Courses at Barnsdale Gardens this Autumn
This autumn and winter at Barnsdale Gardens sees a wide variety of courses – not just gardening.
With the sun shining over Rutland today and hopefully the chance to get out in the garden this evening, it has reminded me that I haven’t had the chance to visit Barnsdale Gardens yet this summer as we have been somewhat preoccupied with renovating the cottage!
A quick glance on the Barnsdale Gardens brought my attention to a whole array of courses that they offer throughout the year too, many of which are very tempting. It is also fantastic to see such a variety of courses offered – not just gardening but also photography, painting, design and even Christmas wreath making! I have listed the courses from September onwards below, taken from the Barnsdale Gardens website http://www.barnsdalegardens.co.uk/courses-events/barnsdale-courses. All courses can be booked online at that link or by calling Barnsdale Gardens on 01572 813200.
Watercolour Painting Day – Sunlit Garden 11 September 10.30am-4pm £67.00 Tutor: Sandra Peck Follow a step-by-step demonstration to paint this beautiful scene, with minimum fuss and lots of drippy paint.
Composting 26 September 10.30am-12.30pm £18.00 Tutor: Nick Hamilton Being able to compost all that free material that we generate at home and in the garden is an exciting thought. This course will show you how! We look at what can and cannot be composted, the requirements of a compost heap, activators, turning a heap and the pros and cons of each type of compost bin.
Preparing Your Garden for Winter 27 September 10am-12.30pm £18.00 Tutor: Nick Hamilton Although the term, ‘putting your garden to bed for winter’ no longer really applies there are a lot of jobs that need to be done before winter descends. Part tutorial and part looking at specific jobs in the Gardens, this is a practical guide for any gardener.
Rose Pruning 3 October 10.30am-12.30pm £18.00 Tutor: Jon Brocklebank This practical course, led by our Head Gardener, Jon, illustrates how and when each type of rose should be pruned using simple step-by-step demonstrations.
Watercolour Painting Day – Boats and Reflections 9 October 10.30am-4pm £67.00 Tutor: Sandra Peck Capture this typical Norfolk coastal scene and learn how detail may be just suggested and reflections made easy with the use of gum arabic.
Introduction to Growing Organic Vegetables 8 October 10.30am-3.30pm £60 Tutor: Nick Hamilton This one-day course is aimed at both gardening novices and those who want to know more about growing vegetables organically. The day begins by looking at organic principles, soil types, nutrients and organic fertilisers. After lunch in the Barnsdale Tea Room, we look at various organic matters and the pros and cons of each, pest and disease problems and how to cope with them organically and finally, how to achieve effective crop rotation. The course combines classroom learning with practical, ‘on the vegetable plot’ discussions and there is full set of hand-outs provided at the end of the day.
Growing Soft Fruit 11 October 10.30am–12.30pm £18.00 Tutor: Nick Hamilton This course looks at a wide range of soft fruit that can be grown fresh in the garden and covers soil requirements, aspect, growing conditions, training and pruning. The day starts with a tutorial before moving out into the Gardens to consider the soft fruits grown at Barnsdale.
Autumn at Barnsdale 14 October 10:30am – 12:30pm £18.00 Tutor: Nick Hamilton Take a special guided tour around the Gardens with Nick Hamilton at this colourful time of year. Nick will consider all the individual Gardens and adjoining borders and will point out some of his favourite specimens, as well as the plants and trees that are particularly noteworthy at this time of year.
Pruning Shrubs 16 October 10.30am-12.30pm £18.00 Tutor: Jon Brocklebank Our Head Gardener, Jon Brocklebank, tackles the gardening task that seems to be feared by most in this practical two-hour session. Jon demonstrates how to prune shrubs in each of the various pruning groups by working on plants in Barnsdale Gardens, highlighting any special techniques as he goes along.
Simple Garden Design 17 October 7pm-9pm £18.00 Tutor: Adam Frost The aim of this short course is to give attendees the knowledge and confidence to carry out some basic garden design for their own outdoor spaces. The tutor, Adam Frost, is a Chelsea Gold Medal winning garden designer and is also an expert landscape gardener, which makes him one of the very best in his field.
Vegetables all the Year Round 17 October 10am-3.30pm £60 Tutor: Nick Hamilton This full-day course, aimed at both experienced and novice vegetables growers, combines classroom learning with practical, ‘on the vegetable plot’ discussions to provide the knowledge to achieve year-round produce from the garden. The course starts by considering the vegetables that can be had every month of the year, either fresh from the garden or from stored produce. Different vegetables and specific varieties that contribute to an earlier or longer season are considered as well as the important topic of propagation by seed. Nick takes the class through growing in beds using the mild and hot bed system, crop storage, the importance of catch crops, as well as materials that can be used to extend the growing season. At the end of the course, attendees will be able to plan and implement a cropping programme that will give them vegetables all year round.
Garden Photography 21 October 9.30am-4.30pm £67.00 Tutor: Hemant Jariwala Hemant Jariwala’s one-day introductory course is ideal for both occasional and enthusiast photographers who would like to take away memories of the special places they have visited. You will develop an understanding of garden design and how to express this as a photographic composition – formal or private. Hemant uses examples from his own portfolio to introduce this concept, and you will be able to put some of these ideas into practice around Barnsdale’s beautiful and varied gardens.
RHS Vegetables all the Year Round 25 October 10am-3.30pm. RHS Members – £40.00 Non-members – £50.00 Tutor: Nick Hamilton This full-day course, aimed at both experienced and novice vegetables growers, combines classroom learning with practical, ‘on the vegetable plot’ discussions to provide the knowledge to achieve year-round produce from the garden. The course starts by considering the vegetables that can be had every month of the year, either fresh from the garden or from stored produce. Different vegetables and specific varieties that contribute to an earlier or longer season are considered as well as the important topic of propagation by seed. Nick takes the class through growing in beds using the mild and hot bed system, crop storage, the importance of catch crops, as well as materials that can be used to extend the growing season. At the end of the course, attendees will be able to plan and implement a cropping programme that will give them vegetables all year round. Lunch is not included in the cost. Please note: A valid RHS Membership Card will be required on the day to validate members the tickets.
Plant Propagation 6 November 10.30am-12.30pm £18.00 Tutor: Nick Hamilton This course covers the different forms of vegetative plant propagation; stem cuttings, root cutting, leaf cuttings, division and layering. In- and outdoor practical demonstrations include a wide range of plants and, at the end the session, attendees will have the knowledge and confidence to be able to propagate almost any plant in their garden using the methods shown.
Watercolour Painting Day – Snow Geese 8 November 10.30am-4pm £67.00 Tutor: Sandra Peck How to easily portray these delightful birds in loose watercolour, giving them individual character and charm.
Two Day Garden Design Course 10-11 November 9.30am-5pm £195.00 For full details of this practical course, covering all you need to create your own unique garden design contact the course tutors; award-winning garden designers, Adam Frost (01572 813151), or David Stevens (01280 821097).
Pruning Fruit Trees 13 November 10.30am-12.30pm £18.00 Tutor: Nick Hamilton The subject of pruning seems to send fear through the hearts of most gardeners. The tutorial and practical demonstrations included in this course will provide attendees with the basic knowledge and confidence they need to train and prune a wide range of fruit trees, including; apples, pears, plums, cherries, peaches, apricots, nectarines and figs.
Pruning Fruit Trees 13 November 2pm-4pm £18.00 Tutor: Nick Hamilton The subject of pruning seems to send fear through the hearts of most gardeners. The tutorial and practical demonstrations included in this course will provide attendees with the basic knowledge and confidence they need to train and prune a wide range of fruit trees, including; apples, pears, plums, cherries, peaches, apricots, nectarines and figs.
Christmas Wreath Making Workshop 25 November 10.30am-12.30pm £25.00 Tutor: Sue Jarvis Come and be shown how to make a beautiful natural wreath to take home. This relaxed and friendly morning course includes detailed demonstrations, festive refreshments and all materials – a lovely way to start the holiday season.
Watercolour Painting – Simple Cards 6 December 10.30am-4pm £67.00 Tutor: Sandra Peck Come and paint your own Christmas cards from a selection of seasonal favourites, each design easy to achieve. Lots of inspiration.
If you travelling to the area to visit Barnsdale Gardens and are looking for self-catering accommodation then Puddle Cottage could be for you. Puddle Cottage is situated on the south shore of Rutland Water (just a short walk from the banks of the reservoir and the Rutland Sailing Club) and is only 6 miles away from Barnsdale Gardens. The location also means that Stamford, Oakham and Uppingham are only 8 miles away. The cottage is a recently refurbished one bedroomed character cottage – the bedroom can be presented as having one super king-sized bed or two full sized single beds. The cottage was built in 1849 and whilst keeping all the characteristics of an old cottage, such as exposed brickwork and timber as well as an open fire, it also has all the modern facilities you would expect such as a large flat screen TV with Freeview and DVD player, as well as a washing machine, dishwasher and free WIFI access. We are also very proud that Puddle Cottage was awarded its 4 star accreditation by the Quality in Tourism Board this week for self –catering accommodation. The cottage also welcomes well behaved dogs and has many fantastic walks locally.
If you are looking for 4 star self catering accommodation in Rutland, close to Barnsdale Gardens and for accommodation near Rutland Water, please e/mail enquiries@puddle-cottage.co.uk or contact Anna on 07734175291.