ROYAL Botanic Gardens Victoria is celebrating its 175th year and is offering a stacked program of summer entertainment in celebration.
The Gardens will present a busy schedule of events, activities, talks and tours for all ages and tastes, to take place at Melbourne and Cranbourne.
One major highlight of this year's program is Garden Gathering Vol. 1, which will be held in Melbourne Gardens' Arid and Drylands precinct from 10am-3pm on February 20.
It will include talks by curators, guided tours, creative workshops and self-guided activities.
Sonica Botanica: Sounds and Stories will offer people another insight into the Arid Garden from the comfort of their homes via the power of the internet.
The series will present a range of tailored online listening experiences which will honour a particular landscape of the Melbourne Gardens.
The first episode on February 20 will intertwine diverse stories, atmospheric music and sounds from the natural environment.
The Gardens will also be one of the sites for the PHOTO 2021 International Festival of Photography, which will take place at various locations throughout the state from February 18-March 7.
The gardens exhibition will allow visitors to experience the Gardens as a gallery.
They will be able to follow a trail of curated, outdoor photographic installations from six different artists.
A number of extra wellbeing programs are also being run this year, including Forest Therapy on various dates throughout January and February and Harp Meditation sessions on January 20 and February 17.
Cranbourne Gardens will offer the chance to enjoy spectacular summer flowers through the Great Southern Land Walk through its Australian Garden.
Younger plant lovers can also enjoy a free ride on the open-air Kids Explorer bus, giving them a chance to experience the Gardens' summer sights in a socially distanced way.
Melbourne Gardens is open daily from 7.30am-7.30pm and Cranbourne Gardens is open daily from 9am-5pm.
Plotting afoot in the Gardens
ONE of Shakespeare's darkest plays is heading to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne.
The Australian Shakespeare Company will present Macbeth from January 30-March 6.
The classic tragedy tells the story of Macbeth killing for the crown at the bequest of his power hungry wife, only for guilt to consume them.
The company's founder and artistic director Glenn Elston said many of the play's themes remained very relevant today.
"The politics of eleventh century Scotland and its monarch under threat, shows that no matter our time or place in history, power will always cause turbulence," Glenn said.
The production is part of the company's Shakespeare Under the Stars program and will follow on from A Midsummer Night's Dream, which is at the garden until January 24.
The play will be staged on the Southern Cross Lawn and food can be pre-ordered and delivered. Tickets range from $25-$110.
For bookings call call (03) 8676-7511 or click here.