5x15: Merlin Sheldrake & Arit Anderson, Live at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

5x15 is delighted to announce a special event with leading biologist and author Merlin Sheldrake, live in conversation with writer and Gardeners' World presenter Arit Anderson, in the beautiful setting of Kew Gardens.

Merlin Sheldrake's book Entangled Life takes us on a mind-altering journey into the spectacular world of fungi, and reveals how these extraordinary organisms transform our understanding of our planet and life itself. A smash-hit bestseller and winner of numerous prizes, including the Royal Society Book Prize and the Wainwright Prize, Entangled Life has changed the conversation around fungi; how they can change our minds, heal our bodies and even help us avoid environmental disaster.

Don't miss the chance to hear this extraordinary writer live in conversation, sharing his unique perspectives on fungi and how they make our worlds.

Tickets for this event also include early access to Kew Gardens from 2pm on the day.

Merlin Sheldrake is a biologist and a writer. He received a Ph.D. in Tropical Ecology from Cambridge University for his work on underground fungal networks in tropical forests in Panama, where he was a predoctoral research fellow of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. He is a research associate of the Vrije University, Amsterdam, and sits on the advisory board of the Fungi Foundation and the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks. Winner of the Royal Society Science Book Prize and the Wainwright Prize, and named a Book of the Year in The Times, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Times, New Statesman and Time, among others, his first book Entangled Life has been translated into thirty languages since its publication. It has now been reissued in a 9781847927736,">span>, with over 100 spectacular full-colour images showcasing this wondrous lifeform as never before.

Arit Anderson is a garden and landscape designer, writer, podcaster and TV presenter.She spent 25 years working in the dynamic industries of retail fashion and creative events, she balanced this fast-paced career with personal interests in well-being, working as a part-time therapist in London and teaching holistic therapies. She studied garden design at Capel Manor College and whilst there had the taste of success at RHS Chelsea 2013 winning the Fresh Talent category for a student design collaboration with two other students. Arit went on to design and deliver her own show garden and won a Gold Medal at RHS Hampton Court in 2016 in the conceptual category. The garden was televised and its message on climate change and the environment is now at the heart of Arit’s work. In her designs for both private and commercial clients her ethos includes simplicity and environmental sensitivity. This was more recently demonstrated in the 2024 RHS Peat Free Hampton Court Show Garden she was commissioned to do for the Royal Horticultural Society. Arit is a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute, Trustee for the National Garden Scheme, RHS Ambassador for the Environment and Community, and co-founder of the Sustainable Landscape Foundation.Working as presenter for Gardeners' World and writing for national publications has enabled Arit to publicise issues about the future of gardening in an ever-changing climate, and promote solutions to the wider public.