Plants can’t talk but they do communicate with the world around them.  This half-day workshop looks at plant-plant, plant-insect and plant-human interactions.

Looking to train, or retrain, as a garden designer? Do it! It’s an incredibly rewarding and diverse career path. Paul Herrington is an RHS Chelsea Flower Show medal-winning garden designer with over two decades of experience who has worked in a range of private, public, commercial and therapeutic gardens. He’d love to share with you some of his experiences and knowledge.

Join him over two relaxed and informal sessions to learn more about it and discuss:

Part 1
Location: online
Date: Saturday 13/02/21
Time: 10am-1pm

The first session of this two part course covers the fundamental processes and key structures within a plant that are responsible for its growth. Participants will be introduced to plant anatomy, and will gain a deeper understanding of how the internal tissues and organs of plants function. We will look at how photosynthesis, respiration and transpiration work in plants and why understanding them enables you to grow better plants.

This online course covers the fundamental processes and key structures within a plant that are responsible for its growth. Participants will be introduced to plant anatomy, and will gain a deeper understanding of how the internal tissues and organs of plants function. We will look at how photosynthesis, respiration and transpiration work in plants and why understanding them enables you to grow better plants.

Have you ever wondered how Ophelia selected her bouquet of plants; which was the ‘little western flower’ that Puck used to cause mayhem, or what exactly Romeo’s friends had in mind when they wished Juliet were a medlar and Romeo a popp’rin pear?   What actually is an apple-john, or indeed a peascod or a codling, and which were insults and which not?  Why do primroses live and die  like virgins and why are some pinks bastards?

English Paper Piecing is a traditional method of hand sewing patchwork pieces. In this introductory class we will teach you how to use paper and fabric to accurately sew hexagonal flower shapes. It is a wonderfully portable project and a very enjoyable method to use.

This technique can be a fantastic way use up scraps, but in this session we will be using fabrics designed by William Morris, famous for his stunning timeless botanical designs.

On this half-day course with Dr Alison Foster you will look at the chemical basis for the colours, smell and taste of the plant world.   Alison will take you on a chemical journey through the lifecycle of plants explaining how the chemistry of colour, smell and taste impact on pollinator attraction and seed dispersal, and how plants protect themselves from predators.  By the end of the course you will be well equipped to test out your new found chemistry knowledge with your own sense of taste, smell and sight.

This series of courses is designed to give a comprehensive introduction to horticulture across the gardening year

Part 1
Location: online
Date: Saturday 16/01/21
Time: 10am-1pm

This session gives an introduction to the plant kingdom, and will develop your knowledge of how plants are grouped to better understand them. We will also provide an overview of plant names, and look at plant morphology, so that learners can start to better identify plants, and see how this helps us create great gardens.

Landscape – whether real or imagined – and nature, and her characters’ response to these, inform each and every one of Jane Austen’s novels. Immerse yourself in both the aesthetics of the period, and the wit and wisdom of Austen. She was a writer who recognised that ‘to sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment’.

Gather your pencil and paper and join the Sedgwick Museum for a relaxed evening of observational drawing led by artist and geologist Emma Theresa Jude. To celebrate famed 19th century palaeontologist Mary Anning and her valuable contribution to scientific thinking, we have chosen some beautiful Blue Lias ammonites from our amazing collection, similar to those she would have found in her time. Observe closely and learn some techniques to help you produce your masterpiece.