Workshop: Introduction to Gardening
One of our most popular workshops, Introduction to Gardening guides you through the approaches and essential knowledge that will help you to become a successful gardener. This is the first session we recommend to all with little or no gardening experience, and especially those hoping to begin gardening at home in their houses, balconies, or gardens. Join us in our award-winning and sumptuously-planted garden for this primary insight into the fundamentals of sustainable and future-facing gardening. We also allow (and encourage!) plenty of time for questions, and welcome discussion in shaping the session. This session will cover:
Growing media, compost and soil
The basics of propagation
What to grow that's easy
Gardening with nature
Pruning
Pests and diseases - avoidance tactics that are kind to the ecosystem
Right plant, right place and aspect - considerations for planning
Please note that for those interested in learning to grow food, we have another course called ‘Introduction to Food Growing’.
If you would like a more in-depth version of this workshop, we are also running it in a 2-day version.
Meet Vittor (they/them)
Vittor is a London-based artist and Garden Education Officer at Walworth Garden, where they work closely with students and the seasons to nurture both plants and community across the site. For the past two years, they have served as Plant Centre Supervisor and have recently stepped into the role of Garden Education Officer.
With a BA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths University and a Level 2 Work-Based Horticulture Diploma, Vittor moves fluidly between the garden and the studio, using colour and plant life to tell stories of transformation, memory, and belonging. Their work invites slowness, attention, and connection.
Vittor’s passion for gardening began in childhood, learning alongside their grandmother and mother. Growing plants together became a way to connect with the landscape and with one another, weaving care, memory, and tradition into each season. These early experiences nurtured a lasting appreciation for how gardens hold stories, strengthen relationships, and root us in place.
Price: £85/ Free for Southwark residents
Free places are available for Southwark residents aged 19+. Each resident can claim 1 place per academic year (Sept 25- Jul 26). To check whether you are eligible, please click here.
To claim your free place, click ‘Book Here’ below, and enter code ‘SOUTHWARK26’ under ‘Redeem Coupon’.
You will then be charged a £10 deposit in order to claim your place, this deposit will be refunded to you after you attend the workshop.
Please note that you will be required to fill in a Southwark Council form, including some personal information, in order to confirm your place on a workshop. Your place will not be confirmed until this has been completed in full.