Monday, April 27, 2026
A Celebration of Woodland Plants with Jack Aldridge & Jimi Blake
Learn from RHS Garden Wisley's woodland expert at Hunting Brook Gardens this spring. One day. Twenty-five people. Practical demonstrations, illustrated lectures, and a rare chance to see the gardens when they're normally closed to the public.
Monday, April 27, 2026
A Celebration of Woodland Plants with Jack Aldridge & Jimi Blake
Learn from RHS Garden Wisley's woodland expert at Hunting Brook Gardens this spring. One day. Twenty-five people. Practical demonstrations, illustrated lectures, and a rare chance to see the gardens when they're normally closed to the public.
What This Day Covers
Late April at Hunting Brook Gardens. The woodland is waking up. Spring ephemerals are pushing through. You'll spend a full day learning how to create your own stunning spring woodland garden.
Jack Aldridge and Jimi Blake will guide you through:
Selecting the right woody plants for your woodland garden
Canopy management and pruning techniques that actually work
How to layer trees, shrubs, and climbers for year-round structure
Building a rich woodland understory with ferns, grasses, herbaceous perennials, and bulbs
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Combining spring ephemerals for maximum impact
Practical plant selection for Irish conditions
Exclusive Learning Opportunities:
Walk and talk through Hunting Brook's woodland areas
Live demonstrations in the garden
Illustrated lectures showing Jack's work at RHS Wisley
Time to ask questions and discuss your own garden challenges
Create a Woodland Garden That Works
Most woodland gardens fail because people treat them like ordinary borders. Jack and Jimi will show you the difference.
This isn't theory. It's what Jack does at one of the world's leading horticultural institutions, and what Jimi's been refining at Hunting Brook for over thirty years.
Work with what you have (not against it)
Choose plants that thrive in shade, not just tolerate it
Create layers that look natural but are carefully composed
Time your plantings so something's always happening
Meet The Instructors
Jack Aldridge
Team Leader, Rock Garden & Alpine Collections, RHS Garden Wisley
Jack oversees the Rock Garden and Alpine collections at RHS Garden Wisley, and previously managed Oakwood, which is Wisley's 4.5-acre woodland garden. He's a graduate of the prestigious Wisley Diploma and a member of the RHS Woody Plant Committee, where he's involved in Award of Garden Merit trials.
In 2024, Jack received the RHS Roy Lancaster Award, given to horticulturists aged 35 or under who've made "an exceptional contribution to the practice, science or promotion of horticulture."
He's a regular contributor to horticultural publications and writes for IDS Trees & Shrubs Online. As a Trustee of Maurice Foster's White House Farm Garden and Arboretum, Jack works with one of the UK's most important plant collections.
His specialty: Woodland gardening that incorporates everything from trees and shrubs to ferns, grasses, herbaceous perennials, bulbs, and spring ephemerals.
Jimi Blake
Creator, Hunting Brook Gardens
Jimi created Hunting Brook Gardens, which is Ireland's largest private plant collection spanning 20 acres. He's an international speaker, best-selling author of A Beautiful Obsession, and television personality featured on BBC, The Guardian, and The Telegraph.
For over 30 years, Jimi has been selecting and cultivating woody plants at Hunting Brook, creating structure and seasonal interest that draws visitors from across Europe and North America.
Exclusive Learning Opportunities:
Rare Access
Hunting Brook Gardens is normally closed to the public in late April. This is one of the few chances each year to see the woodland areas at peak spring flowering.
Expert Combinations
Jack brings cutting-edge techniques from RHS Wisley. Jimi brings three decades of Irish woodland gardening experience. You get both perspectives.
Hands-On-Learning
This isn't a lecture hall. You'll walk through the gardens, see plants up close, watch demonstrations, and ask questions as they arise.
Small Group
Maximum 25 people. Everyone gets time with Jack and Jimi. No standing at the back trying to hear over a crowd.
Perfect Timing
Late April is when woodland gardens come alive. You'll see spring ephemerals, early bulbs, emerging ferns, and flowering shrubs all working together.
Everything That's Included
Full day with Jack Aldridge and Jimi Blake (10:30 AM - 4:00 PM)
Welcome tea / coffee on arrival
Mid-morning tea/coffee and cakes
Walk and talk through Hunting Brook's Woodland Gardens
Practical demonstrations in the garden
Two illlustrated lectures by Sam Hoey
Comprehensive Q&A Session
Access to gardens normally closed to the public
Course notes and plant recommendations
Small group size (max 25 people)
Good mood and friends along the way
Explore Hunting Brook
Frequently asked questions
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