About the event

New to gardening or keen to refresh your skills? This workshop introduces how to create a garden that is both beautiful and provides space for nature.

Part of a series of workshops, this event will celebrate winter gardening.

To start, our Wild About Gardens Officer will talk us through the basics of creating a wildlife-friendly garden, including:

• The benefits of a wildlife-friendly garden.
• What plants to choose and how to maintain them with nature in mind.
• Creating wildlife habitats in your outside space.
• Incorporating water into your garden.
• What to do with your lawn/mini-meadow.
• Naturally managing 'pests' in the garden.
• Reducing waste in your garden.

We'll also have a look at what can be done over the winter months, including:

• Winter flowering plants.
• Seeds to sow during the winter.
• Winter garden 'jobs'
• Winter habitats and food in the garden.

Our Nature Parks & Gardens Development Officer will then take us out into the gardens at Tyland Barn to demonstrate the principles we've discussed in action and provide a tour of the garden's autumn and winter highlights.

This will be followed by a hands-on activity. For this winter workshop, we will be sowing sweet pea seeds which you can take home to watch germinate and grow (or leave in our polytunnel if you don't have a suitable space!). We'll also sow some microgreens for you to take home, giving you a supply of fresh, homegrown greens, even in the winter.

The first part of the workshop will take place indoors, before we head outside for the tour and activity. Please dress appropriately for both, and remember we'll be doing some planting- you may like to bring a pair of gardening gloves if you have them, or let us know if you're a complete beginner and would like to borrow a pair. We'll go ahead in most weathers, but may need to postpone in the case of a severe forecast.