Spring Workshop Week by Easton Walled Gardens

May 2013

Spring Workshop Week

A great series of informative and enjoyable courses …set in beautiful surroundings!

An introduction to our short courses.

Easton Walled Gardens are nationally important 400 year old gardens in a beautiful corner of south Lincolnshire conveniently situated just off the A1. Our recently renovated coach house along with a variety of learning spaces are ideal for our short courses - a beautiful and inspiring location. Our pretty tearoom will be open offering homemade cakes and lunches. And lunch provides an opportunity to chat with other course attendees and tutors. We have also teamed up with Barnsdale Lodge Hotel to offer the complete package so that you can combine learning with leisure!

So please browse through our booklet and choose the course for you. Give us a call or complete the enclosed booking form to reserve your space, or to ask for further information or advice. We are always delighted to help.

Barnsdale Lodge has been in Thomas Noel’s family since 1760 and formed part of the adjoining Exton Park. Formerly a farmhouse, Barnsdale Lodge was converted by Thomas in 1989 and following further expansion, now has 45 bedrooms.

Why not take this opportunity to explore the beautiful countryside around Rutland Water with a special offer price from Barnsdale Lodge when you book one of our courses. All you need to do is quote the reference number EWG 0513 located under each course. Special rates • Single - £70 • Double/Twin - £80 All rates per night and based on stays of 2 nights or more, and inclusive of breakfast and VAT. Excludes Saturday nights.

As a guest at Barnsdale Lodge you can expect the very best accommodation and a personal service in comfortable and beautiful surroundings. Locally sourced, seasonal produce including beef and pork from Hambleton Farm and soft fruits from Manton Farm, as well as produce from the hotel’s kitchen garden and rare-breed hens are used to create mouth watering dishes. So combine your course at Easton Walled Gardens with a stay at Barnsdale Lodge Hotel. We look forward to seeing you!

Sunday 12th May

FULL DAY 10.00am - 4.30pm

Sunday 12th May

FULL DAY 10.00am - 4.00pm

Stained Glass Workshop

The History of Gardening

Tutor: Cathi Prince - Shedglas Design

Tutor: Andrew Sankey

Although glass making and painting have moved on since the earlier windows that we see from the thirteenth century, the basic processes used to produce them has changed very little. When making a small leaded stained glass panel in an introductory stained glass workshop we start with practising the glass cutting and getting used to the tools before cutting the chosen glass to fit the selected pattern. A variety of patterns are provided to choose from and there is a good selection of glass of different colours and textures, allowing everyone to make their own unique and individual panel. With all the glass cut we move on to cutting the lead to hold the glass pieces together, working on boards with lead knives and farrier horseshoe nails. With everything fitting to the pattern, the final process of soldering the pieces together takes place and then there is the opportunity to see how the colours chosen look as the completed panel is held up to the light. Within the group everyone is shown how to use all tools, materials and processes safely, and at the end of the day take home their very own stained glass panel. Course fee - ÂŁ65 including all materials Barnsdale offer code EWG 0513

An inspirational tour tracing the history of the garden from the Roman villa garden through to the small, low maintenance modern garden of today. The talk will follow the development of the garden looking at the Medieval garden, Tudor & Elizabethan gardens, the Dutch garden, the English Landscape Garden, the Victorian & Gardenesque period, the Wartime garden and ending with the garden styles copied today. Along the way, such giants of the gardening world as John Tradescant, Capability Brown and Gertrude Jekyll will be mentioned and the influence they had on gardens considered. Plants relating to the various periods of gardening will be referred to and the importance of new introductions of each period looked at. All this will be illustrated with sumptuous drawings and slides. If you need inspiration for your garden the past has lots to offer. Course fee - ÂŁ50 Barnsdale offer code EWG 0513

For bookings call 01476 530063 or email info@eastonwalledgardens.co.uk

Monday 13th May

HALF DAY 10.00am - 1.00pm

Monday 13th May

Sewing Japanese Omyiage Gift Bags

Felted Flowers

Tutor: Jackie Murray

Omyiage is a deeply rooted Japanese culture, whereby small gifts are presented to friends, family and acquaintances beautifully wrapped in handmade fabric bags. The bags are often shaped to represent the flowers and animals of Japan, and whilst they may appear very intricate, they are remarkably easy to make. The only skills you require are the ability to thread a sewing needle and do running stitch, the rest is time and patience. In this workshop you will start by making a daffodil shaped bag and then depending on your speed of working you can then go on to a chrysanthemum or possibly a cicada. All of the materials will be provided, you will be able to choose your own fabrics to make your bags and can then embellish them in your own way using beads, threads and buttons, from a selection that will be provided. Course fee - £30 Barnsdale offer code EWG 0513

HALF DAY 2.00pm - 4.30pm

Starting with soft merino wool fleece, which has been dyed in a selection of colours. You will learn how to shape and form flowers, using only soap water and a lot of rubbing from your hands. Once formed the flowers can be used to decorate bags or hats or with the addition of a broach pin make lovely corsages. When the flowers are dry they can be further embellished by stitching or adding beads and buttons. Once you have made your first flower and understand the process you can embellish your next flower by the addition of fibres like silk into the felt as you form it. During the workshop you can experiment and make several flowers, to keep or give as gifts. All of the materials for the workshop will be provided. There will be merino in a selection of lovely colours, silk and angora to embellish it and a selection of threads and buttons for sewing. Course fee - £30 Barnsdale offer code EWG 0513

HALF DAY OFFER!

Book to come on two half day courses and

SAVE £10

For bookings call 01476 530063 or email info@eastonwalledgardens.co.uk

Monday 13th May

FULL DAY 10.00am - 4.30pm

Digital Photography

Monday 13th May

FULL DAY 10.00am - 4.00pm

Introduction to Garden Photography

Early Summer Wildflower Identification Field Class

Tutor: Pete Murray

Tutor: Mark Schofield

Camera type: Any type of digital camera is suitable for this course Course level: Beginners Using Easton Walled Gardens as our inspirational setting, this beginners digital photography course which will show you how to use your digital camera to take better pictures of garden subjects. We will make the most of the seasonal interest in the gardens for our photography, and in each of the practical sessions Pete will show you how to set up and use your camera using a proven step by step approach. Our photographic sessions include garden landscape pictures, portraits of plants in garden settings, and how to capture close-up detail. You will receive summary handouts for each session, and there will be a review of techniques with a question and answer session to complete the day. Course fee - ÂŁ50 Barnsdale offer code EWG 0513

Explore the beautiful meadows and woodland of Easton Walled Gardens and learn about our native wild flowers. The morning will comprise two talks intended as an inspirational introduction to wildflower identification and their ecology for those who have an interest but no in-depth knowledge of plants. Technical terms will be kept to a minimum but more technical notes will be provided. The afternoon will be spent in the grounds identifying and discussing wildflowers found during the walk. A systematic but informal approach will be taken which will aim to keep things both accessible and memorable. By learning the key characters of the families to which flowers belong, you will know which page of your wildflower book to flick to in future! A free selection of wildflower seeds and plug plants will be provided for your gardens. Course fee - ÂŁ50 Barnsdale offer code EWG 0513

For bookings call 01476 530063 or email info@eastonwalledgardens.co.uk

Tuesday 14th May

FULL DAY 10.00am - 4.00pm

Tuesday 14th May

Willow Weaving Birds

Wildlife Gardening

Tutor: Alison Walling

Tutor: Mark Schofield

FULL DAY 10.00am - 4.00pm

Create your own willow bird for your home or garden using English willows in a variety of colours, some of which are grown in Lincolnshire. The birds are created with a random weave technique and you can choose the type of bird you would like to make. The most simple and popular outcomes include chickens, pheasant and ducks. This course is suitable for beginners. All materials, notes and tools will be supplied, but you may prefer to bring your favourite secateurs. Course fee - ÂŁ65 including all materials Barnsdale offer code EWG 0513

An all day course covering wildflowers, garden flowers, shrubs, trees and ponds as well as planning and managing a wildlife garden. Advice will be given on how to attract bees, butterflies, moths, birds, mammals, amphibians and other wild garden guests based on their requirements throughout the year. You will learn how to create entire habitats such as woodland and meadow gardens and there will be handouts describing working methods and equipment and cataloguing over 300 species of the best garden flowers shrubs and trees for wildlife. This course has been designed to inspire gardeners whether their gardens are large or small, formal or a family football pitch. If you love wildlife and want to encourage more, this course will help you make success of your own project. A free selection of wildflower seeds and plug plants will be provided. Course fee - ÂŁ50 Barnsdale offer code EWG 0513

For bookings call 01476 530063 or email info@eastonwalledgardens.co.uk

Wednesday 15th & Thursday 16th May

ONE OR TWO FULL DAYS 10.00am - 4.00pm

Wednesday 15th May

FULL DAY 10.00am - 4.00pm

Art and Inspirations, Drawing and Sketching in the Gardens

Hedgerow Medicine

Tutor: Val Littlewood

Tutors: Julie Burton-Seal and Matthew Seal

A two day art workshop taking, for our inspiration and ideas, different aspects of Easton Walled Gardens. You will be able to attend either or both days. Day 1 Drawing and sketching in the Gardens. If the weather is good we will go out and sketch in the gardens. If not we will bring nature inside! There will be plenty to choose from. This day is all about gathering visual information, looking at colours, structures and details and the interactions of flora and fauna set against the backdrop of beautiful architecture and the landscape. Day 2 Continuing sketchbook work, working on one finished piece or experimenting with basic printmaking from natural objects Techniques covered will be pencil and pen and ink drawing, adding watercolour washes, working in more detailed watercolour and keeping watercolours clean and fresh. Nature printing using acrylics. The courses are for all levels, beginners are very welcome.

Join Julie and Matthew, authors of the wellknown book Hedgerow Medicine, for a herb walk around Easton Walled Gardens and learn how to make herbal medicines from the plants we pick. We will discuss the healing properties of the plants we find on the herb walk. We will show you how easy it is to make your own tinctures, glycerites and infused oils from plants in your own garden or the hedgerows around you. Some of these plants are considered weeds but we see them as potential healing gifts, freely available, which can be used to our benefit. Handouts and materials will be supplied, and you will be able to take home anything you have made. We look forward to sharing the secrets and traditions of hedgerow medicine with you! Course fee - ÂŁ50 Barnsdale offer code EWG 0513

Course fees - ÂŁ50 per day Barnsdale offer code EWG 0513

For bookings call 01476 530063 or email info@eastonwalledgardens.co.uk

Thursday 16th May

HALF DAY 10.00am - 1.00pm

Thursday 16th May

What Plant Where

Social Media for Fun and Business

Tutor: Andrew Sankey

Tutor: Stephanie Tod

HALF DAY 1.30pm - 4.30pm

Social media - where do I start? Why not attend a creative and fun course at Easton Walled Gardens?

When buying plants we are often taken in by the stunning flowers - we take the plant home, walk around the garden looking for a place to squeeze it in, and then find later that the plant actually doesn’t do that well in the garden. We rarely buy plants that properly suit our situation and so they struggle. Drawing on Andrew’s great knowledge of plants, this is your chance to find out which plants best suit which soils and situations; which plants love dry conditions, which prefer wet, which will put up with wind and which survive in very dry shade. Find the right plant for the place and your garden and watch your garden dramatically develop into a plantsmans paradise.

Join social media specialist Steph Tod for a journey through Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin to help you make the most of your business and social life. Chatty, creative and charismatic, Steph will give you inspiration, guide you through the basics of a social strategy and identify the right channels for you to network from the comfort of your home or office. So join us at Easton Walled Gardens for a practical and more ‘sociable’ social media session. Course fee - £30 Barnsdale offer code EWG 0513

Course fee - £30 Barnsdale offer code EWG 0513

HALF DAY OFFER!

Book to come on two half day courses and

SAVE £10

For bookings call 01476 530063 or email info@eastonwalledgardens.co.uk

Friday 17th May

FULL DAY 10.00am - 4.00pm

Friday 17th May

FULL DAY 10.00am - 4.00pm

Plant Propagation

Introduction to Vegetables

Tutor: Pam Tatum

Tutor: Lucy Dawes

The day will be spent dispelling the mystery of plant production and showing you that it is an exciting and straightforward activity. It will enable you to produce new plants at home from seed, from division and from cuttings, with the minimum of tools and equipment. The day will take the form of: 1 Introduction. A brief talk on Pam’s personal experience and approach to plant propagation. 2 Tools and equipment. 3 Seeds: a) Collecting and storing b) Sowing c) Pricking out and growing on 4 Plant division 5 Cuttings a) Leaf bud cuttings b) Softwood cuttings c) Hardwood cuttings This will be very much a ‘hands on’ day with everyone participating in all the forms of plant propagation discussed. Course fee - £50

Whether you have a window box or a large garden, the course will give you the inspiration and confidence to grow your own food and have a taste of the good life. Like the idea of self sufficiency? Want to grow your own food? This course is for those of you who long to eat really tasty vegetables which don’t cost the earth. The morning session will help you plan where and what to grow, soil preparation, sowing, thinning and growing on. In the afternoon we will discuss year round crops, crop rotation, succession and complementary planting. We will also explore what to do with your harvest - storing, preserving and some seasonal recipe ideas. Course fee - £50 Barnsdale offer code EWG 0513

Barnsdale offer code EWG 0513

For bookings call 01476 530063 or email info@eastonwalledgardens.co.uk

Meet your tutors - chosen for their skills, approachability and experience Cathi Prince Stained glass fulfils a love of colour that has been important in all of Cathi Prince’s working life. After training at Winchester School of Art in printmaking and illustration she spent several years with a fine art publishing studio while producing her own colourful paintings and limited edition silkscreen prints for the international art market. When she was introduced to stained glass with its variety of colours and textures, it was a natural progression in her work and became her sole preoccupation. Based in her studio in South Lincolnshire she is involved in several areas of stained glass. It is here that bespoke commissioning work is carried out, designing and making leaded stained glass panels for doors and windows for a variety of buildings, both old and new. Copper foiled work produces a variety of gift ideas, from suncatchers to mirrors and candle-boxes. The element of playing and enjoying the medium moves ideas on, so that there is usually something new on the go. Part of her time is also spent teaching the basic processes of working in stained glass in introductory workshops in her own studio and elsewhere. Andrew Sankey Andrew Sankey is a lecturer, garden designer and cottage gardener. He lectures both in Britain and the USA on a wide range of garden subjects with his specialisms being cottage gardening and garden history. He has produced designs for gardens and planting schemes for herbaceous borders for everything from tiny front gardens to large maze gardens. He is Chairman of the Lincolnshire branch of the Cottage Garden Society and has written three books related to this subject. He runs courses on gardening in many parts of the East Midlands. Stephanie Tod With over seven years’ experience, Steph has helped numerous companies - small and large, achieve their objectives, making the most of social media and bringing a creative and effective twist to online business. As part of her work with milk4childminders, a national provider of free milk to childminders, Steph helped to take Facebook followers from 100 to over 1,000 in just six months and she can help you do the same with your business.

Jackie Murray Sewing was the first skill Jackie learned, Jackie could embroider before she went to school. Having taken early retirement from teaching science Jackie now has the time to indulge in her three passions, plants, textiles and travel. Inevitably they interlink, with plants and travel forming an inspiration for Jackie’s textile work. Jackie really enjoys passing on her skills by running courses in both horticulture and textiles. Mark Schofield Mark Schofield studied Natural Sciences at Durham University and learned field biology at Sussex under David Streeter, author of the Collins Flower Guide. Mark works for the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust surveying and conserving wildflowers and works with local communities and interest groups to encourage re-wilding of public green space and private gardens. Over the last 4 years Mark has run 47 field classes with over 540 attendees to train beginner and intermediate botanists. He has recruited over 250 survey volunteers for the ‘Life on the Verge’ project which has identified extensive new wildlife corridors along roadsides throughout the county. Val Littlewood Val Littlewood is already well known to visitors to Easton Walled Gardens for her British Bee show “Buzz” and for her art workshops. An illustrator, designer and lecturer for many years she has worked for the major publishing companies, as a product designer for the giftware industry and as an art lecturer covering all aspects of illustration design, painting, drawing, printmaking and decorative work, from beginners to degree level. She currently lives and works near Huntingdon and is working on a series of paintings prints and drawings based on the local area …and of course continues her paintings, research and talks on British Bees.

Pete Murray Pete has been a photographer and course tutor for over 30 years and has led botanical and photographic tours for Wildlife Travel and the AGS. His main areas of expertise are plant and landscape photography, particularly taking pictures of plants in their natural habitats, with a particular interest in the alpine flora. He has been awarded RHS and AGS (artistic) gold medals for his photography, as well as supplying images and illustrated articles for publications. Pete uses his experience in photography to help others to develop confidence in using their camera, and to help them to become more consistent and creative in the pictures they take. Alison Walling Alison Walling is a willow artist based in Lincoln with a background in teaching the arts. Alison then moved into Horticulture and Garden Design and started working with Living Willow 14 years ago, studied with several basketmakers and began to use willow for making sculptures. Her work has formed part of two award-winning gardens at Hampton Court Flower Show and commissions include a three-metre high Lincoln Imp for the Cultural Olympiad, woodland animals at Doddington Hall, a living willow maze and Lincoln Red calf for the Lincolnshire Limewoods project, and a large grey seal for a Primary School near the coast. Teaching regularly around the County and giving talks and demonstrations, Alison aims to share her love of willow as a plant worth growing and using, particularly in a County with a rich history associated with the basket making industries. Pam Tatam Pam is a well-known plants woman who has for over 30 years owned and ran Hall Farm Nursery, near Gainsborough. The nursery specialised in producing hardy plants. Hundreds of thousands of plants were propagated on site, largely from cuttings, but also many from seed and from division. The garden was the source of much of the cutting material. In 2011, Pam retired, the nursery closed down, and she is now concentrating on the garden. The nursery sales and growing areas have been absorbed into the garden, increasing its area to about 3 acres, so there is plenty to keep her occupied!

Lucy Dawes Lucy Dawes is a keen gardener, forager and self-sufficiency fan. She has been growing vegetables on and off for over 35 years! At the age of 6 her father showed her how to make a seed drill, mix small seed with sand and sprinkle it in a row covering it lightly with crumbly soil. When she saw what grew she was hooked for life. She has experimented with all sorts of methods and varieties - some more successful than others! Above all she has found that there are few things more rewarding than producing your own food. She is passionately keen that everyone should learn how to grow vegetables, how to use them and most importantly, pass those skills on to the next generation. Julie Burton-Seal / Matthew Seal

Julie Bruton-Seal and Matthew Seal are the authors of Hedgerow Medicine (2008), Kitchen Medicine (2010) and Make Your Own Aphrodisiacs (2012). Julie is a practising medical herbalist, iridologist and natural health practitioner. She is a council member of the Association of Master Herbalists (AMH), edits the quarterly magazine The Herbalist, and is one of the founding organisers of HerbFest, an annual gathering celebrating healing plants and herbal medicine. She is also an artist, photographer and writer. Matthew grew up in a family of gardeners and botanists and, while not following his kinfolk into professional gardening or horticulture, he has never forgotten this early â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;greeningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. He has worked as an editor and writer in books, magazines and newspapers for over forty years, in both the UK and South Africa. He is author of Survive and Thrive in the New South Africa (2000) and founded the Professional Editorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Group there in 1993. He has served as publications director of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP) and is a licentiate in editorial skills of the City & Guilds Institute.

How to find us Easy access from the A1 and centrally located for all major cities in the midlands. Seven miles south of Grantham, just one mile off the A1 north of Colsterworth.

Booking details To book your course please call 01476 530063 or email info@eastonwalledgardens.co.uk or fill in the enclosed application form and return to the address below. The price of your course includes refreshments on arrival and all materials. A list of equipment to bring along will be sent out on booking. If you have any queries then please contact us.

Easton, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG33 5AP

Spring Workshop Week

Telephone: 01476 530063 info@eastonwalledgardens.co.uk