Tickets are now available for the Friends’ 2025 Christmas Raffle with over $10,000 in prizes to win.
1 ticket – $10
3 tickets – $25
5 tickets – $35
8 tickets – $50
All profits from the raffle help the Friends support the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and the National Herbarium of Victoria
To buy raffle ticket(s) and see all prizes, click here.
Beautifully illustrated Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens 2026 Calendar
Calendar can be purchased at the Friends’ office or at Plant Craft Cottage or online here.
The Whirlies artists have placed the spotlight on 21 significant trees at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
Some of these trees are significant because of their age; some are significant due to their size or rarity; and some of these trees have been planted by VIPs or dignataries.
Visit the exhibition at Plant Craft Cottage, entrance via Northern Gate on Alexandra Avenue.
Choose from a wide range of plants propagated mainly from the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and including unusual plants, plants suitable for balconies, indoors, small and large gardens.
20% discount on the full price is offered to Friends of RBG Melbourne on production of your membership card.
The Growing Friends Plant Sales support the work of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
Catalogue available online one week before the sale.
*To minimise waste we will have a limited supply of recycled bags and boxes available. We appreciate you bringing your own bags or trolleys to carry your plant treasures home.
In this, the 200-year anniversary of the first Director of what was then the Botanical Gardens, Baron Ferdinand von Mueller, we invite you to join us in supporting the 2025 Appeal which aims to restore the heritage arbours, seats and arches in the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
The arbours in the Gardens were created in the 1860s under Baron von Mueller’s directorship and are mentioned in his report to the Parliament in 1865 when his Directorship was beginning to come under pressure. He assessed his improvements including buildings, fences, furniture, waterworks and library at 27,00 pounds in an attempt to give a value to the work he had completed and thus persuade Parliament to retain him as Director. In his own words, Von Mueller was keen to place his seats where people could get the ‘most cheerful view’ trying to conform to calls to make the Gardens ‘more enjoyable for recreation’.
Funding through this year’s Appeal will help support the restoration of these beautiful heritage structures. The restoration will be completed with advice from Heritage Victoria employing quality craftsmanship we have come to expect from the Gardens.
The cost of repairs is $270,00 and is likely to represent a two or three year funding commitment for the Trust.
The restoration work includes repairing the arbours and seats, repairing hard surfaces such as paving and or rockwork and rejuvenating the surrounding landscape in which they are situated.
The Appeal is hoping to raise a record amount in 2025 to ensure that these beautiful features can be used by future generations of visitors to the Gardens who can also enjoy ‘the cheerful view’.
Sincerely,
Will Jones
Chairman of the Friends Trust Fund.
The Entwisle Medal is awarded to a member of The Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne in recognition of outstanding benefits and services provided to the RBGV or the Friends.
This medal is named after Professor Tim Entwisle, Director and Chief Executive of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, and a world expert in freshwater algae.
Entwisleia bella, the sole species in the genus Entwisleia, was named in his honour in 2014.
Image credit: Jane Bennett, Friends Photography Group
We are excited to announce that we are now using digital membership cards.
Fully integrated with mobile wallets, the digital cards offer convenience and ease of use.
To access and download your digital membership card, please follow these steps:
Some of the projects and initiatives supported over the last 10 years include:
$200,000 to fund curating and data basing of the Global Collection at the National Herbarium of Victoria
$69,500 to purchase two new Garden Explorers and their signage, to help many visitors explore the Gardens
$75,000 towards the restoration of the Fern Gully Rest House
$300,000 to build the boardwalk in the Fern Gully enabling access for all
$190,000 towards the design and construction of the Sensory Garden
Over all the Friends have given 3.7 million to the Gardens over their lifetime.
You can help us to continue to support development, restoration and research in the Gardens by donating to the Friends’ Trust Fund.
Our fabulous autumn plant sale is on Saturday 3rd May (10am-4pm) and Sunday 4th May (10am-3pm)
Inside Southern Gate, Birdwood Avenue
Free entry – 20% discount on all plant sales for members of the Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens
The Growing Friends propagates and raises a wide variety of plants, many from the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and include many not commonly available.
The Autumn Plan Sale includes Australian native plants, perennials, shrubs, bulbs (including irises), orchids, vireyas, begonias and more. The catalogue will be available two weeks prior to the sale.
Advice is also available at the sale from our members and from RBGV horticultural staff who will happily answer questions on the day.
The Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne host the largest botanical art program in Australia. With daily classes and regular workshops presented by local and internationally awarded tutors, the art program delivers a wide range of skills and opportunities to progress to advanced levels.
• Hosted by experienced tutors who are highly acclaimed botanical and natural history artists
• Catering for all skill levels, from beginners to advanced students
• Available online and face to face
• Classes run seven days a week each term and workshops held during term holidays
