Greenfingers Family
4-10th April 2020
10-16th October 2020 (Greenfingers Original)
Want to get your kids into gardening? Hate that they don’t know where their food comes from? Want them to get outside more and feel the soil under their fingers? Come and join us for a week of family-friendly (and grown-up friendly!) garden-based activities, healthy whole food and relaxing country air at La Croix de La Jugie!
Family-friendly Gardening Activities
We’ve put together a special programme of outdoor activities that your kids will love. Spend time in the garden (undercover if we get inclement weather!) sowing seeds and learning about plants, as well as creating things like mini herb gardens, bird-feeders, bio-degradable planters, hanging baskets, mini-beast hotels and more.
You’ll be able to take away many of your creations too or we can arrange for them to be brought back to you in the UK.
Whether you and your family love spending time outdoors or it’s hard to drag them away from a screen, you’ll find Greenfingers Family engaging and fun, as well as giving the whole family a chance to learn more about the garden and get closer to nature. Our Course Leader, Adele, is also on hand for any more detailed planting and planning questions for your own garden - so make the most of her top tips!
Delicious food
In the heart of the Limousin, our Manoir is surrounded by local producers and farms, creating delicious food. We’ll create hearty but healthy dishes to complement your outdoor activity and replace that lost energy.
For kids we provide a friendly option at each meal and have supper early to accommodate kids’ bedtimes. Grown-ups are invited to come back down afterwards for a glass or two of wine and nibbles.
We try to source as locally as possible, from cheeses, to pates, special cuts of meat and fresh, organic vegetables, to (of course) natural and organic wines, cider from the famous Limousin apples and beer made with local chestnuts. Foodies won't be disappointed!
Green Gym
Big and small guests here to learn more about growing things at the outdoors, will leave with a heap of knowledge under their belts. But we also love the movement and fresh air inherent to having fun outdoors. You’ll be moving whilst having fun and the gentle exercise every day will make you sleep well and feel whole.
For those want more activity, we have plenty of local walks and cycle rides to recommend, whether you bring your own bikes with you or choose to hire some for your stay.
Digital Detox (if you like)
We're not enforcing a phone ban! But many of our guests love the opportunity to tone down their screen time for a week for grown-ups and littles…where better to do it that in the calming surrounding of the estate with its peaceful views of rolling hills. Wifi is available but limited, so what nicer excuse to create some headspace?
As well as all the activities on offer, there's also plenty of time to just enjoy the beautiful grounds and scenery, breathe in deeply, go for walks, curl up with a good book, savour a glass of wine by the fire or tramp over the Autumn hills with new friends or re-connecting with old ones.
Prices from £550 per person per week
Adele Pimley
Adele Pimley will be your gardening tutor. She has run a private gardening company for seven years. In her work she caters for private gardens and school groups, helping to maintain, restore, create, design and install their garden space or fruit & vegetable patch.
She is a fantastic teacher, with a super personality, great style, and she welcomes all your questions - big and small! She loves the gardens at the Manoir - they are the perfect backdrop for teaching gardening skills as the six acres offer lots of space for creativity and trying things out.
Adele trained at the RHS school Capel Manor.
Gardens & landscapes
The grounds are a mix of formal and natural. At present there is an established orchard, large lawn with various floating beds, box and lavender hedges, a parterre, several mature trees and a large field area. In the future we plan to establish a herb garden, a knot garden and an area of prairie planting, to name but a few. We hope that our guests will enjoy learning as well as creating these features.
You'll cover:
Pruning - fruit, roses, flowering shrubs, restorative pruning on overgrown shrubs, topiary;
Planting Design and Garden Planning - working on plans of your own garden and/or theoretical planting situations;
Propagation - seed sowing, cuttings, dividing herbaceous;
Planting - how to properly plant specimens;
Managing the herbaceous border;
Garden Visits;
Other Topics: fruit and vegetables, container gardening, new planting schemes, general gardening Q&A.
At the table
Who said that you can't mix work and pleasure? Here at La Jugie, you'll not only be inspired by the green landscape of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, with its rolling countryside and medieval villages, but you will also enjoy the beautiful Manoir.
We also use local ingredients and artisan products to create delicious, homely food for our guests, perfect to come into after a satisfying session in the garden. Kick of your boots and relax over hot stews, fresh veg, sticky puddings and of course, some French cheese and wine!
what you'll get
full board accommodation in the luxury surroundings of La Jugie
daily freshly cooked, delicious food, using local specialities and ingredients
expert gardening talks, demonstrations and Q&A
practical sessions to learn the skills you'll be taught
plenty of active time
syllabus will cover pruning, planting, sowing, propagation, planning, clearing and more
guided visit to local gardens or other sites of interest & buying trip to local garden centre
all equipment and seeds/plants provided
bring pictures and plans from your own garden for real life advice
relaxation time to enjoy crisp walks in the rolling hills or reading a book by the cosy fire
peaceful and calming environment to Digitally Detox (optional)
Daily Timetable
Each day will vary but an example schedule might look like this. We do, of course, take into account the weather!
8am breakfast
9am skills workshop or planning
10am-1pm practical session in gardens
11am elevenses
1pm lunch
2-4pm afternoon practical session in gardens or visit to local producer
4pm afternoon snack
4-7pm free time
7pm pre-dinner drinks
7.30pm dinner
Wednesday afternoon is a free session for you to explore, sit and read, or get to know the area, if you wish.
pricing
12-18th October 2019
For this Greenfingers week, the pricing is as follows, to include everything except travel to France:
Shared twin or double room with ensuite bathroom - £850 per person (£1700 per couple)
Single occupancy double room with ensuite bathroom - £1300 per person
Shared double room with shared enormous bathroom - £650 per person (£1300 per couple)
Single occupancy double room with shared enormous bathroom £1000
Shared triple room with private bathroom - £550 per person (single bed), £650 (double bed)