Houseplant Festival 2019

Talks and Activities

• Dried Botanical Cloud Workshop with Graen Studios

  Dried Botanical Cloud Workshop with Graen Studios

  11.30am - 1pm
  
  The first in a series of workshops curated by Graen Studios. In this workshop you will create your own miniature botanical cloud arrangement using dried grasses, flowers, seed heads and moss.
  
  The ticket includes:
  
  - All materials, grown, dried and foraged locally in London
  - Tools to use during the workshop
  - Demonstration and hands on assembly guidance
  - An exclusive Graen tote bag
  
  The workshop will last approximately 1.5 hours and will be led by Carolyn Dunster, a garden writer, floral stylist and RHS award-winning planting designer. The ticket does not include entry to the Houseplant Festival (£5 entry on door). Please arrive 5-10 minutes prior to the session as the workshop will begin promptly.

• Terrarium Making with London Terrariums

  Terrarium Making with London Terrariums

  3pm - 4.30pm
  
  Join London Terrariums at The Houseplant Festival and learn to make your own Tinyjohn Terrarium! During the session you will learn about the history and science of these self-sustaining ecosystems, you will be shown the tools to use and how to make them at home before watching a demo by LT on the different layers and elements in a terrarium. Now its your turn to get stuck in and make your own to take away and watch grow over the next months and years!

• Mounted Staghorn Fern Workshop with Plant Joy

  Mounted Staghorn Fern Workshop with Plant Joy

  1pm - 2.30pm
  
  In this relaxed and informal workshop you will mount one of these antler-like ferns onto a wooden board complete with a hook ready to hang it up on your wall at home! During the workshop you will learn all about these amazing plants and create a beautiful piece for your walls.
  
  Staghorn Ferns have earned the nickname ‘Vegan Antlers’ due to the antler-like ‘fronds’ that grow out from the center of the plant. These Staghorns look stunning when wall mounted to show off these fronds to maximum effect.
  
  The workshop includes all materials and hands on assembly instructions you need to create your own ‘living wall art’
  
  Staghorn Ferns (Platycerium) are ‘epiphytes’ meaning they grow in their natural habitat attached to a host plant as a base and take nutrients from the air. This makes them excellent candidates for mounting on to a wooden board as they require little root space to survive. During the workshop we will also talk about plant care instructions so you can keep your new best ‘frond’ in tip top condition. Ticket price of £35 includes all materials and the workshop is suitable for all levels – no experience required!

• Bloom Lunchtime Talk | Houseplants: From Wild to Windowsill (and Where to Next)

  Bloom Lunchtime Talk | Houseplants: From Wild to Windowsill (and Where to Next)

  

  1pm - 2pm
  
  How did shelves, desks and floors around the world come to be topped with a pot of something green and (hopefully) growing? What can houseplants' native environments reveal about their likes, dislikes and quirks? And what about their future – as fashions change, will we move on from our monsteras? Join founder of Bloom magazine Zena Alkayat and a panel of esteemed guests for this wide-ranging talk that explores how houseplants came in from the outdoors, and what's next for our domesticated foliage.
  
  Zena Alkayat
  Zena is the founder of Bloom, a seasonal magazine for gardeners, plant admirers and nature lovers that's packed with practical projects, an exploration of the natural world and a celebration of all green spaces. www.bloommag.co.uk / @bloom_the_magazine
  
  Catherine Horwood
  Dr Catherine Horwood is a social historian with a passion for plants and gardens. She is the author of Beth Chatto: A Life With Plants (Pimpernel Press), Gardening Women (Virago) and Potted History: The Story of Plants in the Home (Frances Lincoln). @catherine_horwood
  
  Jess Snowball
  Coming from a family of horticulturists, Jess fell in love with tropical and temperate flora during an internship at Chester Zoo. She trained at Kew Gardens before taking her current role as Glasshouse Manager at the Chelsea Physic Garden. Jess also writes a column on houseplants for Gardens Illustrated. @jess.snowball
  
  Anna Greenland
  Anna is at the heart of the organic growing movement. For over a decade she has grown the highest quality organic food for star chefs Raymond Blanc, Tom Aikens and Jamie Oliver. As Head Gardener at Soho Farmhouse, Anna created the vegetable, fruit and herb gardens from scratch, and is currently setting up her own market garden in Suffolk. @annagreenland
  
  Maya Thomas
  A cook, writer and herbologist (Dip RBGE), Maya has worked in herb and kitchen gardens the across the UK, including at Weleda and the Chelsea Physic Garden. She's given talks for The Slow Food Movement, Soho FarmHouse and Thyme Cookery School, and runs herbal workshops around the country. @themodernherbal
  

• Houseplant Clinic

  Houseplant Clinic

  3pm - 4pm
  
  Struggling with crispy leaves and mouldy soil? Then come along to our houseplant clinic. Houseplant experts Jane Perrone, Kimberley Aston (@Kingstreetjungle), Laura Jenkins (@houseplanthouse) and Gynelle Leon (Prick London) will be on hand to discuss houseplant care and offer help for your plant questions. Think Gardener's Question Time, but for all your housebound plant pals!
  
  Panellists:
  
  Kimberley Aston
  Known online as botany enthusiast @kingstreetjungle Kimberley has long been a popular voice within the houseplant community due to her passion for sharing knowledge and plants. Preferring the weird and wonderful the natural world has to offer she is an active member of the British Cacti and Succulent Society as well as an allotment and community gardener.
  
  Jane Perrone
  Jane Perrone is a freelance journalist and creator of indoor gardening podcast On The Ledge. She writes about gardens and plants for the Guardian, the Financial Times, Garden Design Journal, Gardens Illustrated and others. She lives in Bedfordshire in a house stuffed with houseplants, and a garden full of weird vegetables.
  
  Dr Laura Jenkins
  Dr Laura Jenkins is the creator of HOUSEPLANTHOUSE, a digital hub exploring the contemporary nexus between houseplant care, interiors, photography + design. Her website and accompanying instagram (@_houseplanthaouse) document her (ever growing) plant collection and offers plant care and styling tips. She is a member of @therealhouseplantsof_ig; founders of plant swapping website houseplantswap.com. Laura's background is in art, design and academic research. Last summer she worked as a plant stylist and artist for the National Trust and contributed to an International pollinator project that highlighted the declining bee population.

• Fantasy Greenhouse Workshop with Lizzy Stewart

  Fantasy Greenhouse Workshop with Lizzy Stewart

  

  Drop-in, all day
  
  What would you grow in your own unique greenhouse? Wild flowers? Tropical trees? Maybe some spiky cacti? Fill your own greenhouse with glorious greenery at this drawing and printing workshop with author and illustrator Lizzy Stewart, the talent behind our lovely Houseplant Festival poster design.
  

• London Terrariums Plant Swap

  London Terrariums Plant Swap

  11am - 12pm
  
  Bring along at least one, two or as many pest-free, beautiful plants as you wish to part with, these can be potted up or in the form of bare root propagations and cuttings. Meet some like-minded plant lovers, have a chat about the plant you are swapping and gain a new one to take away with you!
  

• People and Plants - Exhibition

  People and Plants - Exhibition

  People and Plants is a project by photographer Richard Round-Turner and house plant enthusiast Emily Haynes. The portraits capture people in London that live or work with plants. Alongside the portraits are stories about what plants mean to people and how they’ve come to be in their lives. The photos are natural, uncomplicated and honest - mirroring the simple pleasure that comes from being with plants.
  

Stalls

• Bloom

  Bloom

  Bloom is a magazine for gardeners, plant admirers, nature lovers and curious explorers. It is beautiful and useful, it makes you muse on the handsomeness of nature and it inspires you to get out there and be a part of it. The seasonal magazine promises practical gardening projects, an exploration of the natural world and a thought-provoking celebration of green spaces, whether they’re in the countryside or the city, on your windowsill or in an allotment, highly groomed or utterly wild.

• Clay Collective

  Clay Collective

  Anna Beam
  Originally from Baltimore, MD Anna has been based in London since 2013.
  Anna's multi-disciplinary practise encompasses ceramics, printmaking and textiles. Once described as 'low-fi yet cerebral', Anna's playful and irreverent designs often begin life as a sprawl of paint and cut paper before turning into 3D objects and pattern designs.
  
  Anna Jones (pictured)
  Anna is a London based ceramicist and mould maker, she makes small collections of functional ceramics and is interested in creating simple yet elegant forms in porcelain and stoneware. She will be showcasing a body of new larger scale work with a focus on plant pots for the event.
  
  Both Anna Beam and Anna Jones are co-founding members of Clay Collective, a 12 member ceramics co-operative based in Hackney.
  

• Forest London

  Forest London

  South London’s houseplant haven, Forest specialises in unusual house plants and succulents, as well as lifestyle, design, homewares and natural skin care products. They have shops in Deptford and East Dulwich.
  

• Graen Studios

  Graen Studios

  Specialising in design-led products for the art and practice of growing plants, their name comes from grænn – the Icelandic word for green.
  

• Horticure

  Horticure

  horticure was launched to simplify plant care. Individuals with deep knowledge about plants (aka, their Plant Specialists) can be booked to either come to the homes and offices of plant owners by appointment, or help plant owners via virtual appointments, to ensure the health, watering, light, temperature, soil, placement and pot-size of indoor plants are optimal.

• L’Appartement

  L’Appartement

  

  L'Appartement is a specialised indoor plant business run by Franky and Symmy, two creatives who bring character and atmosphere by combining unique indoor plants with furniture, design and architecture, creating the ultimate green/urban lifestyle.
  

• Leaf Envy

  Leaf Envy

  Leaf Envy’s mission is to make plant parenthood fun, simple and hassle-free. With tailored plant recommendations, easy to understand care advice, watering reminders, and quality but affordable plants delivered to your door, Leaf Envy is designed to help you create, build and grow your indoor jungle of dreams.

• London Terrariums

  London Terrariums

  Launched in 2014 by Emma Sibley, London Terrariums are a South London based terrarium shop and studio, specialising in workshops learning about the history and science of these miniature ecosystems. Since making terrariums, their love of propagating and sharing houseplants sparked their Plant Swap events, which they are also bringing to the Houseplant Festival!
  

• Mind the Cork

  Mind the Cork

  Founded in 2014 by designer Jenny Espirito Santo, mind the cork combines playful minimalism with sustainable materials to create contemporary eco friendly cork homeware and lifestyle products.
  

• MR Studio London

  MR Studio London

  East London artist duo Mike Pollard & Rika Yamasaki create artworks, designs and prints using flowers & plants found around them: either home-grown in their garden or locally sourced from a forest nearby.
  

• The Nunhead Gardener

  The Nunhead Gardener

  

  The Nunhead Gardener is a tranquil city garden centre, conveniently situated opposite the Nunhead Railway Station in south London. Independently owned and run, we aim to cater for the needs of all types of urban gardener and home jungle enthusiast.

• Old Market Plants

  Old Market Plants

  Having met whilst working at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Jamie and Kathryn are bringing plants from across the globe to the centre of Bristol.
  
  They have created an immersive indoor plant shop that caters for all plant lovers. With their expertise in the art and science of plants, they will guide you through the shop helping you make the right choice for your needs.

• Onion Studio

  Onion Studio

  Contemporary products inspired by fresh, simple and natural forms, Onion Studio is a creative space in North London founded by Anita Ferrari

• Patch

  Patch

  Patch is an online plant shop for Londoners who want to be able to buy and look after their plants with confidence. We believe that plants aren’t only beautiful, but an essential part of keeping our mental and physical wellbeing in check. We deliver to your door and have made a super simple course to help you help your plants.

• Prick London

  Prick London

  Prick is London's first boutique dedicated to cacti and other succulents. Based in Dalston, east London, it offers a selection of the most unusual and exotic plants sourced from across the UK and Europe. Prick sees cacti and succulents as living sculptures that take years to fully develop, a beautiful and sustainable way to transform any interior.
  

• Stengun Drawings

  Stengun Drawings

  Stengun Drawings is a botanical design brand offering a collection of premium paper goods combining a love of natural beauty and modernist culture. Each artwork starts life as a photograph taken whilst on a field trip which in turn inspires an acrylic painting. Originals are then digitally mastered before publishing. Stengun Drawings is a no-plastic company, all products and packaging are 100% biodegradable.

• Yolly

  Yolly

  Yolly is a tiny but beautiful flower shop in south east London selling illustrations, pressed flowers, plants, terracotta pots, dried flowers, bespoke seasonal British grown flowers, botanical books, ceramics. Haeckels products and soon to stock Japanese scissors.