Join professional willow worker and basket maker Nadine Anderson for a one day workshop making a selection of Christmas decorations in rush & willow.  Nadine will have prepared rush and willow and examples of the decorations you could make such as Rush Angels, Stars, Snowflakes, Rush Swags, Willow Snowflakes, Willow Reindeer and Rush Baubles.  Raffia and fine red ribbon will be used for tying off work in the style of traditional Straw decorations, or feel free to bring your own materials for tying off if you prefer.

Join florist Paula Edgington to start your festive season and make your own garden-inspired festive wreath.  No previous experience is needed as you will be taken through the process step-by-step. The wreath will be made from scratch, and will have a moss-based ring.  You will then cover it in a selection of festive evergreen foliages and berries which have been gathered from the Botanic Garden, followed by a choice of decorations from natural pine cones, cinnamon bundles, dried fruit and more, and finally a ribbon to hang it up.

Join florist Paula Edgington to start your festive season and make your own garden-inspired festive wreath.  No previous experience is needed as you will be taken through the process step-by-step. The wreath will be made from scratch, and will have a moss-based ring.  You will then cover it in a selection of festive evergreen foliages and berries which have been gathered from the Botanic Garden, followed by a choice of decorations from natural pine cones, cinnamon bundles, dried fruit and more, and finally a ribbon to hang it up.

Join tutor Jemma Dell as she demonstrates how to create this simple hand stitched Christmas card, perfect for sending to close friends and family.  In this two hour evening course you will learn eight different embroidery stitches and use these in combination with beads, a button and a piece of fabric to create a unique Christmas tree card.  You can then frame your finished embroidery in its card ready to send.  A kit containing everything that you need to make the card will be posted to you in advance of the course.

One might think of our ancient woods as remnants of the original wildwood, but this would be a mistake.  Although they may indeed be descended indirectly from the original forest cover, they have been shaped by centuries of management that was vital because these woods were a key resource for local people.  Boulder-clay woodlands in our region have been especially closely studied and this course will explore how past and present management has created distinctive plant communities with plant species that are often otherwise rare in eastern England, including some that are specialities of ou

Taking inspiration from the Garden, come and join Caroline Henricksen for a fun relaxing and creative day paper collaging flowers.  Caroline will take you through the process she uses to create her botanical collage pieces, starting with you creating your own collage surfaces using paints, foliage, vintage paper, magazines, old books, wallpaper, a toothbrush and scissors.  Just about anything can be used to collage.  Playing with patterns and textures can produce some really interesting and quite beautiful results.  Students are welcome to bring in their own materials that they would like t

This online course introduces learners to the art of choosing the right tree or shrub to suit its garden setting. With a look at how trees and shrubs grow, learners will find out how and why to prune woody plants to get the desired effect. With information about the right time, tools and techniques for pruning as well as plant specific guidance, learners will complete the course feeling confident about the maintenance of woody plants.

Men dominate the established history of plant hunting, but delving deeper, one discovers an astonishing array of female travellers, from cross dressing sailors to ‘diplomatic wives’ and footloose spinster artists, who collected plants from across the continents.

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Take a trip back to the later Middle Ages and find out about the role of plants in medieval medicine.  We’ll explore the medieval view of illness – what were the causes of disease thought to be? And what diseases were common? Who did you go to if you got ill and how did they diagnose you? Our main focus will be on the plants involved in the prevention and treatment of disease.  Today, some of these plants have proven medicinal benefits and also other uses.