Great activities to enjoy together in the garden

‘Sculptures in the Landscape Exhibition’ is a seven‑month showcase where contemporary art is immersed in 45 acres of dramatic woodlands and gardens  alongside the permanent collection of 90 contemporary sculptures.  

Works vary from figurative to abstract using a variety of materials including recycled compressed polystyrene from the fish markets of Hong Kong to wheat grass root heads, forged steel, ceramics and glass. Sculptures on display in the garden this year also include 9 large pieces from the Michael Lyons collection. Michael was a founding member of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Vice-President of the Royal British Society of Sculptors.

There is also an international feel to this year’s exhibition with work from Hong Kong, America, Armenia and Spain.

2026  Exhibition Sculptors

Diane Maclean, Russell Coleman, William Allan, Ben Greenwood, Dave Watkinson, Clementine Drake, Simon Conolly, Mark Haddon, Gordon Senior, Helen Denerley, Amy Oliver, Martha Ellis, Deirdre Nicholls, Manuela Kagerbauer, Jane Dennis, The DNA Factory,  Min Reid, Joanna Cohn, Ruth Hallgarten, Moira Ferguson, Patrick Bull, Mark Butler, Matt Cobb, Catherine Macrae, Magda Gay, Ruth Craig, Vincent Lee, Charlotte Anstey, Tiffany Prescott, Tim Reilly, Laura Carey, Anastasia Olarou, Sarah Cleaver, Sally Pennycate, Michele Greene, Hasna Sal, Kit Garnett, Cristóbal Corbeaux, Toddy Hoare, Anna Jakovleva, Henry Bircham, Lisa Delarny RBS, Robert Faherty, Peter Rogers, Gevorg Tadevosyan, Katie Ventress, William Harling, Manuel Ferreiro Badia, Heather Croft, Helen Green, Stego Parker, David Lyons.

Spring brings a magnificent display of colour from one of the North’s largest collection of rhododendrons, azaleas and magnolias.

Join us for a special spring tour and lunch with the garden team and find out more about our rarer plants and the National Collection cared for by the team and get top tips fr your garden at home. 

Experience Details:

Thursday 21st May, 11am – 2pm                       

Cost: £40 (£30 for Season Ticket Holders)

To book please email :  info@himalayangarden.com 

The Himalayan Garden’s Drinks Party,  Wednesday 3^rd June 2026,  6pm – 8pm

Join us for drinks and nibbles in the beautiful Buddha Garden and enjoy a rare evening stroll through the Himalayan Garden at its vibrant spring best. Discover sweeping drifts of seasonal colour and explore over 100 new works in our Sculpture in the Landscape exhibition.

This special evening is in support of Horatio’s Garden at James Cook Hospital — a wonderful charity creating restorative garden spaces for people recovering from spinal injury. Come along to raise a glass, support a fantastic cause, and find out how you can get involved.

Price:  £40pp

To book please got to:

https://buytickets.at/horatiosgarden/2068914

Please bring cash on the night to reserve your plant for Horatio’s Garden.

Botanical Illustration is the art of depicting plant forms accurately, to capture their individual characteristics and to aid identification. This 3-day workshop involves step by step guidance, demonstration and individual tuition from award winning artist, Bridget Gillespie covering drawing, composition and watercolour techniques. Suitable for complete beginners to intermediate painters

Bridget Gillespie has been a Botanical Illustrator for over 23 years after taking a degree in Graphic Design. A request to paint a friend’s wedding bouquet led to botanical specialism. Bridget has exhibited in Cambridge, Durham, Yorkshire and London. In 2002, 2008, 2017 and 2018 she was awarded Gold Medals by the RHS who have purchased several pieces for their archive collection. Bridget has works in the RHS, Hunt Institute collections and illustrated The Northern Pomona.

Workshop Details: 

Tuesday 16^th – Thursday 18th June , 10am – 4pm   

3-day practical workshop including demonstrations, individual tuition and expert techniques. If you do not own your own equipment a list will be supplied for you to purchase before the course begins.

Tea, coffee and biscuits included each day as well as free entry to the garden.

Lunch can also be purchased from the Tearoom. Free parking.

Cost: £200 for the 3 days

Booking essential: Numbers are limited, please book early to avoid disappointment on info@himalayangarden.com

Modern Calligraphy Workshop, Wednesday 24th June, 10am – 12.30pm

Modern Day Calligraphy with Sophie Roberts

Learn how to write beautifully using ink and nib on this modern calligraphy course with Sophie Roberts. Suitable for complete beginners this class will teach you everything you need to know starting right at the basics.

After a brief introduction to the tools, you will start by practicing shapes and strokes and then move onto letter forms, learning how to write each calligraphy letter. By the end of the course you will have started to do joined up lettering to take onto work on any phrase, or word you wish. Sophie will be on hand to give you tips and techniques to improve your beginners hand and create your own unique style of lettering.

All attendees will be provided with a Calligraphy Starter Kit, including handouts, paper, pen and ink to use and take home, providing everything you need to start your calligraphy journey!                      

10.00am  Talk and demo – meet at the Himalayan Hutt near the Ticket Office
10.30am  Refreshment Break with tea and biscuits
11.00am  Modern Calligraphy
12.30pm  Approximate finish time, leaving the afternoon to enjoy a walk around the  beautiful Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park (entrance & refreshments included in the workshop price)

Price £50  Limited places, booking essential, please email info@himalayangarden.com

Botanical Casting Workshop, Saturday 4th July, 10am – 1pm

Join Jenny Radbourne from Wensleydale Botanicals and learn how to make gorgeous botanical casts to take home. Jenny is a florist, passionate gardener and flower grower, her casts create a snapshot in time and a lasting imprint of flowers pressed into clay to make a fine plaster cast.

Price £70.  Limited places, booking essential, please email info@himalayangarden.com

Ceramic Poppies Workshop, Saturday 1^st August

Join ceramicist Anna Whitehouse for a talk about her 2022 poppy installation in the garden ‘Bursting from the Slumber’, before customising your own unique trio of ceramic poppies for your own garden. Anna will take the poppies back to her studio to glaze, fire and assemble onto steel rods, returning them to the Himalayan Garden for your collection.

Workshop details:

 2 hour workshops at:

• 10am – 12noon
• 1pm – 3pm

 Cost per workshop : £70 per person

 Limited places, booking essential, please email info@himalayangarden.com

SUMMER EVENTS  in the Garden 2026

The Stray Notes in the Garden, Sunday 14^th June, 11am & 2pm

The Stray Notes choir from Harrogate will be in the garden with a summer performance of pop, rock and show tunes. Normal garden entry applies.

Viking Weekend, Sat 11^th & Sunday 12^th July

Come and experience life in the turbulent Viking Age as the seaborne Scandinavians clash with the ancient kingdom of Northumbria. Local Viking reenactment group ‘Vanaheim’ will be putting on displays of crafts, cooking and combat. See the sights and smells of the Viking village and hear the clash of swords and shields in our battle displays. Normal garden entry applies.

Dog Day with Positively Canine, Sunday  6^th September 10am – 4pm

Come and enjoy Dog Day, a fun family day with Positively Canine, raising awareness & funds for the Lost Dog Tracking Network. Join in the Fun Dog Show with categories including Dapper Dogs, Puppy Pizzazz and Rocking Rescues to name a few.  Have a go at Hoopers low impact agility or the Gun Dog Scurry; meet the Scent Dogs and find out if your dog has a super sniffing snozzle! Chill out with your pooch in the Dog Wellness Area and meet experts from AquaPaws Hydrotherapy, Vet Friend and Herriot Veterinary Physiotherapy.  There will be stalls selling a variety of dog merchandise, pet photography and other goodies. Bring cash for dog activities. Normal garden entry applies.