Talks & Workshops

Talks, demonstrations, workshops, courses and consultancy for gardening clubs, horticultural societies, community groups and businesses. Everything from whether your organisation needs public liability insurance through to the best way to prune apple trees and grow dahlias! Talks are delivered in person or online.

Dan Ori MICHort is a Horticultural Instructor, Consultant and Director of GIA (Gardening In Action) CIC, a non-profit company supporting community gardening in Sussex

Winter fruit tree pruning

Fruit trees such as apples and pears should be pruned during the winter. Learn about topics including: understanding fruit trees, winter pruning, spotting pests and disease and quiz the expert. Suitable for complete beginners and those with some experience. Dan has a specialist interest in fruit trees and is currently working with a publisher on a book about the latest research and techniques for fruit tree care.

Delivered as a 1-2 hour masterclass, or a practical half day or full day workshop.

Summer fruit tree pruning

Fruit trees of the Prunus genus (cherries, apricots plums etc) should be pruned in spring or summer.  Learn how to keep trees healthy and fruitful in this masterclass or workshop. Suitable for complete beginners and those with some experience. Dan has a specialist interest in fruit trees and is currently working with a publisher on a book about the latest research and techniques for fruit tree care.

Delivered as a 1-2 hour masterclass, or a practical half day or full day workshop.

Soft fruit pruning

Discover how to prune and care for your soft fruit for maximum productivity, health and enjoyment! Soft fruit includes raspberries, currants, strawberries, gooseberries and blackberries. Suitable for complete beginners and those with some experience. 

Delivered as a 1-2 hour masterclass, or a practical half day or full day workshop.

Ornamental shrub and tree pruning

When should you prune your shrubs and trees to keep them healthy and to maximise flowering? Dan will decode the mysteries of when and how to prune flowering shrubs and trees in an easy and accessible way in this masterclass or workshop. Suitable for complete beginners and those with some experience.

Delivered as a 1-2 hour masterclass, or a practical half day or full day workshop.

Rose care and pruning

Rose pruning can be a challenge for even the most experienced of gardeners. Learn about the various categories of roses and how to prune them and keep them healthy and blooming. Suitable for complete beginners and those with some experience.

Delivered as a 1-2 hour masterclass, or a practical half day or full day workshop.

Introduction to propagation

Learn how to create your own plants for free in this interactive workshop. Includes treatment and sowing of different types of seeds, taking cuttings and other propagation methods. Suitable for complete beginners and those with some experience.

Delivered as a 2 hour small group workshop

Tree and shrub planting

Sadly, many trees and shrubs can fail to thrive if not planted properly. Money can be wasted on planting products and fertilizers that aren't necessary. In this half day practical workshop, discover how to plant trees and shrubs safely and effectively. Suitable for complete beginners and those with some experience.

Delivered as a half day practical workshop

Climate resilient planting

With hotter summers, longer periods of drought and wetter winters, climate change brings many challenges for gardeners. How can we adapt and choose plants which will cope with our changing climate? Put aside your feelings of existential dread about climate change for a couple of hours with Dan's informative and science-based talk, and learn how to choose plants that are both beautiful and resilient.

Climate resilient planting is one of Dan's special research interests.

Delivered as a 1-2 hour talk

Gardening Fact or Fiction?

Do parsnips taste better after the first frost? Should you pee on your compost heap and does copper really deter slugs? The gardening world is full of myths and fairy tales - but how many of them are true? Dan is here to help sort fact from fiction, and answer your questions. This talk is a firm favourite for gardening clubs and horticultural societies.

Delivered as a 1-2 hour talk

Tool care and tool sharpening

Keeping your gardening tools clean and sharp saves money in replacement costs, keeps your plants healthier and makes gardening lighter work. Give those rusty secateurs at the back of your shed a new lease of life with Dan's informative and interactive workshop.

Delivered as a 2 hour practical workshop

An Introduction to Square Foot Gardening

You may have heard the term, but what exactly is 'Square Foot Gardening'? Find out how you can save time, effort, tools, space and water and create a productive harvest in almost any size of garden! Dan is a Certified Square Foot Gardening Instructor and has adapted this iconic American system of growing in small spaces to cope with our British climate.

Delivered as a 1-2 hour talk

About Dan:

Plants and gardening have been Dan’s passion and calling for over 28 years, with his first paid gardening work for family and neighbours at the age of 15. Dan has worked as a tree surgeon, soft landscaper, hard landscaper with design, a general gardener in all types of domestic gardens and in commercial settings, estate gardener, head gardener, plant specialist, horticultural manager, garden centre duty manager, regional horticultural trouble-shooter, garden & DIY centre manager, retail plant buyer, trade only plant seller, nurseryman, online plant sales administrator, neuro-diverse and dementia gardening instructor, gardening class instructor, association chairman and chief horticultural expert.