Hampshire students turn their hands to pottery and herb growing in art gallery collaboration

Leigh Johnstone, known as the ‘Beardy Gardener’ on social media, worked with the Hampshire Cultural Trust and the South Downs National Park Authority to create and deliver Project Thrive, which ran over July and August this year.

The project, which took place in the garden of the Allen Gallery in Alton, Hampshire, was inspired by the gallery’s history and heritage, and encouraged young people to explore the concept of how nature thrives and can help us to thrive.

Choosing where to plant the herbs

‘Beardy Gardener’ shows group how to plant herbs

The Allen Gallery hosts an impressive and varied selection of pottery, dating back to 1250. The gallery was formerly a coachman’s house and stable block that backed onto the Curtis family apothecary on the High Street. William Curtis, English botanist and author of The Botanical Magazine, started his apprenticeship here.

Leigh met the group of young people, from local schools in Hampshire, to teach them a range of new skills. Starting with the gardening basics, the group learnt how to sow seeds, understand different soil types and planting conditions. They then went on to explore the gallery’s garden, discussing the types of plants they could see, identifying those they liked and those they didn’t. The following week, the group smelled and tasted a variety of herbs, some of which they hadn’t heard of.

Designing tea cups

Making pottery tea cups

After this, they explored garden design techniques and drew up their own designs for a wellbeing garden, before choosing a selection of herbs they would like to plant. They had a few criteria, including whether the plants could be dried and used for tea: selected herbs included agastache, chamomile and peppermint. Having developed their final herb garden design, participants spent an afternoon planting the herbs in an allocated space in the gallery garden.

As the Hampshire Cultural Trust are keen to engage with young people, the sessions went much further than just planting. Working with a local artist, the children designed and fired their own ceramic teacups, using their hobbies and interests as inspiration. The cups in the gallery’s special ceramics collection also provided ideas for the designs. During the final session, the group threw a celebratory tea party, where they drank tea made from the herbs they had grown, out of the teacups they had made.

Who is the Beardy Gardener?

Previously a theatre company director, Leigh Johnstone, ‘The Beardy Gardener’, is an advocate for young people’s health, wellbeing and creativity.

Passionate about making gardening accessible to everyone, Leigh champions not just the nurturing of plants but also the wellbeing and inspiration that can help us all grow. He has been running the Giving Garden since 2020, where he dedicates plants to people going through difficult times, with the aim of creating a national collection of positivity that goes much further than his back garden.

Leigh Johnstone ‘Beardy Gardener’ in the Giving Garden at the 2023 Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

This summer, he also created a replica of the Giving Garden for RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, containing wildflowers, sunflowers and calendulas as well as an archway with suspended quotes about the benefits of gardening to wellbeing.

For anyone that’s new to gardening, herbs are a great place to start your journey. Why not plant your own herb garden on a windowsill this autumn? Visit our grow your own pages to find more herb planting tips.