For those who are new to the study of flowers, the glorious yet seemingly infinite variety of colours and designs can seem overwhelming. This two day workshop will help you understand the structure of flowers and the fascinating yet standard ways in which they differ in order to achieve their common purpose – the production of seeds and the perpetuation of the species. The course will also give you an insight into how floral design helps to group our plants into an internationally recognised classification system which in turn provides us with the means to identify and name them.
Chemicals are often portrayed in a very negative way in advertising, marketing and by the media, with some products being promoted as being “chemical free”. However, chemicals are the basis for all life and everything around us is made of chemicals. This couse will delve into the fascinating world of plant chemistry, looking at the chemicals made in plants that provide the colouration, aroma and taste of familiar and unfamiliar ornamental and edible plants and showcase how this chemistry helps the plant to survive, thrive and reproduce.
A look at what’s involved in taking beautiful photographs of plants and gardens with Botanic Garden photographer Howard Rice. This course is aimed at those who already enjoy garden photography but want to find out how they can improve by developing a better understanding of some straightforward techniques. There will be a combination of indoor tutorials and practical sessions outside in Cambridge Botanic Garden. You will be encouraged to ask Howard about particular aspects of garden photography that interest you and problems that you might have encountered.
On this beginners’ course you will explore watercolour techniques and make an observational painting in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. You will be guided through the basics of watercolour technique to experience and learn how it works with professional painter, John Wiltshire. By the end of this introductory day you may surprise yourself with what you can achieve with the right materials and some practical tips to boost your confidence with watercolour.
In this two day course, students will learn the basics of how flowers are put together and how diverse flowers and leaf forms are. They’ll use pencil to look at recording lights and darks and will learn the basics of using and mixing watercolour. We’ll cover mixing greens, different ways to tackle painting white flowers, mixing yellows and adding shadows to them, and we’ll work with pinks and try to get them really delicate or really vibrant. Students will get to paint a variety of flowers from the Botanic Garden, and see tutor demos of leaf and flower painting.
The wonderful world of scientific nomenclature has embedded a ‘secret’ history of plant hunters and horticulturalists in the plants and flower we grow in our gardens. The honour of naming a new species was taken by many as an opportunity to honour past heroes or current friends, but the temptation of having ones own name go down in history was often too much to resist, especially after a lifetime of ‘derring-do’ plant hunting with little other reward. Markedly different from the naming of cultivars, we will encounter fewer from outside of the closed world of plants.
East Anglia’s low rainfall and increasingly mild winters give us conditions suited to growing many plants from the Mediterranean and similar climates from around the world. After establishment med plants can cope with periods of summer drought without extra watering making it easy to create a more sustainable water wise garden. On this course we will look at the flora of the region and see ways that plants have been shaped by their environment to cope with the baking heat of summer.
This taster session will focus on close-up observational drawing as well as achieving quick preparatory sketches to use in later compositions. With demonstrations, advice and individual tuition as you work, this is a perfect workshop for beginners or those looking to improve their drawing technique. Materials will be provided including sketchbooks, paper, a variety of artist quality graphite pencils, graphite sticks, boards and stools. You can, of course, bring your own materials if you prefer.
This course is suitable for beginners, as well as those with some prior experience.
We will explore the range of herbs growing at Botanic Garden, alongside those available in the shops, and will look at both traditional and contemporary uses. We will examine how this diverse range of plants has been used by different cultures through the ages. How can leaves that look quite similar taste so different (e.g. parsley and coriander) and how can leaves that taste similar look so different (e.g. tarragon and Thai basil)? As part of the course we will make a variety of herb-based concoctions, such as salsa verde, herbal tea and herb butter.
The consumption of fruits and vegetables is vital to maintain a diverse, balanced and healthy diet. But have you ever stopped to consider what impact our consumption of plants and plant products has on the plant itself at the different stages through its lifecycle? Plants have evolved myriad methods to defend themselves from predation (and hence consumption by humans) before reproducing, but we have developed ways to overcome many of these powerful plant defences.
