Community

Friends of the Garden

The Friends of the Delft Botanic Garden Association was inaugurated in 1997 in a period when the future of the gardens seemed very uncertain. However, with the help of the stalwart efforts of the Association, the gardens were revived and the flowers are blooming once more, with the result that it has fully regained its position as scientific institution, public attraction and beautiful green city park with exhibits to prickle the interest of old and young. The goal of the Association is to present the gardens and their surrounding monumental buildings in such a way that they get the attention they deserve. Besides this, the Association, with its over 1200 members supports the gardens by organising the annual Delft Botanical Garden Day and Iterson Lecture.

The Association also supports the Garden financially with an annual contribution. In this way, they have helped with the building of the beehives, the volières, the placing of the garden benches, the lighting along the pathways, the layout of the various themed routes through the gardens and the production of the guide books. Other ways of support have been the printing of books, setting up exhibitions and other special events during the TU Delft Botanic Garden Day.

Join up and become a member and play a part in keeping the garden blooming!

• Each year you will receive four issues of the wonderful Papyrus magazine,

• You can join in all the activities of the Association, such as excursions and lectures,

• You will enjoy free entry to the Gardens including one friend,

• You will receive 10% price reduction on items in the museum shop.

You can apply for membership of the Association in the museum shop.
Per 1 January 2020 the annual contribution is a minimum of €12.--, preferably to be paid there in cash. You can also apply by writing to or emailing the secretary.
Please apply with your full name, Mr./Mrs./Ms., address, postcode, town/city, and telephone number and/or email. Your contribution can be transferred to NL21 INGB 0008 4561 99, of the "Vrienden van de Delftse Botanische Tuin" in Delft.

Volunteers

Since 2008 a team of volunteers has been active in the Botanical Garden, as thankful supplement to the permanent garden staff. Their special working assignment is taking care of the Middle Garden and the Theme Garden.

The Middle Garden with its formal lay-out of sixteen slender Yews and two imposing Dawn redwoods has sufficient space between these to make it possible to grow alternately old and new kinds of vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, and aromatic plants.

In the Theme Garden, eight square beds in the lawn in front of the greenhouses, show a specific group of useful plants each year. In the past there were all sorts of grain species. At the moment dye plants are displayed.

The garden volunteers work on Mondays or Wednesdays, either a half or a full day. Now and then they also work in other areas of the garden if extra manpower is needed there, for instance, for maintenance of the flower beds.

Working in the garden means experiencing in all seasons, wonderful fresh air, and working together with colleagues in order to present the plant collection in as beautiful a state as possible.

There is a volunteers web log with a short summary of what has happened in the garden from month to month.