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Alyson Mowat Studio

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
Searching for ways to green up your act? Kokedama means ‘moss ball’ in Japanese and we are turning this ancient art into a handy-dandy, beautiful ball of hanging Asparagus Fern. 

WHAT'S INCLUDED?
As well as being given all the materials you need to create your own Asparagus Fern kokedama, you'll learn how to string up your hanging garden and keep it thriving. If you would rather not hang kokedama, display the moss balls on altar-like stands and arrange in artistic groupings. Either way, the results are extraordinarily appealing.    

At the end of the day, you'll leave merrily clutching your own unique work of living art.

We will also learn how to create an inside-out orchid kokedama in the private kokedama class.

LOCATION & TIMES
Group and private classes take place at my studio in Shoreditch. Group sessions take place once a month and last around 1.5 hours. Book a private workshop, if you would like to run this class around your schedule.

Wherever you are in the world, I can join you in the comfort of your own home for a virtual class. I will provide you with a shopping list beforehand and help you source everything you need for the class.
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Private Class: Kokedama Class

*Kokedama is a style of Japanese bonsai made by taking your plant out of its pot and into a ball of soil held together with a unique soil mixture, moss and string. Read more about it's rising popularity [here!](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/9712283/Gardening-trends-The-rise-of-kokedama.html)*

All materials are provided. You will leave the class with an inside out orchid kokedama and a right-way-around fern kokedama.

Forget flower arranging - learn to make kokedama, a gorgeous style of Japanese bonsai.

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?
You will be guided through the different how-to-steps so you can head home with your very own self-sustaining, verdant wonderland. 

Give the gift of green or keep your terrarium to yourself... they make the perfect roommate and add personality to any hot desk.

WHAT'S INCLUDED?
We will cover everything from construction to caring for your masterpiece. As well as being given all the materials and plants you need to create your own terrarium, you’ll learn how to make the tools to work with difficult bottle shapes and how to choose plants which thrive in their own bio.

Tropical Terrarium Class with Tool Making - Group class

Terrariums date back to the 1800s and were discovered just around the corner from where our Shoreditch class is held on Brick Lane.

Everything you need to create your own unique terrarium will be provided, including a variety of unique plants, moss, soil, rocks, and other items.

Bring big green dreams and your imagination.

Learn to design, plant and sustain your own garden-in-a-jar.

Tropical Terrarium Class with Tool Making

There are a couple of different options for growing orchids behind glass, depending on the needs of your orchid.

You will leave with 2 terrariums, planted quite differently (an epiphytic orchid and one a terrestrial orchid).

Book a private session for up to 2 people on a date of your choosing, just get in touch!

Private Class: Learn to Grow Orchids Behind Glass

*There are two main types of orchids, but with many, many different species and hybrids. There is the terrestrial that grow on the ground and the epiphytes that grow in trees, rocks or poles.*

In this class you will learn to grow orchids behind glass.

Learn how to up-cycle old toys and transform them into a menagerie of magnificent planters. These make for great gifts and are a fun activity to try with children.

Before you know it, you'll find yourself wandering around charity shops, eyeing up toys, weighing up whether they'd look handsome with a cactus growing out of their back or whether they can enhance your current menagerie of divine planters.

Dinosaur, paint, plant and refreshments are all provided. All you need to do is turn up and have fun!

Make a Gold Dinosaur Planter

Everything you need is included in the price of the class and you will leave with a work of plart (plant art).

Alyson is able to tailor-make the private classes to your particular verdant desires, and if you would like to book a private class for a larger group (think hens, events and team building days), do get in touch!

In this class you will make a quirky, gold dinosaur planter!

Private Class: Make a Gold Dinosaur Planter

There are a few different ways of propagating plants. In this class you will be using succulent leaves, creating a prettily patterned mandala. 

You will also learn how to propagate from cuttings. Creating new growth from cuttings will save you money and the cuttings will look ever so pretty lined up on a windowsill or mantelpiece and take the edge off any garden-craving, green-eyed monsters.

Book a private session for up to 2 people on a date and time of your choosing! Never visit a garden centre or nursery again!

Private Class: Propagating Plants Class at a time of your choosing

*Propagating plants is an inexpensive and easy way to get new plants from plants you already have. This asexual means of reproduction produces a plant that is genetically identical to its parent. There are a variety of plant propagation tools and methods; from taking cuttings to layering to dividing and more.*

In this class you will learn to propagate plants, an inexpensive and easy way to get new plants from plants you already have.

Private Class: Propagating Plants Class

Carnivorous plants are a classification , with a dark allure – . From flies to rats, these femme fatales of the plant world ensnare and restrain unsuspecting victims, gradually turning their insides into a nutritional smoothie.

Carnivorous Plants include Venus fly traps, pitcher plants, butterworts, bladderworts, nepenthes, cobra lilies and sundews. 

An ever popular group of plants, carnivorous plants lend an element of curiosity to your indoor garden. Learn more about these ravenous predatory plants at our triffid workshop. Come see why these amazing plants have stirred the imaginations of botanists and put fear into the hearts of winged insects everywhere.

We will be planting up three different species for you to take home with you.

Private Class: Make a Terrarium with Carnivorous Plants

*In the wild, most carnivorous plants grow in sunny, acidic, nutrient-poor wetlands called bogs. Home gardeners can replicate this environment in a mini-bog planter and grow a diverse array of species like sundews, pitcher plants, and butterworts.*

Make a Terrarium with Carnivorous Plants.

Learn to design, plant and sustain your own garden-in-a-jar. 

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?
You will be guided through the different steps so you can head home with your very own self-sustaining, verdant wonderland. 

Give the gift of green or keep your terrarium to yourself... they make the perfect roommate and add personality to any hot desk.

WHAT'S INCLUDED?
We will cover everything from construction to caring for your masterpiece. As well as being given all the materials and plants you need to create your own terrarium, you’ll learn how to make the tools to work with difficult bottle shapes and how to choose plants which thrive in their own biosphere.

LOCATION & TIMES
Group and private classes take place at my studio in Shoreditch. Group sessions take place once a month and last around 1.5 hours. Book a private workshop, if you would like to run this class around your schedule.

Wherever you are in the world, I can join you in the comfort of your own home for a virtual class. I will provide you with a shopping list beforehand and help you source everything you need for the class.

Book a private session for up to 2 people on a date of your choosing or join a [Saturday group class](https://obby.co.uk/classes/crafts/floristry/tropical-terrarium-class-with-tool-making-east-london).

Private Class: Tropical Terrarium with Tool Making

Gloria Kayser

Great class! Really relaxed and informative session. Loved the result and I will be doing more terrariums soon!

In this class you will learn to make your own tropical terrarium!

Private Class: Tropical terrarium with Tool Making

The beauty of this wreath is that it can be given a different spin throughout the year to coincide with any celebration. Mosses are not bothered about being in soil, as long as the emerald clumps are kept hydrated, a mossy wreath will deck the halls, bejewel any front door or adorn a spring table.

An inviting wreath composed of cushion moss will thrive all year and can be embellished with crystals, berries and twigs to evolve with the seasons and different holidays. 

Book a private session for up to 2 people on a date of your choosing, just get in touch!

Private Class: Make a Moss Wreath

In this class you will make a moss wreath.

Close your eyes, concentrate, think only tree...

Bonsai means ‘plant in a tray’ and is the ancient Japanese art of stunting a trees growth by skillful branch and root pruning. The tree is prohibited from developing by keeping it in a small container. 

When you begin to bonsai, you are shaping the idea of a tree, that belongs somewhere in the future. Bonsai are often passed down through generations as heirlooms, leaving a legacy of hope, serenity and grace.

In this class, you will put together your very own bonsai tree. Learn how to:

* Select your tree
* Select your pot
* Consider style
* Wiring 
* Repotting 
* Pruning

Private Class: Bespoke Bonsai Class

*A unique combination of horticulture and art that is unlike any other potted plant gift that you can find on the market today, bonsai cultivation is nearly 2,000 years old! Bonsai trees can be spotted in many ancient drawings and feature many of the trees that were found in mountainous regions of China. The Japanese took the current interpretation of the bonsai as we know it today and developed it into the hobby that countless people know and love.*

A bonsai tree, pot and other necessities such as tools, soil and aluminium wires for styling will be provided.

Refreshments are all included in the price.

In this class, you will learn to put together your very own bonsai tree.

Use the copper foiling technique to build your own cube-shaped terrarium! Learn how to cut your glass to a pattern and assemble this 3D shape.

You will choose and cut your glass, learn the copper foiling techniques and how to solder your foiled pieces together smoothly. Afterwards you'll learn how to plant a succulent garden in your glass creation.

Private Class: Make Your Own Copper Foil Terrarium

*A terrarium is a closed environment, and can actually be used to illustrate how an ecosystem works. Inside a terrarium's walls, many different natural processes may be observed: photosynthesis, respiration, and the water cycle.*

Use the copper foiling technique to build your own cube-shaped terrarium! Learn how to cut your glass to a pattern and assemble this 3D shape.

Learn to design and plant a submerging and floating landscapes in a jar.

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?
Discover a whole new world of plants you never knew existed, how to layer aquatic greens and the oh so soothing effect of watching plants dance gracefully underwater.

WHAT'S INCLUDED?
Everything you need – glass containers, plants, soil and accessories – will be provided on the day. You're more than welcome to bring your own container if you have something special planned.

LOCATION & TIMES
Group and private classes take place at my studio in Shoreditch. Group sessions take place once a month and last around 1.5 hours.

Wherever you are in the world, I can join you in the comfort of your own home for a virtual class. I will provide you with a shopping list beforehand and help you source everything you need for the class.

Book a private session for up to 2 people on a date of your choosing or join a [group class.](https://obby.co.uk/classes/crafts/floristry/jarrarium-plant-your-own-aquatic-landscape-east-london)

**In this class**

Learn how to layer aquatic greens (creating submerged and floating landscapes).

Private Class: Plant Your Own Aquatic Landscape

Learn how to layer aquatic greens (creating submerged and floating landscapes).

Plant your own aquatic landscape in this private jarrarium class.

Private Jarrarium Class: Plant Your Own Aquatic Landscape

Alyson Mowat founded her business in 2013 to create natural scenes and lush backdrops in urban settings. Prior to this, she moved from South Africa to London, where she trained as a graphic designer and worked in the fashion and jewellery industries. 

With a focus on hand-crafted, artisan pieces, Alyson draws on her passion for style and beautiful things when designing her terrarium collections and plant arrangements. She holds indoor planting workshops with the ethos of elevating plants to works of art and has written a book entitled Terrariums & Kokedama.

“My story is one of cultivation, curation and adventures across the globe in search of green inspiration. In my desire to celebrate nature yet remain firmly rooted in the urban jungle of London, my aim is to create natural scenes and lush backdrops in city settings."

Alyson Mowat Studio

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