Come and learn how to make your own top quality additive free cosmetics and herbal preparations, explore and harvest herbs from Rowan's own organic garden. This practical weekend course will enable you to make herbal remedies from fresh and dried herbs.
25/01/2026
Imbolc approaches. The world keeps turning, especially tangible at Avebury. I used to travel past this special place regularly, and it was grounding to visit again and make contact with the energies here, a portal and connection to a stream of ancient power. It felt very grounding to call in after a long gap. I needed it, after a major transition for my dear mum 🙏🏽❤️ and for our family.
12/01/2026
Enjoying the wassailing at the Big Apple celebration in Putley - seasonal blessing of the orchards 🙏🏽💚 so good to see this ancient tradition being revitalised in many villages in Herefordshire ( thanks to Glenn for his beautiful pic of the 13 fires )
09/01/2026
Looking forward to the spring Seed Swap on February 7th. I have my sweet peas growing happily and eagerly anticipating the next growing season, while of course just trying to maintain wintering mode …. Keep walking... steady and calm, present with what is …. Still drawn to hibernate
21/12/2025
Fire, earth , air and water. Sending winter solstice blessings out to you all. We are of nature, part of the whole 🙏🏽💚🔥 connect and respect all
11/12/2025
I’ll be at Hellens on Sunday with herbal teas ( plenty of the famous ‘tea of happiness’, much needed atm!), beeswax, fragrant herbal creams, ‘the year in herbs’ calendars, a wide range of handprinted cards, a few delightful dark oxalis plants and some framed woodblock prints - together with lots of other wonderful makers in a beautiful venue - the mistletoe is up & the fairy lights are up! (Bring cash if you can ) it promises to be another unique Christmas fair
27/11/2025
Time to rest 💚🙏🏽 it’s always helpful to observe nature and go with the flow. There are still seeds to be gathered, and roots to harvest, and there are shoots just waiting under the ground …. But on the surface everything is relaxed. Not dead but hibernating ….
10/11/2025
Some moments in autumn. The fire is in the beech leaves, serpents in the branches of the ancient mossy oak pollards at Croft Ambrey, one of my favourite places. It’s an Iron Age hill fort with a Romano-Celtic temple and a medieval warren of up to five pillow mounds ( used for rabbit farming) on the summit of a prominent steeply sloping spur overlooking Yatton Marsh and the valley of a tributary to Allcock’s Brook. Below the hill fort is the beautiful Fishpool Valley, landscaped during the late 18th century in the naturalistic ‘Picturesque’ style. There’s a chain of dams and pools, carefully planted trees and architecture such as the icehouse, grotto, pumphouse and limekiln. The ponds are so beautiful in the autumn. There are also some stunning g hornbeams at the gateways as you walk up, like sentinels, and majestic sweet chestnuts that are sadly dying but still standing in an avenue .
30/10/2025
Some gorgeous hawthorn berries ripe for the gathering in one of my favourite haunts. I’m going to dry these for use in the coming months as a cardiac tonic for my own use. ❤️🙏🏽 In the same family as rose, it’s similarly valuable for healing the wounded heart 💓 . Being out on the hills on a flaming October day gathering these berries is therapy too. The Latin name is Crataegus , this beautiful tree is also called hawthorn, quickthorn, thornapple, May-tree, whitethorn, Mayflower or hawberry, is a genus of several hundred species of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae,native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia, North Africa and North America. They like to grow on well drained, open hillsides, often gnarled and twisted, here with lots of lichen and here there is also mistletoe, which is coming into its own, a glowing golden orb with bright white berries in the winter months. Of course it’s a very traditional hedging plant here in the UK. It’s such a precious plant remedy and beauty
25/10/2025
I’m enjoying the cool stillness as Samhain approaches. Sometimes it’s not easy to be still in this busy technologically obsessed culture but it’s calming and feeds the soul if you can seek out a quiet place to commune with nature
18/10/2025
Bay wearing a necklace of hops, I love the way evergreens ramp up the scent in the winter. As if to say, this is our time! Rosemary does this too - and both flowerings take me by surprise 💚
12/10/2025
Autumn abundance
04/10/2025
Come and enjoy a glass of freshly pressed organic apple juice from Castle Orchard and stock up on bare rooted herb plants for your herbal remedies and general garden tending pleasure ( teas & creams also available! ) tomorrow 10-4pm let me know if you’re coming!
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I offer a range of one and two day courses for those who want to find out more about the healing powers of plants, and how we can benefit from a closer relationship with nature.
I have always been passionate about plants.
I advocate the living tradition of herbal medicine through teaching practical courses, writing and lecturing. I aim to raise awareness of environmental issues, to teach people about the qualities of common, easily found plants to make simple remedies, thus empowering people to look after themselves and to nurture and value their environment – to care for the soil.
Having studied herbal medicine at the School of Herbal Medicine (Phytotherapy), and botany at the University of Birmingham, I qualified as a Medical herbalist in 1990. Privileged to have learnt from Christopher Hedley (my first teacher), Carol and Stephen Church, Carole Guyett and many others, I was a consultant Medical Herbalist for many years, growing and making my most of my own medicines, whilst teaching others to do likewise.
I have created gardens; photographed, drawn and painted plants; established a comprehensive photographic library of herbs and wildflower portraits that has been used internationally; travelled extensively to research traditional uses of herbs, and been fascinated by the role plants have in shaping cultures.
Come and learn how to make your own top quality additive free cosmetics and herbal preparations, explore and harvest herbs from Rowan's own organic garden.