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Come along and make  trio of cute little chicken wire Robins to use in Christmas decorations and as lasting garden ornaments.

You will make three robins (just a little larger than life size) and a ‘twiggy’ perch.

Chicken wire is easy to manipulate using pliers but you do need a little strength to work with it over several hours. We will assist anyone who requires help to finish off their project.

We are offering this course on three dates for individual bookings; Wednesday 21st November, Tuesday 27th November and Monday 3rd December 1-4pm. Cost 35€ including materials and refreshments.

You can book online by using the ‘buy now’ buttons below which use a secure PayPal payment system, however you do not need a PayPal accout to use it, the system will also take card payments. If you prefer to pay by cheque, please use the contact form below to equire about availability and request a booking form.

If you want to make a group booking we have some other dates available, please get in touch with us using the contact form or by emailing us on lejardincreatif87@gmail.com

Booking for Wednesday 21st November:
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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.

We will provide the greenery, foliage and plant materials and the basic price includes one 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!

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We have had a request for an extra date: 10th December 1-4pm – for boking use the ‘Buy Now’ button below to confirm your place (this is a secure PayPal transaction but you do not need a PayPal account to use it – card payments are also accepted) or, if you prefer to pay by cheque below or use the enquiry form below to check availability and request a booking form.

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What is an heirloom variety? Heritage and heirloom varieties of vegetables are simply old varieties that are no longer sold commercially by the big seed companies or used in commercial growing, they may only have been out of commercial circulation for a few years but some date back as far as the 1800’s. Also under this classification you can find local varieties that have been cultivated for many years, the seed being saved year on year and these varieties may never have had been offered commercially or officially named.

Why choose heirloom varieties? These old varieties have generally been chosen for flavour and will crop over a long period,  modern commercial varieties are often developed for uniformity, ease of mechanical harvesting and shelf life rather than flavour. Heirloom and heritage varieties are generally open pollinated and have natural variation that allows them to adapt to local environments rather than being F1 hybrids that are all identical and expensive to produce. With heirloom vegetables you can save your own seeds year on year.

img_1538Read more about this in our article in the October edition of ‘etcetera’. Come along on Saturdays when our nursery is open and see our collection of heritage beans and find out more about the different uses – we have over 40 varieties – we are giving away free packets of heirloom bean seeds to customers to grow next year!

The nursery is open every Saturday from 10-4 until the end of October. We can open at other times by appointment so call or email if you want to drop in at another time.

 

 

 

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The dry weather and sunshine has produced a ripe crop of squash rather early this year. The orange, yellow green and blue globes were not ready to harvest until October last year but already the plants are dying back, revealing the ripe fruits that will keep us going in pumpkin soup all winter!

It is important to let winter squash fully ripen before harvesting and storing so that they develop a tough outer skin that will protect them from drying out as well as diseases. Once properly ripe they can be stored in a cool, dry, frost free place and they should last through until spring.

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These Crook Neck squash are destined to be ducks!

We have grown some decorative varieties this year like the tiny ‘Munchkin’, the aptly named ‘crook Neck’ and a variety of ornamental gourds for our autumn and winter crafts as well as some tasty varieties such as the blue-skinned ‘Crown Prince’ (the best flavour of all in my opinion) and the surprising ‘Tromboncino’ – this one is a ‘vining’ or trailing squash that produces long curled summer squash that ripen to a pale orangey pink rather like a long bent butternut. This year we also tried climbing them up an archway and they have produced magnificent long, straight fruits, the benefit of these is that the bulbous end

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Tromboncino squash ripening on the ‘vine’

that contains the seeds is small compared to the main part of the fruit which is easy to peel and can be used like a courgette when young and like a butternut squash when ripened. They keep fairly well too. Why not try something different next year!

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Learn the basics of basket weaving and create a decorative basket from a combination of willow and other hedgerow plants.

Cornus and willow bread basket with corkscrew hazel handle
Birch twigs in willow basket
Cornus and willow basket

This course will run from 11-3.30 on Wednesday 14th November and includes a light lunch and refreshments as well as all materials needed to create a unique basket. Cost 35€

To book a place on this course you can use the ‘Buy Now’ button below. This is a secure payment through PayPal but you do not need a PayPal account to use it, it also accepts card payments and automatically secures a place on the course. If you prefer to pay by cheque then use the enquiry form below to check availability and request a booking form. You can use this form for all other enquiries too.


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IMG_0160This half day course will teach you some basic weaving techniques through the creation of a hanging fatball bird feeder. These make great gifts and are an attractive garden feature.

A perfect option for beginners wanting to develop new skills. We are running this course on Saturday 13th October 1.00pm – 3.30pm. You will need to wear comfortable work clothing. Light refreshments and all materials are included in the cost of 25 euros per person. We will send you confirmation and further information once we have received your payment.

To book a place on the course you can use the ‘Buy Now’ button 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 information once we receive your booking.


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If you prefer to send a cheque, please use the enquiry form below to check availability and reserve a place, we will send you a booking form and further details. If you have any questions about the course you can also use the enquiry form below.

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Come along and make a cute piglet sculpture for your home or garden out of chicken wire.
We are offering two autumn dates for this course on either Saturday 6th October or Saturday 17th November. (Contact us for group bookings/alternate dates)

The course will run from 10-4 and includes a light lunch and refreshments and all materials required to make your piggy. Cost: 45€ per person

To book a place on the course you can use the ‘Buy Now’ button below. This uses PayPal as a secure payment system but you do not need to have a PayPal account to use it, card payments are also accepted. If you prefer to send us a cheque then use the enquiry form below to check availability and request a booking form. You can use this form for all other enquiries too.

Saturday 6th October:

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!!! Saturday 17th November IS NOW FULLY BOOKED, THERE ARE STILL PLACES LEFT ON 6TH OCTOBER OR SEND US A MESSAGE TO REQUEST AN ADDITIONAL DATE!!! 

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Come along and make a dragonfly or a bee out of woven willow to mount onto a wall or stake in your garden.

This course is suitable for beginners and a good starting point for anyone wanting to learn how to make realistic sculptures out of freestyle woven willow.

The course runs from 11.00-3.00 on Saturday 25th August and includes a light lunch and all materials needed to make a medium sized dragon fly (approx. 80-100cm) or a bee (approx. 40-60cm)

Price per person is 40€

THIS COURSE IS NOW FULLY BOOKED, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN MAKING A WILLOW DRAGONFLY OR BEE USE THE CONTACT FORM BELOW TO REQUEST ANOTHER DATE

To book a place on this course you can use the buy now button below. This is a secure Paypall transaction but you do not need a Paypall account to use it. If you prefer to pay by cheque then please use the enquiry form below to check availability and request a booking form. Any questions – use the contact form below.

 

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IMG_1170Come along and have a go at eco-printing techniques. You will experiment with leaves, flowers and rust combined with plant based dyes on cotton and paper samplers. You can bring your own T shirt or household lined 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.

Wednesday 19th September 1-4pm 35€

20180421_153155596_iOSTo book a place on this course use the ‘Buy Now’ button 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 then please use the enquiry form below to reserve a place. If we have availability we will send you a booking form and more information. You can use the enquiry if you have any questions about the course too.


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This one-day course will teach you the basics of managing a coppice woodland. Starting with some theory on the biology of trees, identification of common woodland trees, and the principles behind coppicing techniques.

IMG_20180418_093131You will then look at short rotation coppice as a management principle and explore techniques for sensitive woodland management to improve the health of your trees, diversity of species within the woodland and for harvesting timbers for different applications. The afternoon session will include practical skills for coppicing hazel woodland.

10.00-3.30 on either Wednesday 31st October or Saturday 3rd November 60€ per person. Lunch, refreshments, materials and equipment are included

The course is suitable for beginners who want to understand the management of small woodlands and trees on their own land and the production of coppice materials for hurdle making, weaving, fences, posts and firewood . We will be out on location at Le Bois, 7 Les Caillauds, Chabrac, Charente, 16150  Le Bois chambre d’hote They have accommodation (bed and breakfast) available if you want to make it a mini-break or have a long way to travel. Please contact them direct to book accommodation.

IMG_20180618_163808The course is also a good basis for future courses covering coppice crafts, hurdle making and cleft fencing.

You can book onto either day using the ‘buy now’ buttons below. This is a secure PayPal transaction but you do not need to have a PayPal account to use it (debit and credit card payments are accepted). If you prefer to send us a cheque then please use the enquiry form below to check availability and request a booking form.

Wednesday 31st October


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Saturday 3rd November

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