Herbival | Herb Pressing Workshop

Learn about the history of herbs and herbals while creating a herbarium of beautiful and therapeutic flowers and plants, with writer, artist and author of The Heritage Herbal (British Library Publications, 2020) Sonya Patel Ellis.

By learning how to press a selection of herbs, attendees will be inspired to look closer at the form, sensory qualities and language of these vital plants. Pressings can then be used to start a herbarium – a collection of mounted and labelled pressings for future reference or arranged as artworks to display on a wall: perfect for bringing the outside into an interior space such as a kitchen, dining room or conservatory.

Sonya will also give a talk about the importance of past and modern day herbals and the heritage herbs included in her book, with inspiring ideas on how to heal, nourish and style with herbs and edible flowers that you can easily grow at home.

About Sonya Patel Ellis

Sonya Patel Ellis is a writer, editor and artist exploring connections between plants, people and the botanical world. She is the author of Collins Botanical Bible (2018), The Heritage Herbal (2020), The Garden Birdwatchers Bible (2020) and The Modern Gardener (2022) while her writings and botanical pressings have featured in various exhibitions and publications including The Earth Laughs in Flowers (2014), Florilegium at The Garden Museum (2015), Herb Garden at the Marksman (2016), Countryfile magazine and Gardens Illustrated. To find out more visit www.abotanicalworld.com

A new herbal celebration from the Garden Museum, Herbival puts herbs centre stage. We’ll be shining a light on where to find them, how to grow them and their countless, often long-forgotten uses. Visitors will be able to take part in tastings, talks, pressings, practical workshops and more, and there’ll be shopping too from a carefully curated edit of botanically-led brands.

Sunday 6 June 2021: find out more