A Year Full of Flowers: Gardening for all seasons with Sarah Raven

Colour and scent are the hallmarks of Sarah's style - and they are simple luxuries that everyone can bring into their garden.

On this day course, she (with her Head Gardener Josie, who will teach the practical skills needed in the afternoon) will give you inspiration, planting ideas and expert advice for a beautiful garden all year round. Sarah will show you her favourites of the hardworking varieties that make the garden sing. See all you've been taught come to life on a Perch Hill garden tour, as well as plenty of time to privately explore the gardens.

Based on one of her latest books, tracing the year from January to December at her home, Perch Hill, Sarah offers a complete and transporting account of a garden crafted over decades. Sharing the lessons learned from years of plant trials, she explains the methods that have worked for her, and shows you how to achieve a space that's full of life and colour.

Discover long-lasting, divinely scented tulips, roses that keep flowering through much of summer and well into autumn, the most magnificent dahlias and show-stopping alliums, as well as how to grow sweet peas up a teepee, take cuttings, and stop mildew in its tracks. This is passionate, life-enriching gardening; it's also simple, adaptable and can work for you. Sarah has made the garden central to her life - this course shows you how you can too.

• This course is taught by Sarah with assistance from Josie, her head gardener.
• It is a lecture with slides format, with some practical demos with Josie.
• It is held at Perch Hill Farm, Brightling, Robertsbridge, East Sussex, TN32 5HP.
• The day lasts from 10.30am - 4pm including tea/coffee on arrival.

Itinerary

Arrival from 10am for a 10:30am start
Coffee/tea and home-made biscuits served from 10:00 in the glasshouse.

Morning session 1: 10:30am - 11:30am
Meet Sarah and Josie —Perch Hill’s head gardener and the team. Sarah will guide you through the plants she uses to fill her garden at Perch Hill with flowers, scent and colour for SPRING and how to grow them. Based on 25 years of plant trials and experimenting with different growing methods, Sarah will show you all she’s learnt.

Coffee/tea and home-made cake: 11:30am - 11:50am

Morning session 2: 11:50am - 1pm
Sarah will guide you through the plants she uses to fill her garden at Perch Hill with flowers, scent and colour for SUMMER and AUTUMN and how to grow them.

Two course lunch 1pm - 2:15pm
Served in the greenhouse. Using recipes from Sarah's cookbooks and produce from the garden wherever we can. This is served with home-made cordial. Please contact events_srcg@thecuttinggarden.com if you have any special dietary requirements. There will be time for shopping, and for private wandering in the gardens at Perch Hill.

Demo: 2:15pm - 3:15pm
Covering lots of practical skills including propagation, pest and disease control, and staking, Josie will take you through the practical skills you need for time-efficient flower and colour production. She will also demonstrate how we propagate many of our plants from seeds and cuttings.

Q&A: 3:15pm - 3:30pm
Q&A with Sarah and Josie to clear up any queries you might still have.

Private wander around the garden: 3:30pm - 4pm
Time for a private wander around the garden and shopping and refreshments in the Perch Hill shop.

Day ends at 4pm

Directions to Perch Hill

From the M25
Turn off the M25 (junction 5) onto the A21 for Sevenoaks / Hastings, heading south. In good traffic conditions, the journey from this junction to Perch Hill Farm will take approximately one hour. Bypass Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and Pembury and continue on the A21 to Hurst Green. Turn right on the A265, signposted to Lewes. Go through Etchingham and continue to Burwash. Turn left by the church in Burwash follow this road down for 3 miles until you get to the crossroads at the top of the hill. Turn right into Willingford Lane (signposted Burwash Weald). Perch Hill Farm is on your right about ½ mile from the crossroads. Follow signs for Car Parking.

From a southerly direction
If you are approaching us from the direction of the coast via Battle take the B2096 Battle to Heathfield road. Go through Netherfield and on to Woods Corner. At The Swan Inn, on your left, turn right (signposted to Brightling) and follow the road for about ¾ mile, take the first left and go up the hill and turn first left into Willingford Lane. Follow the road down into the valley about ½ mile from the crossroads you will see Perch Hill Farm on your right. Follow signs for Car Parking.

From a westerly direction
If you’re coming in from the direction of Heathfield on the A265 travel through the town, up the hill and straight across the traffic lights, take the next right hand turn signposted to Battle (B2096). Continue through Punnett’s Town, Three Cups and on to Woods Corner. You will pass on the left a raised pathway and village post office just before a staggered crossroads with The Swan Inn on the opposite side. Turn left here and follow the road for about three-quarters of a mile, take the first left and go up the hill and turn first left into Willingford Lane. Follow the road down into the valley about ½ mile from the crossroads you will see Perch Hill Farm on your right. Follow signs for Car Parking.

Cancellations and refunds

If you are unable to attend a course/event you have booked and paid for:
A friend or family member is welcome to attend in your place. You will need to provide us with their name, dietary requirements and contact email address/phone number as soon as possible prior to the course/event date.

If we receive 8 weeks notice or more:
Sarah Raven's Cutting Garden Ltd will refund the full cost of your course/event.

If we receive more than 4 weeks notice:
Sarah Raven's Cutting Garden Ltd will transfer you to another suitable course/event of the same value. In this instance this must be a straight swap onto another course we have availability on within the same season. I,e no more than 6 weeks from the original course date booked. Furthermore, we are unable to carry course credits over to the following calendar year. Please note, we cannot issue vouchers to spend on other products at sarahraven.com.

If we receive less than 4 weeks notice:
We are unable to offer a refund or transfer as we have inadequate time to re-sell the place. A friend or family member is welcome to attend in your place. If you find you are unable to attend a Course with less than 4 weeks’ notice, please call us so we may advise further. A course/event place purchased as a gift carries the same cancellation policy. The course value cannot be transferred over to use on Sarah Raven products.

If we need to cancel a course/event:
Sarah Raven's Cutting Garden Ltd may cancel any course/event due to illness or very low numbers, and you will then have the option of a transfer to another course/event of the same value or a full refund of your payment.

Contacting us

For all enquiries contact events_srcg@thecuttinggarden.com.