'Design & Planting Tips for a small Garden' with Shelagh Todd - lecturer, garden designer & plantswoman.

10.00am to 4.30pm 

£85 inc tasty home made lunch, fresh coffee and cream tea
Material Charges: £5 to cover soil testing kits etc to Shelagh on the day

 

Design and Planting Tips for a Small Garden with Cumbrian Based lecturer, garden designer & plantswoman Shelagh Todd.

 Shelagh is widely known and highly respected throughout Cumbria's gardening fraternity. She has been both the familiar face, and  'lead' of Horticulture at Newton Rigg for well over 30 years, and we are thrilled to welcome her to our 2025 Quirky programme. She brings a wealth of gardening expertise and teaching experience, which over the years, will have gently inspired (literally) thousands of 'would-be gardeners’ to create and nurture their own individual outdoor spaces.

 

During this one day course Shelagh will share garden design advice, hints and tips on how you can make the most of your small garden. We will explore how you can  achieve atmospheric and all year interest in your small space.

Subjects covered:

• Site assessment
• Design inspiration for small spaces
• A walk & talk around the gardens at Poplin Dub created over the last 25 years.
• Privacy & screening solutions for a small space
• Choosing the right plants for a small space

By the end of the day you will have:

• An understanding of how to choose the correct plants for your small garden
• A list of plants that will create impact and interest but not outgrow their space
• A list of plants that are suitable for the atmosphere that you want to create

 

Dates for this course - see the table below to book:

Thursday 28th May 2026    (just after Chelsea Flower Show)

Please bring:  £5 to cover soil testing kit. Waterproofs if needed to explore outside, plus a phone or camera for taking photographs and some paper/ pen for taking notes.  Typcially this course runs with approx 10-12 students.

 About the Artist Shelagh has over 40 years experience in the horticultural industry. Her most recent role was as Head of Horticulture and Garden Design at the School of Horticulture based at Lowther Castle and Gardens (established July 2021). Prior to this she was Head of Horticulture, Forestry & Floristry and a horticultural & garden design lecturer at Newton Rigg College, Penrith, Cumbria. Her career has seen her working in gardens all over the UK from Achamore Gardens on the Isle of Gigha in Argyllshire, Scotland to Merrist Wood College in Surrey. A highlight in her career was being a member of the teams that won gold and silver medals at the Chelsea Flower Show. She also won the ‘Cumbrian Lecturer of the Year’ in the Golden Apple Awards in 2010. Shelagh had the great honour of being The President of the Lakeland Horticultural Society based at Holehird Gardens near Windermere.

Shelagh feels her greatest achievement and inspiration has always been to teach people of all ages and abilities to learn practical skills and grow a knowledge and love of plants.

Some informal 'post -it' notes feedback from one of Shelagh's previous courses

 What did you enjoy most?

• Everything was wonderful !
• Fantastic!
• Inspirational!
• Passionately taught by Shelagh
• Excellent, Inspirational & Therapeutic
• Built my confidence to design my own garden borders
• The structure of the 2 day course, the location & of course Shelagh!
• Engaging with the gardens around the Quirky Workshop Barn especially the wildlife pond & wildflower meadow
• A wonderful, in depth, thought provoking course and perfectly delivered by Shelagh
• Guided walks around Annies Garden
• Learning about my soil & how to improve it
• Building my confidence on how to select & use plants in my own Cumbrian garden
• Shelagh’s vast wealth of knowledge & experience
• Meeting like-minded people who enjoy talking about gardens & plants & sharing their own experiences
• Annies quirky & creative garden
• Gathering inspirational ideas & now having the confidence to implement the ideas in my own garden