Volunteering opportunities

Anyone with time to spare and an interest in plants is welcome to become a volunteer. Some spend an hour or two, others the day, involved in tasks that reflect their own interests and skills. Volunteers assist in a range of ways, from helping in the garden through to cataloguing in the herbarium or the library.

Most volunteers visit on Thursdays (10 am - 4 pm), when the Institute becomes a hive of activity.

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Herbarium
Volunteers assist the Curator in maintenance tasks which include tidying up existing herbarium sheets and the weekly task of freezing specimens to prevent insect infestation and damage. The historic nature of the herbarium and its arrangement provides additional interest when incorporating recently donated specimens and naturalised alien species.

Library
Volunteers assist the Librarian in a variety of tasks, among which is the re-siting of certain subject sections to reflect changing interests and new acquisitions. This also requires the updating of the author catalogue and shelf placement numbers.

Garden
The garden provides opportunities for volunteers to be involved in the care of many rare and unusual plants. Tasks range form the practical - pruning, propagation and maintenance, to the more academic - creation and upkeep of garden records and information leaflets.

All plants are labelled and most volunteers widen their knowledge through working with species new to them. Members and volunteers collect seeds for the annual seed exchange and also propagate plants for the sale in May.


Other Events
The Institute runs a busy programme of events throughout the year which depends on the help of volunteers to ensure its success. Opportunities for involvement range from manning a stand at a show to giving horticultural advice at the annual plant sale.