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We are holding three half day courses in February and early March covering different types of pruning and training of fruits. Each course will cover some of the theory that is useful to know for understanding the practical techniques followed by practical demonstrations and the opportunity to practice the techniques. The courses are designed so that they can be accessed seperately to cover one specialist subject or you can book onto two or all three to benefit from the full range of information (for booking see bottom of the page):

Pruning, maintenance and renovation of mature orchard trees; This course looks specifically at established orchard trees, how to keep them healthy and productive with regular maintenance and how to renovate neglected and overgrown fruit trees. Suitable for beginners to gardening and managing a range of fruit trees and can also be tailored to suit an intermediate level of experience. You will learn some basic tree biology and how to put these principles into practice to maintain healthy, productive orchard trees. Covering apples, pears, cherries and other stone fruits. Monday 25th February  1-4pm 35€

Pruning and Training of young orchard trees; How to plan, plant and train a young orchard of ‘top fruits’; this course will cover the principles of choosing and planting orchard trees and will look at the principles and practices of training young standard trees for maximum health and productivity. We will also look at a range of bush fruits. Thursday 28th February OR Saturday 2nd March 1-4pm 35€

Training of decorative forms of Fruit: This specialist course explores the traininSDC11678g and pruning of decorative forms of tree including espalier, fan, and cordon forms from initial planting and training to ongoing maintenance. These specialist forms are excellent for smaller gardens and for adding decorative dividers and boundaries to your garden or potager. Wednesday 6th March 1-4pm 35€

SDC11677We can also offer bespoke courses at your site and/or consultancy. Get in touch with us to discuss what you require.

Group bookings and extra dates are also possible – get in touch with us by email to check availability: lejardincreatif87@gmail.com or use the enquiry form below.

To book onto any of the above courses you can use the buy now button to confirm a place. This is a secure PayPal transaction but you do not need to have a PayPal account in order to use it, normal card payments are also accepted. If you prefer to pay by cheque please use the enquiry form below to check availability and request a booking form.

Pruning, maintenance and renovation of mature orchard trees; Monday 25th February  1-4pm 35€ 
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Pruning and Training of young orchard trees; Thursday 28th February 1-4pm 35€

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Pruning and Training of young orchard trees; Saturday 2nd March 1-4pm 35€

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Training of decorative forms of Fruit: Wednesday 6th March 1-4pm 35€

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For group bookings, extra date requests or bespoke sessions  please use the enquiry form below:

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IMG_0676Come along and learn the art of making animal sculptures out of willow. Make a majestic stag’s head to take home.

You will learn the basics of using willow as a medium for sculpture and create an impressive stag head sculpture over the course of the day.

Friday 14th December 10.00-4.00, light lunch and all materials included: 60€ 

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We are now fully booked for this course, you can use the enquiry form below to enquire about extra dates in 2019 or to go on our reserve list in case anyone cancels for 14th


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Le Jardin Créatif are now offering gift vouchers. You can either book a place onto a course for your friend or family member and we will send you a personalised gift certificate for that course or you can purchase a gift voucher that they can use towards a course of their choice.

We will email you the voucher or gift certificate that includes a personal message or for gift vouchers we can post the voucher inside an eco-printed card to the recipient with a personal message for just 5€ extra.

When you are stuck for gift ideas for Birthdays, Christmas, Mothers Day etc, this is a great way to give someone a fun day out, learning new skills and meeting like minded people.

For full details see our new page on the website: Gift Vouchers

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I have had so many requests for the recipe that I use for my home made bread served with the lunches that I have decided to post it up on the website!

I use a Panasonic bread machine, the bake setting is menu number 4 which is a 5 hour bake for wholemeal and seeded breads. I use the medum loaf setting. I usually bake it on a timer overnight to make sure it is fresh in the morning. I use dried yeast and always put the yeast into the machine first, then the dry ingredients on top then the water last. This keeps the water away from the yeast until it starts mixing, which is the secret to success. If the water touches the yeast before the bake starts (if you are using a timer to delay the start of the bake) then it partially ferments before the mixing of ingredients and you end up with a loaf that looks a bit like a house brick!

Here is my recipe, I seem to have deviated slightly from any of the recipes in the book, having made it from memory when my book was in England, however it seems to produce good results every time:

 

 

400g multi-cereals flour (I use the supermarket own brand)

3/4 teaspoon of dried yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt (you can reduce this if you are on a low salt diet)

15g butter OR a tablespoon of olive oil (to make it vegan/dairy free)

280ml chilled water

 

 

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IMG_1756Create a woven ‘Angel’ out of willow; these alternative Christmas decorations are simple and effective on their own but can be decorated with traditional chrstmas tinsel, fairy lights and sparkle for indoor displays or use ivy, holly, berries and cones for a unique outdoor feature.

This half day course will cover some basic willow weaving techniques and you will create a unique angel to decorate as you please. Wednesday 5th December is now fully booked but there are places available on Saturday 8th December 1-4pm 30€each (includes all willow and light refreshments)

To book onto the course you can use the ‘Buy Now’ buttons below. This will confirm your place and uses a secure PayPal system but you do not need to have a PayPal accout to use it, card payments are also accepted with this system. If you wish to pay by cheque then use the contact form below to enquire about availability and request a booking form. For enqiries about group bookings use the contact form below or email us on lejardincreatif87@gmail.com

To book Saturday 8th December:
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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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Bookinf for Tuesday 27th November:
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Booking for Monday 3rd December:
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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.

To book:
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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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