2026 Workshops
Natural Garden Structures
with Alison Jenkins
Tuesday 24 February 2026
Friday 27 February 2026
Tuesday 17 March 2026
Friday 20 March 2026
Learning how to work with the natural qualities of materials such as hazel and willow enables you to create practical structures which support or protect your plants whilst also adding visual interest to the garden throughout the year.
We’ll create various small scale plant supports then look at some of the larger structures in place at Damson Farm to discuss how the skills you have learnt may be applied on a bigger scale.
£150.00
For more details click here
Creating a Cutting Garden
with Becky Crowley
Thursday 12 March 2026
Friday 13 March 2026
Learn how to plan and grow a cutting garden with cut flower grower, designer and artist Becky Crowley.
Drawing on her experience at Chatsworth House, Floret Flower Farm and Raby Castle Becky will go through her process for planning a cutting garden to achieve a succession of flowers throughout the year.
£150.00
For more details click here
The Experimental Edible Garden
with Alison Jenkins
Friday 10 April 2026
Friday 15 May 2026
The experimental edible garden looks a little different to a conventional vegetable garden. It’s a bit wilder, looser and soft around the edges. There are fewer straight lines, a lot of flowers and and plenty of unusual, perennial and ornamental edible plants. It’s teeming with life and energy, as insects and birds flit about and nutrient dense food thrives in soil rich with an active ecosystem of microbiology.
Spend the day in a small group of six people exploring different ways to work with edible plants in the garden and come away with some practical ideas about how to apply some of these ideas to your own garden.
£150.00
For more details click here
Soil Ecology
The key to healthy, resilient plant growth
with Eddie Bailey
Friday 8 May 2026
Eddie Bailey is a geologist with a passion for sharing his knowledge of the miraculous microbial life within our soils. In this workshop he will explain the complexities of the soil food web and how an understanding of how it functions can enable gardeners to grow healthier plants.
The day will encompass a look back into deep ecological time, the latest scientific research as well as a practical session on how to assess the health of your soil and undoubtedly lots of lively conversations about compost.
£150.00
For more details click here
The Professional Ecological Gardener
with Sid Hill
Friday 12 June 2026
Saturday 13 June 2026
This one day workshop is for gardeners and designers seeking to strengthen the ecological approach to their work. As the climate and ecological crisis becomes ever more urgent we will explore how to adapt, take on new ideas and inspiration and how to bring your clients with you on this important journey.
Sid has been running his ecological garden and landscaping business for 17 years and is an experienced facilitator who is passionate about supporting others to create beautiful, biodiverse landscapes.
He won a gold medal for the Microbiome Garden for the Chelsea Flower show in 2024 which he co-designed with Chris Hull.
£150.00
For more details click here
Natural Farming
with Joshua Sparkes
Friday 10 July 2026
Joshua Sparkes has been experimenting with innovative approaches to growing food at Birch Farm in Devon over the last five years.
He is passionate about finding creative solutions to the challenges of growing food alongside a thriving ecosystem whilst also running a viable business which supplies year round produce to the local pub, village shop and wider community.
In this workshop he’ll share some of the lessons learnt with this pioneering project. He will discuss the untapped potential of perennial vegetables, experiments with syntropic agriculture, the role of weeds within a diverse polyculture, why he doesn’t use compost and why boosting biodiversity and producing food are of equal priority on the farm.
£150.00
For more details click here.
Wild Cordage
with Alice Fox
Friday 17 July 2026
Alice Fox is a textile artist who works with natural fibres. In this workshop we will gather and process plant material such as nettles, dandelions and brambles to extract the fibre and twist them into string (cordage).
We will learn about the creative ways in which our ancestors transformed plants into beautiful and useful objects and Alice will bring along some examples of how she has used cordage in her art practice
.£150.00
For more details click here
Photo: Tessa Bunney
The Wilder Garden
Adapting the Principles of Rewilding
with Charlie Harpur
Friday 18 September 2026
Can you rewild a garden? Perhaps not, in the purest sense of the term, but there may be much to learn from looking into how to adapt the principles of rewilding on a smaller scale.
Charlie Harpur is Head Gardener of the Walled Garden at the Knepp Estate. He’ll be here to share the methods they are using to design and manage the garden to maximise biodiversity, create complex habitats and to allow a dynamic ecosystem to flourish.
£150.00
For more details click here
Photo: Andrew Montgomery
Wild Remedies
Foraging for herbal medicine
with Maria Fernandez Garcia
Friday 25 September 2026
Foraging is an ancient practice. We have been walking through landscapes, gathering wild berries, leaves and roots for food and medicine for thousands of years. We would have had an intimate knowledge of the healing properties of a rich diversity of plants in our hedgerows, woodlands and meadows but this has now been largely lost.
Join Maria from Healing Weeds to reclaim some of this ancient knowledge. We’ll learn about the folklore surrounding some of our wild plants, how to safely identify edible from toxic plants, forage from the garden, fields and hedgerows at Damson Farm and spend the afternoon making soothing balms and immune tonics for you to take home.
£150.00
For more details click here
Photo: Tom Bright
Visual Story Telling
Developing a personal style in garden photography
with Eva Nemeth
Thursday 8 October 2026
Friday 9 October 2026
In this one day workshop Eva Nemeth will explore the art of visual story telling. She describes her approach as ‘quiet observation’ and says that it’s not so much about the equipment you use but developing a personal way of looking. The aim of the day will be to help you find your own focus to set you on the path to capture your own unique stories.
This is an advanced workshop, suitable for those already familiar with the settings on their DSLR or mirrorless cameras.
£170.00
For more details click here
Photo: Eva Nemeth
Botanical Monprinting
with Allie Sylvester
Wednesday 21 October 2026
Create delicately detailed prints using plant material gathered from the garden at Damson Farm. A day to immerse yourself amongst the intricate structures of seed heads, leaf veining and stem textures that autumn reveals.
You’ll create a number of different prints to take home and Allie will show you different ways you can enliven them with watercolours, inks and other painting and drawing techniques.
£150.00
For more details click here
Experimental Drawing
with Allie Sylvester
Thursday 22 October 2026
A day to rediscover drawing as a playful practice to spark your creative flow. Through intuitive mark making and a rich variety of materials Allie will guide you through a series of exploratory exercises to encourage a loose and spontaneous approach and nurture your confidence.
An opportunity to immerse yourself in a creative process, whether you are a complete beginner or have some experience but are looking for a fresh approach.
£150.00
For more details click here
Experimental Painting
with Allie Sylvester
Friday 23 October 2026
Stencilling, scraffito, salt texturing and bleaching are amongst the many creative painting techniques Allie will teach to achieve a wide variety of subtle, intriguing effects. A really fun, relaxing day to experiment and enjoy.
We’ll be taking inspiration from the textured planting and patinated surfaces out in the garden at Damson Farm. Mossy walls, lichened stone, vintage galvanised planters and foliage all reveal intricate tones and textures on close inspection.
Suitable for all levels of experience.
£150.00
For more details click here.