellence, expanding over 240 acres. It is home to some of the largest plant collections anywhere in the globe and showcases inspirational gardening. Enjoy behind-the-scenes access to Hilltop Science Centre at RHS Wisley, including insightful talks from leading RHS scientists including their Head of Science and Collections, Professor Alistair Griffiths.

During this weekend break, you will stay with a friendly group of fellow science and gardening enthusiasts at the beautiful Hilton Cobham. Set in 27 acres of woodland and located close to RHS Wisley.

The weekend will be hosted by New Scientist environment writer, Michael Le Page, who will be joined by a host of incredible biologists, horticulturalists and academics. Offering insightful talks throughout the weekend covering a broad range of topics relating to botanical gardening.

This weekender is for anyone with an interest in horticulture and botany who wants to learn all about the science behind important issues from plant biology, biodiversity, genetics and evolution, in a beautiful location in the heart of Surrey.

DAY 1: WELCOME, INTRODUCTION AND OPENING TALKS

After checking into your room at the Hilton Cobham, in the heart of Surrey, you will be welcomed by the New Scientist team, who will introduce you to the weekend ahead.

The evening will begin with drinks, followed by the first couple of this weekend’s talks by New Scientist's Michael Le Page and Dr Sebastian Eves-van den Akker.

Talk 1 - How people have transformed plants over the ages - and what comes next. Michael Le Page will give a grand tour over the ages from prehistory to the present exploring how people have both intentionally and accidentally altered the plants around us, with a look forward at the even more dramatic changes that could come next.

There will be a short break followed by the second of this evening's talks.

Talk 2 - Using AI to decode plant-animal interactions underground. Dr Sebastian Eves-van den Akker, Head of Plant-Parasite/Pathogen Interactions Group at the University of Cambridge. Dr Eves-van den Akker is interested in inter-kingdom communication. He investigates the genes that control a dialogue between kingdoms of life: the two-way molecular communication between plants and their parasites. The outcome of this communication dictates plant organ development, animal sex determination, and ultimately human food security!

After the talks, there will be dinner and the opportunity to meet your fellow guests and the team at New Scientist.

DAY 2: VISIT TO RHS WISLEY PLUS SMALL GROUP TOURS AND FIVE TALKS

After breakfast at the hotel, you will depart by coach for the ten minute journey to RHS Wisley.

Wisely was given to the RHS in 1903. The original garden was the creation of George Fergusson Wilson – businessman, scientist, inventor and keen gardener and a former Treasurer of the Society. He had originally purchased the garden site with the idea of making ‘difficult plants grow successfully’. The garden acquired a reputation for its collections of lilies, gentians, Japanese irises, primulas and water plants.

You will be escorted to RHS Hilltop, the home of science at the RHS, for three exclusive talks from their scientists.

Talk 1: RHS 5-year science strategy update. The first talk will be from Professor Alistair Griffiths, Head of Science and Collections at the RHS who will be talking about the RHS 5-year science strategy and how far they have come in addressing the horticultural challenges we all face now and in the future.

Talk 2: The humble hedge and its impact on ecosystems. Up next is a talk from principal horticultural scientist, Dr Tijana Blanusa who leads the Ecosystem Services Research programme. She will be discussing the many benefits of the humble hedge and how they are essential to protecting ecosystems.

Talk 3: Dealing with gastropods – control options for slugs and snails. The final talk of the morning will be from Dr Hayley Jones, an RHS Entomologist who leads research into slugs and snails – a prevailing annoyance for anyone with a garden.

You will then have lunch in the beautiful Garden Room at Hilltop followed by the chance to take part in a behind-the-scenes tour of the RHS’ remarkable Herbarium collection. You will be able to see the herbarium specialists at work preparing specimens and look at some of the collections. Alternatively, guests can book a tour of the laboratories which, having moved from the ‘Old Laboratory’ is now equipped with state-of-the-art research facilities and around 70 advisors, scientists and PhD students.

After lunch, you will have free time to explore RHS Wisley at your leisure. In the late afternoon, you will be transferred back to the hotel.

Once back at the hotel, meet as a group for tea before sitting down for two more brilliant talks from Dr Katie Field and Helen Bynum.

Talk 4 - Soil science: Evolution, diversity and ecology of plant-fungal symbioses. Dr Katie Field is a Professor of Plant-Soil Processes at the Univeristy of Sheffield and she will be giving a fascinating talk to shed new light on the role diverse fungi may have played in the development and maintenance of Earth’s global ecosystems in the past, present and future.

Talk 5 - Herbariums and the history of collecting botanical specimens before we had iPhones. Helen will then give a talk on herbariums (a collection of preserved plant samples for long-term study) and the history of collecting botanical specimens before we had iPhones!

There will be time to freshen up and head to dinner where you will be able to continue conversation with your fellow guests, speakers and the New Scientist team.

DAY 3: MORNING TALKS FOLLOWED BY CLOSING COMMENTS AND LUNCH

After breakfast, you will gather for the final day's series of inspiring lectures from four esteemed speakers including Helen Bynum, Dr James Borrell, Dr Dana MacGregor and Dr Anne Edwards.

Talk 1 - Botanical Illustrations and their continued relevance to society. By Helen Bynum.

Talk 2 - Ethiopia's tree against hunger and the conservation of global agrobiodiversity. Dr James Borrell, a research fellow at the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. He will look further afield to highlight the importance of biodiversity back home. Looking to Ethiopia Dr Borrell argues that while the global loss of wildlife and forests is increasingly well-characterised, the concurrent decline of agrobiodiversity - the diversity of plants and animals that we use - flies under the radar. In this talk, James will illustrate the spectacular value of global crop diversity, and the tiny fraction that we now use. You will learn about a few remarkable, but barely known species and their value under climate change and food insecurity. Finally, we will think about how and why we should strive to unify both wild and domesticated biodiversity, before it is too late.

There will be a short refreshment break.

Talk 3 - Genetics - Weeds: Nature’s ultimate survivors. Dr Dana MacGregor will give a deep dive into the perennial problem all gardeners and horticulturists face: weeds. Even though weeds are arguably the most impactful group of plants, directly reducing crop yields and increasing farming expenses, our knowledge about them lags far behind that of the crops they affect. Weeds have been shaped by distinct natural and human-driven selection and they evolved to have a suite of exceptional traits in response to and to circumvent those pressures. Dana will discuss breakthroughs in our understanding of the genetic and molecular aspects of agricultural weeds gained in the lab, and how this is crucial for developing effective and innovative solutions for tomorrow’s agriculture.

Talk 4 - Seeing the wood for the disease: Using DNA sequencing to identify plant diseases. Finally, we will move on to a fascinating talk from Dr Anne Edwards, a researcher at the John Innes Centre for Plant Science. Dr Edwards will explain how rapid advances in DNA sequencing can identify new plant diseases and help understand the life cycle and mode of action of the disease-causing organisms. Using recent examples such as ash dieback (Anne was awarded a British Empire Medal following her work as the first person to identify Ash dieback disease in the UK) and xylella, she will emphasise the important role gardeners can play in spotting new disease symptoms as well as enhancing biosecurity by checking the provenance of any newly acquired garden plants.

Afterwards, there will be a light lunch served at the hotel before the weekend comes to an end.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Hear from leading experts in botanical gardening and horticultural science including Helen Bynum, Dr James Borrell, Dr Dana MacGregor and Dr Anne Edwards.
• Private visits to the onsite herbarium or laboratories for the first 40 bookings.
• Onsite talks at RHS Wisley from experts including Professor Alistair Griffiths, Head of Science and collections.
• Hosted by New Scientist writer, Michael Le Page.
• Stay at the beautiful Hilton Cobham, surrounded by 27 acres of woodland.
• Enjoy dinner and drinks every evening with your fellow guests and New Scientist team

MEET THE EXPERTS

Michael Le Page (Host)

Michael is a science journalist who writes about everything from the dawn of life and evolution to genetic engineering, CRISPR gene editing, biomedicine and the environment, especially global heating. He studied various sciences at Cambridge University including molecular biology, and later did an NVQ Foundation Skills Certificate in Journalism.

He has worked in various roles at New Scientist including as deputy news editor and as a feature editor. During this time, he won the 2006 MJA Health editor of the year award. His 2007 special, Climate change: A guide for the perplexed, racked up millions of views online. More recently he has been working as a reporter and has won a number of awards: the ASBW Best News Item award in 2016 for Earth now halfway to warming limit, the MJA Science Explained award in 2019 for a new kind of superfood and the ABSW Feature of the Year award in 2020 for Infectious Optimism. He has also been shortlisted for several other awards including Science Journalist of the Year in the 2019 National Press Awards and the MJA News Story of the Year (specialist audience) award 2021 for The threat from new variants.

He has done radio and television interviews, given talks, taken part in debates and can often be heard on the New Scientist podcast. The more unusual things he has done include testing shark repellents in the Bahamas and walking on water at the Edinburgh Science Festival. In 2022, he was acknowledged in a scientific paper for asking questions at the preprint stage that helped improve the final paper.

Professor Alistair Griffiths

Alistair is the Director of Science and Collections at the RHS. Alistair leads the RHS Science and Collections teams, supporting them as they undertake scientific research, care for our unique, world-class collections, and provide high-quality, evidence-based advice on horticultural challenges. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Horticulture and a board member of PlantNetwork.

Dr Tijana Blanusa

Tijana is the Principal Horticultural Scientist at the RHS and she leads the Ecosystem Services Research Programme, identifying the structural and functional traits of plants that can be isolated, optimised and employed to benefit the wider environment. Dr Banusa is particularly interested in identifying plants that can be harnessed for rainfall mitigation and air quality improvement.

Dr Hayley Jones

Hayley is an Entomologist at the RHS and she leads their research into cultural, biological and chemical control options for gastropods (slugs and snails) in gardens as well as looking into newer pests such as the agapanthus gall midge, discovered by the RHS in 2014.

Dr James Borrell

Dr James Borrell is a Research group leader at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. With a background in conservation genetics and ecological modeling, James' research focuses on methods to map and conserve agrobiodiversity, and how to manage trade-offs between food security and conservation. James has major projects in Ethiopia, Madagascar and Guinea.

Dr Dana MacGregor

Dana is a plant molecular geneticist who specializes in understanding how plants survive. Her focus is on agricultural weeds along with model plants like Arabidopsis and the crops the weeds infest. Agricultural weeds endure both environmental challenges and the rigors of modern agriculture with apparent ease, earning them the title of ‘Nature’s Super Survivors’. Dana and her team are developing lab-based tools to explore and quantify the traits that endow a variety of weedy plants with their notorious resilience.

Dr Sebastian Eves-van den Akker

Sebastian is the Head of the Plant-Parasite/Pathogen Interactions Group at the University of Cambridge. He is a geneticist with an interest in inter-kingdom communication. He investigates the genes that control a dialogue between kingdoms of life: the two-way molecular communication between plants and their nematode parasites. In late 2014, Sebastian was awarded an Anniversary Future Leaders Fellowship from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to pursue independent research at the University of Dundee and the John Innes Centre (2015-2018). In 2018, he was awarded a BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship, a Research Fellowship at King’s College, and appointed Head of Group in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge. In 2021 he was awarded a Crop Science Centre Fellowship at the University of Cambridge, and an Official Fellowship at King’s College Cambridge

Dr Anne Edwards

Anne is a researcher who joined the John Innes Centre in 1987. She is credited with being the first scientist to confirm Ash dieback disease in the UK through DNA analysis. She was then awarded the British Empire Medal for her services to the environment and improving public understanding of science following her research on this alarming tree disease and her subsequent call to arms to protect our ancient woodlands in the UK.

Helen Bynum

Helen is a historian of science and medicine and also has a particular interest in gardening and plants and their importance in human culture and society.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

• A programme of talks from leading scientists, academics and authors.
• Two nights’ accommodation at the Hilton Cobham in a twin or double room.
• Visit to RHS Wisley, including transport to and from the garden, plus lectures from leading RHS scientists.
• All meals across the three-day event (please advise in advance of any dietary requirements).
• Tea, coffees, soft drinks throughout the event.
• Fully detailed joining instructions pack, sent two weeks before the event
• 24-hour onsite support

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

• Travel insurance
• Transport to the venue
• Additional snacks, drinks and alcohol
• Additional nights of accommodation (Thursday and Sunday night available)
• Onsite parking
• Single supplement £169
• Additional nights at the hotel on bed and breakfast basis: £199 for two guests sharing a room or £189 for a solo room.

PACE AND PHYSICALITY

The talks will be held in a private conference room with comfortable seating and regular comfort breaks with soft drinks.

We will provide transport in coaches to RHS Wisley. The only mandatory walking is a ten-minute journey to the Hilltop Science Centre. If you have walking challenges, please advise us in advance and we can arrange for transport from the site entrance to the Science Centre. There will be some free time afterwards to explore the site at your own pace.

ACCOMMODATION

Hilton Cobham

A beautiful 4-star hotel, surrounded by 27-acres of landscaped gardens. All the classically decorated rooms feature ensuite bathrooms as well as comforts including wifi, 24-hour room service and premium bedding.

Host or Publisher New Scientist Events