Garden House Brighton

plant out half-hardy annuals…

editor — Thu, 17 May 2012 23:58:41 +0000

Once half-hardy annual seedlings have been hardened off they can be planted out, providing there is no cold wind. Water the seedlings well before you plant them.

Drawing with Pastels Workshop

editor — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:55:58 +0000

Explore the joy of working with pastels with illustrator Debbie Hinks, taking inspiration from the beautiful Garden House garden.

Working entirely from life you will learn how to use chalk pastel to create light, tone, colour and texture. There will be demonstrations and plenty of one to one advice. Experiment with different papers and use pastel sticks and pastel pencils to create evocative, spontaneous yet well observed drawings. All materials will be supplied.

Debbie has been an illustrator for over twenty years, she also teaches life drawing and mark making at Northbrook College, Worthing. To find out more go to www.debbiehinks.com and www.debbieportraits.com

Illustration: White Orchid, pastel and acrylic on Ingres paper

Cost: £60 – to include a delicious homemade lunch and a glass of wine! The workshop will start at 10.30pm and finish at approx. 3.30pm. Spaces are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.

Location: The Garden House, 5 Warleigh Road, Brighton BN1 4NT.

grow aubergine or pepper plants…

editor — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:55:26 +0000

If you have not sown your own, buy aubergine and sweet pepper plants to be grown on in the greenhouse. Aubergines should be grown 60cm (2′) apart while peppers should be spaced every 45cm (1.5′).

lift my tulips!

editor — Tue, 15 May 2012 23:54:22 +0000

Lift tulips to provide space for other plants. Put the bulbs into a spare piece of ground until the leaves have withered then store them dry until planting out again in the autumn.

Paper Art at The Garden House AOH

editor — Tue, 15 May 2012 23:08:18 +0000

Showing at The Garden House’s first Artists Open House, are several very talented paper artists.

Jo Coles creates highly detailed mini sculptures carved from the pages of books. Also delightfully whimsical figures and miniature installations created from found objects, both natural and man-made. www.jocoles.com

Jane Robbins led a very popular workshop at The Garden House earlier this year. Jane works in paper collage, combining a life long interest in flat pattern, patchwork and found objects, and mixing them together to produce new decorative images. With her printmaker’s eye she find patterns everywhere – magazines, packaging, even the insides of envelopes but mainly in newspapers.

“I might use a picture of a flock of birds to cut out the shape of a cloud or a skyscraper might become the veins of a leaf, a check shirt may become a building. I often forget what they were originally – they take on a new life of their own.” Jane sells original works, giclee prints, greetings cards and posters at exhibitions and shows around the UK. She also works to commission. Some of her most popular work features her take on the Sussex landscape.

Rebecca Spence is a maker of elegant embossed greetings cards. Her simple white or cream cards and notelets are ideal for any occasion – birthdays, thanks you notes, invitations, christenings/naming days and weddings etc.

While Nikki Ward’s greetings cards feature beautiful plates from a butterfly identification book published in the 1970s. They are hand-made with delicate hand-cut 3-D elements, and are created by Nikki’s company, Pullo, based in Brighton and dedicated to making up-cycled products. www.pullo.co.uk

keep on top of weeds!

editor — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:51:51 +0000

If you have planted young trees over the winter or in the early spring make sure they are kept free of weeds – competition from other plants can hinder their development at this stage. Mulching is one way of keeping them weed free.

sow attractive winter bedding plants…

editor — Sun, 13 May 2012 23:08:08 +0000

Sow attractive winter bedding plants such as ornamental cabbages in 8cm (3″) pots at a temperature of 18 degrees C (65 degrees F) and pot on when large enough to handle. they can then be kept outside.

feed my spring-flowering bulbs…

editor — Sat, 12 May 2012 23:06:09 +0000

Spring-flowering bulbs have finished by now and it is time to give them a good feed to encourage better flowers next year. If dry, water the fertiliser in well.

thin my gooseberries…

editor — Fri, 11 May 2012 23:04:19 +0000

If your gooseberries have set well, thin them out by removing those large enough to be used for cooking and freezing. The rest can be left to mature for dessert use.

cut back aubretia and alyssum…

editor — Thu, 10 May 2012 23:02:21 +0000

Plants such as aubretia and alyssum can become bare in the middle. If so, cut them back quite hard and then feed them. This will encourage new growth.