Kew Mutual Improvement Society
Join our exciting educational season of public lectures on everything horticulture and botany.
Grow your knowledge
The Kew Mutual Improvement Society (KMIS) was founded by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1871, with the aim of providing students of horticulture and botany with the opportunity to broaden their understanding of a wide range of subjects relating to the profession.
With time, KMIS also became an invigorating space for horticultural conversation where experts from across the field could come together to share their passion.
KMIS is run by Kew Diploma students who curate and present a varied programme of lectures. Our programme now reaches beyond students with audiences from all over the world and we welcome anyone who shares a passion for horticulture and botany to attend.
We hope you can join us!
Date and time
Selected dates from September to March, 6pm
Tea and coffee available from 5.30pm
Location
Live: Lady Lisa Sainsbury Lecture Theatre, Jodrell Gate, Kew Gardens, Richmond TW9 3DS
Online: Hosted via Microsoft Teams
Prices
Tickets booked online incur a fee to KMIS. If you are attending in person, please support KMIS and pay at the door if you can.
Regular: £5
Fundraising: £10
All proceeds go to KMIS
Contact
Email: kmis@kew.org
Instagram: @kmis.lectures
Website: http://kmis.org.uk
2025 – 2026 lecture schedule
September
22 September
The well-gardened mind: Findings from recent research showing that nature alleviates anxiety, stress and depression
Dr. Sue Stewart-Smith, psychiatrist and author
29 September
The other orchids: A closer look at Pleurothallids and the orchids of the high Andes
Dr. Helen J. Millner, President of the Orchid Society of Great Britain
October
6 October
Navigating the crisis without a map: Re-envisioning the future of living plant collections
Professor Sam Brockington, curator of the Cambridge University Botanic Garden
20 October (fundraising lecture)
35 years of the Merlin Trust: The history of the Merlin Trust and travel bursary highlights
Paul Cook, trustee of Merlin Trust
27 October
Talk 1: From pigs and goats to orchids and oaks: tales from the Iberian Peninsula
Indigo Wyatt, Kew diploma student
Talk 2: The pearl of Africa: agroecology and the Mountains of the Moon
Harry Thomas, Kew diploma student
November
3 November
Greenland’s greener past: Exploring a tropical Arctic and mass extinction event using fossil plants
Professor Jenifer McElwain, Head of Botany, Trinity College, Dublin
17 November
Talk 1: Seagrass meadow restoration, Devon and Carmarthenshire
Laura Oxley, Kew diploma student
Talk 2: Key elements of the Japanese Garden: A learning experience to understand the historical context and principles of the Japanese garden
Florence Akanbi-Guei, Kew Botanical Horticulturist
December
15 December
Colombia: Botanical insights and field notes
Luigi Leoni, Glass House Team Lead, Cambridge University Botanic Garden
January
12 January
Talk 1: Plains to peaks: Colorado and the Rocky Mountains
Georgia Timpson, Kew Apprentice
Talk 2: The Mascarene Islands: Conserving habitats and their endemics
Patricia Stadler, Kew diploma student
26 January
Explorations in tropical rainforests: Growing orchids from South and Central America, Africa, the Himalayas, South and East Asia and Borneo
Simon Pugh-Jones MBE, Doctor of Science
February
2 February (fundraising lecture)
Transformational urban landscapes: A range of current and recent projects highlighting dynamic and sustainable planting for urban landscapes
Professor Nigel Dunnet, Planting and Landscape Designer
9 February
Talk 1: Hoyas: The moth Cinderella story - Travels in Borneo in pursuit of hoyas
Charlotte May-Miller, Kew Special Certificate
Talk 2: Ant plants, orchids, and palms. Oh my! Island hopping adventures in Fiji
Leah Jegermanis, Kew diploma student
16 February
Conservation horticulture: Research to improve restoration of Mt Mulanje, including the Mulanje Cedar tree
Alex Hudson, BGCI Project Manager
23 February
A 21st century Fungarium: Kew's Curator of the Fungarium shares passion for all things fungi
Lee Davies, Fungarium Curator, RBG Kew
March
2 March
Wildlife gardening in London: Ecological discoveries from professional gardening
Benni Hawksbee, Community Gardener, Eden Nature Garden, Clapham
Revisiting the gardens of Japan with Hannah Gardner, horticultural consultant
16 March (fundraising lecture)
What is the future of horticulture in public parks? The pressures facing parkland horticulture, from green refuge to economic self-sufficiency
Matt Pottage, Head of Horticulture and Landscape Strategy, The Royal Parks
23 March
Plants and Gardens of the Western Cape: An exploration of the native flora and the gardens of Babylonstoren
Alex Goodyear, Head Gardener, Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens
April
6 April
Talk 1: Tales from a temperate rainforest: Enchanted by Chile
Daisy Baggs, Kew diploma student
Talk 2: Tromsø Arctic-Alpine Botanic Garden: Gardening at the extremes
Nathan Caplem, Kew diploma student