The Land Gardeners
Guest Blog post from Lancaster & Cornish
Henrietta Courtauld and Bridget Elworthy established The Land Gardeners to research about plant and soil health through growing, cutting and designing. They grow organic English cut flowers in Oxfordshire. Each week buckets of blooms are delivered to London florists, local markets and individual clients.
They design productive gardens; wild romantic and joyful; choosing plants which can be picked for cut flowers, for cooking - vegetables, fruit, herbs, edible flowers - for medicinal purposes and for dyeing. They are passionate about walled gardens, their historical use and the important role they can play in our future.
Their interest and knowledge on plants for dyeing led to a collaboration this summer on a wonderful workshop dyeing silk ribbon with Lancaster & Cornish in Cornwall. Foraging for berries, flowers and leaves in the walled garden of Bokelly, south east Cornwall, they hosted an event for adults and children, inviting Sian Cornish to talk about the dyeing process and facilitate in producing some amazing results with plants on silk and vinegar on ribbons and organic calico bags.
The Land Gardeners run their own workshops, exploring healthy plants, healthy soil and bio-diverse, living gardens.
They will be talking at the Selvedge Indigo & the Art of Natural Dyeing Event next March at The Duchy of Cornwall Nursery, at end of the workshops on Friday 18th March. We look forward to welcoming them and learning more about Planting a Dyers Garden.
