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.

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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)

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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

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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:
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To book Thursday 5th December:
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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.

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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:

 

 

 

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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!!

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img_3051.jpgThis half day workshop will cover basic growing techniques for a range of culinary and medicinal herbs and will also look at harvesting, drying, preserving and preparing herbs for teas, oils and preparations for natural skin care and well being, aromatherapy, potpourri, candles etc.

We will take a close look at 12 common plants that can be grown in the French climate that have useful properties in the home as well as well as being decorative in the garden.

(**note that this course does not formally cover herbal medicine or homeopathy but explores the use of common aromatic and herbal plants and botanicals, their properties and use in natural home made preparations)

Thursday 26th September 2019 1.30-4.30. 35€ per person.

To book onto this course you can use the online payment system below. If you prefer to pay by cheque, have difficulty using the online system or would like to know a bit more about the course please use the contact form below to check availability, request a booking form or more information.

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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 1.30-4.30 on Saturday 24th August.

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

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To book onto this workshop you can use the online system below. If you have any trouble using this system or prefer to pay by cheque then you can use the contact form below to check availability and request a booking form.


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We have been asked to put on extra dates our basic botany course!

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Epidermis through the microscope showing stomatal pores

Learn about the fascinating world of plants and find out what makes them grow and respond to the environment around them. Learn useful and fascinating facts about their metabolism and reproduction, morphology and anatomy and how this knowledge can be applied to successful cultivation.

We are running 3, 3-hour sessions weekly from 1-4pm  on 10th  17th & 24th October covering the following topics:

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  • Plant anatomy,
  • Growth, development and nutrition
  • Flowering and reproduction
  • The external environment, plant hormones and effect on circadian rhythms and growth pattern
  • Plant Identification & classification
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Fibonacci in flowers

The level of the course will be similar to that of an RHS or NVQ level 2 and is aimed at keen amateur gardeners who want to learn a little bit of plant science that is applicable in the garden and gain more enjoyment from the fascinating world of plants. This course also links with the Plant Propagation for Beginners on 31st October

The total cost of the course is 80€

To book onto the course you can 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. We will send you further details when we receive your booking or reservation. If you have any questions about the course please use the contact form below.

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Come along and have a go at ‘Eco-printing’ techniques. You will experiment with leaves, flowers and rust combined with plant based dyes to print onto cotton and paper samplers. You can bring your own T-shirt or household linen to work on too. You will go home with some unique prints and an understanding of the materials and processes involved so that you can go away and experiment at home.

Friday 9th August 1-4pm 35€

20180421_153155596_iOSTo book a place on this course use the payment options below. This is a secure PayPal transaction but you do not need a PayPal account to use it. We will send you confirmation and further details when we receive your booking.

If you prefer to send a cheque, or have difficulty using the online system then please use the contact form below to reserve a place. If we have availability we will send you a booking form and more information. You can use the contact if you have any questions about the course too.


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