Ever wondered how a bee sees the world? How can a plant move when it’s rooted in the ground? And why is dung so important?

Visitors to the Horniman Museum and Gardens can discover all this and more, as its new family-friendly exhibition Plantastic brings the miniature world of plants to life on a massive scale, from 14 February.

From super seed pods and exploding cucumbers to sun-seeking flowers and a huge crawl-through root system, Plantastic’s interactive exhibits and games will bring visitors up close to all kinds of fantastic plant life, to reveal how plants feed, move, reproduce and survive. Plantastic also explores how we use plants in our daily lives, and how essential they are for the world’s survival.

Wes Shaw, Head of Horticulture at the Horniman, says: ‘We all appreciate a beautiful flower, and enjoy the fruit and veg on our plates. But how many of us know how or why a plant makes those things happen? There’s an awful lot going on, underneath the soil and inside plant structures, that is quite simply amazing. Come along to Plantastic and see for yourself just how fantastic plants are.’

Alongside Plantastic, the Horniman is running a series of themed events and activities – from family craft sessions making pop-up bees, natural lip balm, leafy masks and cress creatures, to an adults-only Nature Late event featuring wildlife-inspired street art, 21st-century taxidermy, nature films with live music, and more.

The exhibition will also be accompanied – from May 2015 onwards – by specially designed and themed outdoor displays including a mass planting of sunflowers, a floral picture of the ‘anatomy’ of a flower, and a spectacular border themed around plants that attract pollinating insects.

Plantastic is open at the Horniman Museum and Gardens from Saturday 14 February (12.30pm) to Sunday 1 November 2015. Ticket prices: Child £3.85; Adult £7.15; Family £18.15 (includes 10% voluntary Gift Aid donation). Horniman Members go free. Tickets will be on sale from mid-January 2015. See www.horniman.ac.uk/plantastic for more information and to book tickets.