The Raymond Blanc Gardening School
Calling keen home gardeners and passionate allotmenteers — let your botanical skills blossom at our gardening courses!
Learn the secrets of our world-class gardens and take home our advice, ideas and inspiration for your own vegetable plot or allotment.
Your interactive tuition will take you through some of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons’ 11 enchanting gardens and orchards.
Discover the tranquility of the Japanese tea garden of Fugetsu-An, or explore our Mushroom Valley project.
Your base for the day will be the Hartley Botanic glasshouse, where you’ll be treated to a delicious working lunch.
Highlights of the Raymond Blanc Gardening School
Learn the secrets of our world-class gardens and take home our advice, ideas and inspiration for your own vegetable plot or allotment.
A day of discovery in truly enchanted surroundings learning about the magic of growing.
The Raymond Blanc Gardening School is located in the Hartley Botanic Glasshouse, which is in the heart of our beautiful garden.
We will inspire the curious mind of the child as much as the adult.
Explore Japanese garden traditions, both ancient and modern, with renowned landscaper Robert Ketchell.
Discover the most effective ways in which to grow some of our favourite seasonal shoots, leaves and flowers - and how they pair with your favourite dishes.
Meet Paul Kettell and Sheila Das: the edibles experts at RHS Wisley Gardens. Together, they will offer some insights into the history of apple cultivation.
“I absolutely love gardens! Way back in 1984, the first thing I did at Le Manoir was create the vegetable garden which would provide for my kitchen and for our guests. Now we have 11 different gardens and a 2,500-strong heritage orchard! Each is inspired by my travels, my childhood, my papa’s garden, books I have read and the wonderful people I have met over the years.”
The Raymond Blanc Gardening School Customer Experience
It was a glorious sunny day as we took our seats in the glasshouse at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons and Robert Ketchell introduced himself. What an incredible career Robert has had. He worked for many years as an apprentice under one of Japan's leading garden masters in Kyoto and now designs gardens around the world, including Le Manoir's. We couldn't have had a more knowledgeable tutor to condense centuries of culture and artistry into a few amazing hours.
As we explored the hotel's Japanese garden, marvelling at animal-shaped bushes and artfully-arranged boulders, it turned out that condensation is at the heart of Japanese garden design. Raked stones can represent the ocean and rocks become mountains in an entire landscape. Robert explained the philosophy, symbolism and history behind the features.
At the end of a wonderful morning, we paused for a delicious lunch of vegetables picked from the potager outside.
In the afternoon we set to work ourselves. First, we created our own trayscapes, arranging sand and rocks as Robert advised on perspective and energy flow. Then we grabbed secateurs and headed outside. I was surprised to be let loose on the Japanese garden trees, to try our hands at cloud pruning. Robert showed how to only cut branches that grow downwards, back towards the stem or across one another. I hope we did a useful job.
When I got home that evening I went straight out into my garden and started snipping bushes into shape. I came back brimming with ideas and am all set to bring touches of Kyoto to my home. Thank you Robert for such an inspiring day.
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