Ladies in Bloomers: London Sinfonietta presents Omri Kochavi's site-specific celebration of forgotten female gardeners at the Story Garden in Kings Cross

Women gardeners (Image courtesy of the Garden Museum)

Fiona Davison's discovery of letters written by Olive Harrisson, a talented gardener denied a scholarship by the Royal Horticultural Society "on account of being female", led to Davison's book An Almost Impossible Thing which illuminates the lives of six early female professional gardeners through their personal letters and radical experiences. You can read more about Harrisson on the BBC website where there is an interview with her granddaughter.

Now this celebration of female gardeners has been turned into a 'hortimusical' celebration of forgotten female gardeners as the London Sinfonietta presents Ladies in Bloomers at the Story Garden in Kings Cross on 14 September 2025. Set in a hidden garden in the heart of King’s Cross, this immersive event features the London Sinfonietta, four singers, and on-stage gardeners, an outdoor event that intersects music and horticulture.

London-based Israeli-Canadian composer and guitarist Omri Kochavi's new work Ladies in Bloomers was commissioned as part of the London Sinfonietta’s Writing the Future scheme. Ellie Slorach conducts London Sinfonietta and EXAUDI, with sound projection by Sound Intermedia.

Full details from the London Sinfonietta website.