The Growing Friends meet at The George Longley Building in the nursery behind the Robert Clark Centre, entrance from Gillies Street,every Tuesday afternoon between 1-4pm, no matter what the weather. The George Longley Building is named after the Garden's first Curator who worked in the Gardens for many years, many of them out of a tent. Most potting up work is done outside, under the elm. We have a happy time and enjoy sourcing hard to get plants whilst meeting current and new friends. Our breadth and depth of knowledge is vast, and we know something about plants too! We do not advertise, so word of mouth and repeat visitors make up most of the sales. This group propagates plants to sell and raise funds for projects in the Gardens. This is a very friendly and relaxed group and if you have a spare hour or two come along and join.

The Guiding Friends take tours around the gardens, including a Northern Wetlands Tour. Tours are pre-booked through the Conservatory. Meetings are held on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 10am at the Conservatory, and are informal and friendly. Group Tours can be booked by telephone (03) 5320 5135, cost is a gold coin donation.

The Labelling Friends produce identification labels for the plants and trees within the Ballarat Botanical Gardens. The plant names are researched ensuring that the correct information is provided and each label contains information regarding the plant family name, botanical name, common name, the growing dimensions of the plant and country of origin. The labels are attached to a metal stake, which is placed at the base of the smaller plants or in some cases attached to a tree. The Friends of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens and the Ballarat City Council have provided the special equipment required for these projects. This group also does engraving for other Botanic Gardens and Community Gardens. Contact 03 5320 5135 or email the secretary.

Seminars and Workshops We arrange guest speakers for each quarterly meeting including the annual general meeting and the winter luncheon. Our group also arranges excursions and special functions for all members and their friends.

The History Friends The History Group was formed out of the late Roy Mosman's work as Historian. The collation, research and storage of historical material is the main role of the history section. Meets on the 1st Tuesday of the month at 4.30pm.

The IT Friends The Ballarat Friends currently manage the website for the national body of Botanical Gardens - Association of Botanic Gardens