Creating Christmas Garlands at Bristol Zoo

We were at Bristol Zoo yesterday with the Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project running a workshop on Creating Christmas Garlands.  Mandy Leivers, the education officer, kindly hosted this event , and we spent a lovely day making some really beautiful fireplace and staircase swags and walking on the Downs learning about the history and folklore that surrounds the foliage we use at Christmas.l   This is the first time we have run this swag workshop and it was a great success with everyone taking home beautiful work.  It really was a good day.   

This is the third year that greengarland have worked with the Project and we are very proud to be associated with them. The Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project is in its tenth year and is a collaboration funded  by Bristol City Council, Bristol Zoo Gardens, Natural England, University of Bristol, Society of Merchant Venturers, the Downs Committee and the Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation, and work in partnership with the National Trust (phew). Their work celebrates the outstanding wildlife interests of the Avon Gorge and Downs and works to secure its future.



Mandy has inspired almost a whole generation of children (including mine who are now in their mid-teens) to appreciate and enjoy the diversity and uniqueness of the Downs.  My garden is full of insect hides and bird boxes that my boys have made on some of Mandy's courses when they were younger, and we have as a family spent many happy hours listening for birds, hugging trees, hunting for rare moths and identifying some of the unique species that grow there on the wide range of walks, talks and courses that they run all year round.

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It really was a lovely day.  Thanks again to Mandy..... I even got to pay a visit to my very favourite tree. Here it is..(the snow is from 2010....)  It was merely very chilly yesterday and I did not take the camera.

We are currently looking at dates for 2012 to run this event again at the Zoo, so hopefully some of the folk that we could not fit onto this year's workshop can come next year.  We will put the date on the Events page as soon as we can.   

Blue spruce swags on English handmade rope

English handmade rope

In preparation for the workshop that The Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project are hosting for us at Bristol Zoo on Saturday 10th I bought some really beautiful handmade Manila rope from Neil at the Traditional Rope Company in Norfolk.    Having ordered a whole coil, then had a sleepless night wondering quite how big 220m of rope would be and where quite I would store it.  Never mind.  It is so beautiful that it is currently stored in my sitting room - it is such a lovely thing - if you put a glass top on it it would make a good coffee table.

I am going to take the coil whole to the workshop and we can then cut exact lengths to make our staircase and  fireplace swags.  Will try to get some photos on the day.  This workshop is now fully booked but I am still taking orders for swags for local delivery in North and North West Bristol (until I use up all the rope.. .)  Details are on the website.   

Really looking forward to the day which includes a walk with Mandy Leivers on the Downs.  Just to get a taste for what we are aiming for, here is one I made earlier....

Getting ready for the workshops

Just limbering up for the workshop season.  Really looking forward to all of the sessions that we are doing this year with both the University of Bristol Botanic Gardens and the Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project.  

We are doing two sessions on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th in the Potting Shed at the Botanic Gardens making fresh traditional Christmas Wreaths.   If ever there was a perfect place to spend an afternoon making something lovely that is it.  And its warm....

New this year is a day at Bristol Zoo making traditional blue spruce swags to decorate fireplaces and staircases on Saturday 10th December.  We are going to make a day of it with a walk on the Downs after lunch with Mandy Leivers, the Education Officer at the Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project talking about the history and folklore of the foiliage used for Christmas decoration.  Last year we did that walk after a heavy snowfall the day before and the temperature was well below zero even in the afternoon, so we were very happy to get back for tea and cake after..
 
More details are on the website.  There are a few places left so come and join us if you can....

a warm welcome to our Clifton Life readers

been a great week.  About to take delivery of our first batch of Welsh blue pine to start working on samples and our first order of wreaths  for delivery to The Better Food Company in Clifton later in the month.  The rope for our swags is on order from Neil in Norfolk too so its really starting to feel a lot like Christmas.

The Clifton Life article is out. Jamie Oliver on the cover and greengarland on page 11 with an interview for their regular GreenLife feature, all good stuff.

We are coming to the end of the hydrangea season and they have been selling very quickly. Hopefully we should have a few left for the markets in December but if the frost comes that will be all the hydrangeas until next year.

  the secateurs are being sharpened and we are nearly ready for the season.  Come join us..  

Orange and Cinnamon Wreath

Orange and Cinnamon Wreath

 Been making bases for this year's wreaths with some good willow from my mother's garden.  Its very easy to work with right now and doesn't need soaking.  It really is starting to feel like Christmas is coming.  
This Orange and Cinnamon Wreath was a big seller in 2010.  With the cold and the snow last Christmas season we decided that we should leave most of the holly berries to the birds and made these instead.  These smell gorgeous with Welsh Blue Spruce, perhaps Juniper or Bay depending on what is cut  and good on the day, and decorated with Orange slices and Cinnamon sticks.          
     

These we send in beautiful red gift boxes by post all over the UK.  They make lovely presents for family and friends with handwritten messages on greengarland gift cards.  Those first two weeks of December are going to be very busy.....  

Hydrangea Wreaths

Yes - its that time of year again.  Been all day making heart hydrangea wreaths and some round ones too.  There are not so many good coloured hydrangeas this year.  I could go into detail but probably not for here.  Anyhow, the ones that we do have are good.  Really dark red ones and lovely raspberry pink.   They wont be in stock for long as they do sell out fast.  All made on willow and dogwood bases and hand tied with jute.
All the ladybirds carefully removed and taken back into the garden.....

 
All this has been distracting me slightly from the imminent arrival of the new greengarland website.  Have seen one sneak preview and J has done a great job.   Can't wait....

Coming over all autumnal....

harvest herb wreath

Got up early this morning to cut materials for this harvest wreath, commissioned by a customer in Westbury Park having a big celebration this evening, and looking for a statement piece for their kitchen wall, the table being too full of party food to take a decoration.  We incorporated some materials from their garden (lavender, fennel, rosemary) and made this harvest celebration wreath using all edible flowers and herbs.  The borage, calendula and sunflower buds all good at the moment, and, having done the Chelsea Chop to the herb bed, so was the lemon balm and oregano - all added to a base of bay leaves and dill.

There really was an autumnal feel about the garden;  the spiders weaving webs between the artichokes on one side of the path and the hop shed on the other, so walking through to the cutting patch a slightly edgy experience. The winds this week have given the garden a bit of a battering - the Horse Chestnut trees on the Downs are raining conkers and their leaves turning from green to red.  I like this time of year. After all, Christmas is coming....

This afternoon is the Westbury on Trym Flower Show  and we are exhibiting in the XXL categories with our marrows and pumpkins from the allotment at Canford.  Also have fingers crossed for some glory in the jam and marmalade classes with some Summer Berry Jam and Kumquat Marmalade, made from the left overs from the last year' s wreath making workshops at the Botanic Gardens.    Never was there so little at stake....  Will take the camera....