Whether you want to learn a new gardening technique, brush up on existing skills, or try your hand at botanical-themed arts and crafts, Vivienne Hambly has rounded up a range of courses and workshops offering something for every gardener
Pick up a New Skill
From training espalier fruit trees and weaving willow supports, to propagating favourite plants and extracting botanical dyes, the gardening community will be buzzing with activity this spring and summer as specialists in their fields open their doors and travel the country to share their expertise. With workshops ranging from a morning to a couple of days, there is something to suit almost every interest and ability, making this the perfect time to try something new or brush up on forgotten skills.
Arranging & Growing Cut Flowers
Throughout spring and summer, RACHEL SIEGFRIED
is opening the gate to her Oxfordshire flower farm. At her ‘Flower Club’ sessions, you’ll pick, condition and arrange cut flowers, then wander through the fields to harvest a bucketful to take home. Rachel also offers courses for would-be growers.
greenandgorgeousflowers.co.uk
In Kent, find a range of spring and summer classes in the restored glasshouses at WATER LANE. Try ‘Designing a Flower Border’ with award-winning garden designer Jo Thompson, or learn new skills in ‘The Cutting Garden Month by Month’, which considers monthly tasks in the walled garden. Other courses include willow weaving, calligraphy, natural fabric dying and making terrariums. waterlane.net A specialist in dried flowers, BEX PARTRIDGE offers bespoke workshops from her studio on the Devon-Dorset border for both groups and individuals. Explore her growing space, learn which flowers dry best and find out how to get the best results for colour and structure. Her workshops run throughout the year. botanicaltales.com In the Peak District, join ANNABEL ANDERSON
on 8 June for her ‘Flower Pressing’ morning. Learn how to choose, prepare, press and display flowers throughout the seasons. Annabel will have a range of pre-pressed flowers on hand to bulk up pieces. Follow this up on 6 July with her half-day course, ‘A Summer Hand-Tied Bouquet’. She’ll show you how to pick, condition, arrange and tie summer blooms to maximum effect. thecontentedmole.com Enjoy one-to-one classes with floral designer Talena Rolfe of acclaimed JAM JAR FLOWERS. Tailored to whatever it is you’d like to achieve, be it bouquets or large-scale installations, Talena will guide you through each step of the design proces
