Gardener Emily answers questions about our debut Mindful Gardening retreat

27th August, 2026
by Garden team | 2 Min Read
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The 18th century Walled Garden behind Sharpham House mindfulness retreat centre

We are combining contemplation with horticulture to create our Mindful Gardening retreats at Sharpham - with lots of time spent in the 18th century Walled Garden behind Sharpham House.

You'll be alongside skilled, experienced and mindful gardeners, weaving knowledge and meditative practices to create a retreat to restore & enrich your soul...

Here, garden trainee Kate North interviews Co-Head gardener Emily Ings to find out what each retreat entails.

Wondering what our Mindful Gardening retreat incorporates?

Co-Head gardener Emily explains more in this interview by trainee gardener Kate North.

Is the retreat just for gardeners?

Not at all. You don't need any experience of gardening. It's a gentle introduction to mindful gardening.

And how about if you've already got some experience?

There'll be something for everybody. It's a way of bringing mindfulness practice into your gardening and gardening mindfully.

And how long will you be in the garden each day?

We'll be in the garden in the mornings and there's an option to spend from two and a half hours to three hours in the garden each day you're here.

And what sort of thing would we be doing?

So we'll be looking at the journey of gardening, the journey through a plant.

So we'll be looking at propagation, plant maintenance, plant harvesting, how to tend to your garden.


Find out more about these retreats here