'Unearthed: The Power of Gardening' display opens at Gressenhall before touring Norfolk libraries

Unearthed: The Power of Gardening is a free display beginning in Norfolk's Museum of Norfolk Life at Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse on Saturday 24 May and continuing to Dereham Library, Norwich's Millennium Library and Fakenham Library this summer. The display explores the transformative, enriching and sometimes radical power of gardening. Inspired by the British Library's major exhibition (2 May - 10 August 2025), Norfolk Library and Information Service is one of 30 library services celebrating gardening through the UK-wide Living Knowledge Network.  

Councillor Margaret Dewsbury, Cabinet Member for communities and partnerships at Norfolk County Council, said: "We're incredibly excited to be hosting this exhibition in Norfolk. It reveals how gardeners have cultivated more than just plants, and explores gardening's role in our health and wellbeing. 

"Unearthed is a great example of how our libraries and museums continue to evolve as creative and community-driven spaces."  

From windowsills to allotments, Unearthed: The Power of Gardening explores how the act of gardening can heal and sustain people in a multitude of ways. It reveals how gardening can bring people together, empower communities and shape our relationship with the natural world. It also considers gardening as a form of activism, as a means of challenging land ownership and highlighting social disparities, as well as providing a global story about the movement of plants.   

We are delighted to be working with Edible East in the Norfolk version of this touring exhibition. Edible East artists Jennie Pedley and Tara Sampy are creating miniature stage sets of the microscopic worlds of the garden, while horticulturalist Nik Thomson is providing handy hints on growing in the East of England.  

The art will be inspired by Through the Microscope: secrets of Norfolk's changing landscape - their current exhibition and collaboration with Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse, the John Innes Centre and Centre for Microbial Interactions, which will be on show at Gressenhall during 'Unearthed'. They will also be holding a Printmaking with Plants and Stencils of Microscopic Life workshop for adults at Dereham Library on 18 June to complement the exhibition.    

To celebrate the launch of the exhibition, 'Unearthed' will form the theme of Gressenhall's May half term activity programme. Daily activities will include self-led trails, garden games, and the chance to learn more about how to get growing - from closer looks at soil health to hands-on fun for little ones. The exhibition's final day will coincide with Gressenhall's hugely popular Open Farm Sunday free event on 8 June.    

The touring exhibition will take place at:  

• Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse Museum - 24 May - 8 June  
• Dereham Library - 10 June - 12 July   
• Norfolk & Norwich Millennium Library - 15 July - 30 August 
• Fakenham Library - 2-27 September   

To book for the print making event at Dereham Library, please contact the library at dereham.lib@libraries.norfolk.gov.uk. Read our privacy notice to find out how we use your personal information.

To book tickets and events at Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse, visit www.gressenhall.norfolk.gov.uk.

Unearthed will connect with The Reading Agency's 2025 Summer Reading Challenge: Story Garden - Adventures in Nature and the Great Outdoors. Children will immerse themselves in a world of imagination through reading, exploring the magical connection between storytelling and nature. The Story Garden Summer Reading Challenge launches in Norfolk libraries on Saturday 5 July 2025.  

Maddy Smith, lead curator of Unearthed: The Power of Gardening at the British Library, said: "Gardening is a transformative force. It can promote healing and wellbeing, forge closer communities, refresh neglected spaces and drive social change. Gardening connects us to our past, grounds us in the present and encourages us to look ahead to the future so I am really looking forward to seeing how our Living Knowledge Network partners augment the exhibition for audiences across the UK."   

The Living Knowledge Network is a unique partnership between public and national libraries in the UK created by the British Library, streaming free events, exhibitions and workshops from libraries across the UK through Living Knowledge Network.