Author: carolinewright201

After being a course leader and lecturer in Horticulture at Nottingham Trent University for nearly 20 years I am now working on a new venture in Limousin, France. In our plant nursery and garden school we aim to carry on sharing our passion for horticulture and natural crafts.
Specialist subjects include plant science, propagation, plant identification, specialist traditional and modern pruning and maintenance techniques. We also teach greenwood crafts, weaving, stained glass art and other crafts using natural materials.

by on

SDC15666This basic course in plant propagation will look at the basics of propagating from seed and from semi-ripe and hardwood cuttings. You will learn a little botany that will help you to be more successful in rooting cuttings and understanding the different types of seeds, seed saving tips and overcoming different types of dormancy in seeds.

You will have the opportunity to take cuttings from a range of plants to take home.

There will be follow on courses in February and May 2020 where you can learn the art of grafting (February) and softwood cuttings in May.

Pricking outThis half day introductory course is running on Tuesday 5th  November 1-4pm: 25€ per person. All materials and light refreshments are provided and You will be able to take home your cuttings.

To book a place on the course use the online payment system below. If you have any trouble using this system or prefer to send a cheque please use the contact form below to check availability and request a booking form.


Buy now with PayPal

Contact form:

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

by on

img_0007This stunning herbaceous perennials is a close relative of the well known ‘Red Hot Poker’ but this species flowers much later, in England it would normally flower from July into August but here in France it reliably flowers twice each year once in June/July and again during October. This particular plant has only been established for 3 years and had over 15 flower spikes on it in June, now in early October it is starting to produced a second flush of flowers with many more buds to come.

This is not a plant for a small space, measuring up to a metre and a half tall and spreading to over a metre wide it likes a bit of room, preferably in a sunny spot in neutral to acid loam or sandy soil and makes a fantastic plant for late summer/early autumn colour in a large herbaceous border.

Cut back the faded flower spikes immediately after the first flowering to get a second flush. The foliage is semi- evergreen and needs a bit of a tidy up in mid to late autumn by cutting back dying or damaged or straggly leaves and again in early spring after any winter damage.

We have young  plants for sale at La Petite Pépinière – come along and see our selection of perennials. Open Saturdays 10-4 until end of October – at other times by prior appointment – you can message us on Facebook or email: lejardincreatif87@gmail.com

by on

IMG_2796So many of our garden visitors have been stunned by our chicken wire Alliums that we have decided to put on some workshops so that you can come and make them.

This half day workshop teaches you some basic chicken wire sculpture skills and you will make 3 Allium flowers on spikes to decorate your garden. They flower all year round!!

The workshop will run from 9.30-12.30 on Friday 18th October.

35€ per person. Light refreshments are included as well as all materials  to make 3 flower heads on spikes.

img_2798.jpg

THIS DATE IS NOW FULLY BOOKED – IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST AN EXTRA DATE THEN PLEASE USE THE CONTACT FORM BELOW TO GET IN TOUCH

Contact Form:

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

by on

At Le Jardin Créatif we offer a range of courses in Horticulture and gardening alongside all of our ‘garden craft’ workshops.

This autumn we have a ‘Basic Botany for Gardeners’ course running over three sessions covering the basics of how plants live and grow, reproduce, carry out photosynthesis and use nutrients, their basic circadian rhythms and the way they respond to the seasons and their environment.

 

Epidermis through the microscope showing stomatal pores
Aeonium
Dissecting lily flower buds
Bedding plants

This course is aimed at those who have been inspired by their gardens and would like to know more about the fascinating world of plants and how they live. Based on the plant science module of the RHS level 2 courses it is suitable for complete beginners. The basic understanding of how plants work will help you to apply this knowledge in the garden and improve success and understanding of the principles and practices of gardening for flowers, fruits and vegetables.

For further information and booking visit our webpage: BOTANY FOR GARDENERS

Throughout the year we offer courses seasonal  in Pruning of orchard trees, Pruning of ornamental shrubs, Plant Propagation for beginners, Grafting of fruit trees, Winter tree identification, Soil Science, Vegetable growing for beginners, Gardening for beginners. If you would like to be notified when these courses are scheduled please use the contact form below to register interest.

 

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

by on

If you are looking for a new hobby, a day out learning a new skill or just something different to do this Autumn we have places left on the following willow sculpture & weaving workshops:

Willow Lanterns: make a unique hanging lantern for your home or garden out of willow and other natural materials; 25th September – This half day workshop is suitable for complete beginners and teaches basic weaving techniques in the process of making an ‘Acorn Lantern’

Willow Bird feeders: make a decorative fat ball bird feeder to keep your garden birds happy this winter; 9th October – This half day workshop is suitable for complete beginners and teaches basic weaving techniques in the process of making your bird feeder.

Willow Stags Head sculpture: Make a life sized Stags Head Sculpture to mount in your home, garden or barn wall. This full day workshop includes a light lunch. We have two sessions with spaces available in October – 9th or 22nd.

Hedgerow Baskets: Make a unique and decorative basket from a range of ‘hedgerow’ materials. This half day workshop also coves basic weaving techniques and is suitable for beginners. 30th October

For more details about all of our current Willow courses and others that we offer which you can request visit our web pages: WILLOW WORKSHOPS or COURSES AND EVENTS (this page includes our full range of scheduled courses)

by on

Come along and make an owl out of chicken wire! You will learn the basics of building a sculpture using chicken wire and create a stunning owl sculpture for your garden or home.

The course will run from 10.00-4.00 on Thursday 3rd October and will include a light lunch & refreshments. (Please be aware that everyone works at different speeds and you may finish a little earlier or later than the scheduled time) cost: 45 euros

Chicken wire is a fairly malleable material  and easy to mold and this course is suitable for beginners but some dexterity and physical strength is needed to work with this material over a day.

THIS WORKSHOP IS NOW FULLY BOOKED, PLEASE GET IN TOUCH TO REQUEST AN EXTRA DATE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE AN OWL

Buy now with PayPal

Contact form:

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

by on

This year we are offering some select dates to make a Christmas wreath with a difference:

You can come along and make a horses head or a Labrador dog’s head for your door!

This is a half day course 1.00-4.00pm and includes all materials and light refreshments. 35€

There are two dates available; Wednesday 4th and Thursday 5th December. You can book onto either date using the online payment system below. If you have any trouble using this system or prefer to pay by cheque you can use the contact form below to check availability and request a booking form.

Places are limited so book early if you want to make one of these alternative wreaths! If you want to make a group booking  for you and your group of friends then get in touch to enquire about available times/dates. 

To book Wednesday 4th December:
Buy now with PayPal

To book Thursday 5th December:
Buy now with PayPal

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

img_3249.jpg

by on

Asclepias are a genus of herbaceous perennials that originate from North America and are tolerant of heat, drought and cold so perfect for growing here in mid France.

They have many common names including ‘milk weed’ because the stems produce latex and ‘butterfly weed’ because the flowers are nectar rich and loved by butterflies as they help to sustain them through the dry summer months. They also produce copious amounts of pollen and each flower has an unusual mechanism for attaching a pair of pollen sacks to the legs of visiting bees. The flowers are followed by interesting seed pods containing numerous seeds embedded in a silky lining.

At Le Jardin Créatif on our Petite Pépinière we have two varieties; Asclepias ‘Deep Silky Red’ with its bright red/orange flowers and Asclepias incarnata ‘Carmine Rose’ with deep dusky rose flowers that have a vanilla scent.

by on

Come along and make your own Christmas wreaths. You can choose from a selection of greenery, seed heads, cones, foliage, berries and flowers to create a traditional door wreath, or add a modern twist.

The courses will run from 1-4 and include a break for refreshments – 35€ per person

We will provide the greenery, foliage and plant materials and the basic price includes one ribbon bow per wreath. If you wish to add other decorative items from our selection these will be charged individually as extras. We will guide you with tuition on how to make your wreath and design ideas but you should also bring along your imagination!

BOOKING INFORMATION is below the gallery of pictures from last Christmas

 

 

 

To book onto a workshop individually or for groups of 2 or 3 please use the contact form below to request a booking form and check availability – let us know which date(s) you prefer and how many places you would like to reserve. If you wish to pay online for any of the dates please indicate this in your enquiry and we will send you a PayPal request via email. The following dates are currently available:

WE NOW HAVE PLACES LEFT ON JUST 2nd 10th DECEMBER FOR INDIVIDUAL BOOKINGS – IF YOU HAVE A GROUP OF MORE THAN 3 PEOPLE THAT WOULD LIKE TO COME TOGETHER PLEASE GET IN TOUCH TO ENQUIRE ABOUT POSSIBLE DATES

FOR GROUP BOOKINGS  we can accommodate up to 8 people at one time but need a minimum of 4. Please let us know if you want to book a bespoke afternoon or morning of wreath making for your group.

For enquiries:

 

 

 

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

by on

Did you know that most members of the daisy family (or Compositae) have ‘composite’ flower heads? Each ‘flower’ actually consists of hundreds of tiny flowers squashed together – the inner circle containing the true flowers that contain the reproductive organs (known as the ‘disc florets’) and the outer ring of petal-like structures are actually individual flowers posing as petals (known as ‘ray florets’), these are usually sterile but occasionally you can see the tiny stamen or stigma emerging.

IMG_3022A sunflower is the classic example – each individual disc floret has a single ovary and after pollination, each one develops a hard seed coat with a single seed inside, which you will recognise as sunflower seeds.

 

The bee in the photograph to the left is busy collecting pollen from the stamens in the open ring of flowers within the sunflower head.

Behind, in the flower to the top left you can see the ring of pistils (the female floral parts)

 

IMG_3027This Zinnia flower clearly demonstrates a ring of tiny flowers opening, they usually open concentrically, one ring at a time to help avoid self fertilisation and spread the flowering period. The pink false petals (ray florets) around the outside give the appearance of a single flower. Check out the Rudbeckia in the feature image too, see if you can spot the true flowers!

Take a close look at all of your daisies! sometimes you need a magnifying glass – to see this interesting and clever trick of nature.

If you want to find out more about the fascinating world of plants, come along on our botany short course this autumn! here is a link to the course post: Botany for Gardeners

The daisy family has recently been reclassified and is now known as the Asteraceae family and consists of over 1500 genera – see how many you have in your garden!

Fascinating fasciation! Sometimes things go a little wrong when the cells divide (caused by genetic mutation or sometimes physical damage to the growing point, causing several stems to be produced fused together. This fascinating phenomenon is known as ‘Fasciation’ look at these amazing sunflower heads we found at Le Jardin Créatif! See if you can spot any fasciation in your own garden!!