Botanic Shed

Botanic Shed Botanic Shed creates sanctuaries - we are a community of gardeners and healers developing gardens and running events. Lara Cowan

Through expert design, consultancy, and nature-based experiences, we reconnect people with the healing power of the natural world. Botanic Shed membership will help you move towards a brighter future, by focusing on the power of nature. You will collaborate with world-class members, and learn to heal and grow through a range of nature-based therapies and ideas. Through nature connection, we hope to help you to build new neurological pathways to sooth your mind and protect your well-being whilst empowering your existing personal strengths. "If every person could take a non-negotiable 1 hour out of each day and spend it outdoors in nature, deepening that innate connection we have with it then stress and depression levels would plummet."

26/02/2026

It’s not all silence, but it is all slow.
Talking starts at 22 seconds.
Cosmos and Nasturtiums are being sown tonight.
Cosmos White Psyche - easy to grow, super long flowering
Nasturtium Purple Emperor - easy to grow, beautiful colour, sow plenty so groups can be used as sacrificial crop for the caterpillars to enjoy!

Welcome to my perfect little lunch spot today. This old mossy stump is on a verge but I love them in the garden too I on...
26/02/2026

Welcome to my perfect little lunch spot today. This old mossy stump is on a verge but I love them in the garden too
I only with I could share with you the sentiment in my heart that this scene gave me. A very good case in point for leaving tree stumps (short and tall) in the garden.

Sunset frolicking with one of my besties - Roman you are one very kind man.
24/02/2026

Sunset frolicking with one of my besties - Roman you are one very kind man.

Snugs (Zacarooni) gardening with in lock down ❤️
22/02/2026

Snugs (Zacarooni) gardening with in lock down ❤️

Hope springs out of my Hellebore bowlthrough the Hyacinth bulbs, the Iris colours and the cherry blossom
21/02/2026

Hope springs out of my Hellebore bowl
through the Hyacinth bulbs, the Iris colours and the cherry blossom

Mum says I remind her of her Mum when I visit. Granny loved nature as much as I do. And she loved lace and delicate tabl...
20/02/2026

Mum says I remind her of her Mum when I visit. Granny loved nature as much as I do.
And she loved lace and delicate table cloths. Winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) and Japanese quince (Chaenomeles xsuperba Pink Lady) are signalling in hope - hallelujah.

18/02/2026

I just couldn’t bring myself to rehome this little family of snowdrops. We’d be moving a few from this stream bank these little ones told me they wanted to stay where they were.

I’m in love. I’m obsessed. Isn’t this so beautiful?I am so so grateful for my Amaryllis (Hippeastrum Papillio) Having a ...
11/02/2026

I’m in love.
I’m obsessed. Isn’t this so beautiful?
I am so so grateful for my Amaryllis (Hippeastrum Papillio)
Having a very tough time personally ATM
but moments like watching the Amaryllis uncurl and open her arms are Lifesavers!
these bulbs are sold as one off in garden centres but you can have them for years on end. You just need to look after them after they flower you need to keep feeding and watering the bulb. You can keep it indoors all year or in the summer it’ll like to soak up some sun somewhere sheltered outdoors then stop watering it in July to give it a period of dormancy and bring it in again in September and start watering it again very gently from the bottom. The bulbs don’t like to get wet only the roots underneath.
I have six now and I can’t wait to get to to see the stunning displays there and choose some more. They are originally from South Africa and there are lots of varieties now from Chile and Peru.
really important rule of families to understand where your plants come from and then you can start to understand what they need in terms of heat and sun exposure. You won’t want to expose one of these South African sunshine bunnies the cold winter temperatures or too much water.

Big and old, young and small…examples of the excellent process of cloud pruning roses. The first nine photos are of old ...
31/01/2026

Big and old, young and small…examples of the excellent process of cloud pruning roses.
The first nine photos are of old roses that have been cloud pruned for years and the last two are the first year of a climbing rose showing you how to start…to be continued.
The joyous thing about life is that Tehya is working with me and she’s loving using the cloud pruning technique herself so we have lots of lucky clients whose roses are being transformed into florals abundant sculpture.
Climbers love to be bent as it stimulated bud growth so the more you work with them the more flowers you get.

You can plant Allium bulbs in January. Just before NYE I spent time in the garden with my niece, Rose, potting up masses...
28/01/2026

You can plant Allium bulbs in January.
Just before NYE I spent time in the garden with my niece, Rose, potting up masses of alliums for a client’s planting scheme 🌷 The bulbs will be grown by us in cold frames and planted out in situ in May 🌤️

Giving children little jobs, letting them find their own rhythm, and just moving together through the work - it’s a way of meditating with each other. Being in flo, in the moment is being in the most natural state and it’s so grounding 🧘🏼‍♀️

There’s something profoundly calming about being in flow with a child, connected to the earth, and being away from screens. I truly wish everyone could experience this; gardening is good for the soul, and I start at home. 🏡

I hope more people can discover the joy of digging, planting, and nurturing, and we all become gardeners, finding calm, connection, and creativity in the soil beneath our hands. 🤲🏼 I want everyone to feel the peace that I find in the garden 👉🏻How does your garden make you feel?

This month at in Oxfordshire, I’ve been working with climbing roses using the cloud pruning approach; shaping and guidi...
26/01/2026

This month at in Oxfordshire, I’ve been working with climbing roses using the cloud pruning approach; shaping and guiding growth rather than cutting hard. The aim is to create structure and form, allowing the plants to hold space and move naturally 🌹Head Gardener and fern guru .topia have been showing me the technique and the roses are shaping up beautifully, like sculptures

As Asthall’s owner Rosie Pearson explains, the idea for the Asthall Manor cloud pruning technique was loosely influenced by Julian and Isabel Bannerman, who worked here around 20 years ago. Their thinking was simple: climbers don’t need to be cut back harshly each winter. Given time, they develop rhythm, character and a sense of continuity through the seasons ❄️

Cloud pruning asks for patience. It’s about watching how the roses respond, where they want to grow, and working with that movement rather than against it. The result feels calm, considered and very much part of the place. 🌳🌹

Address

Hermitage

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Botanic Shed posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Category