Twisted Roots is a series of four individual writing workshops shaped by the seasons of Chelsea Physic Garden, London’s oldest botanical garden and a living archive of nearly five thousand plants and stories on the banks of the River Thames.

Twisted Roots dates and themes:

Sunday 8 February: Awakening

Sunday 31 May: Blooming

Sunday 25 October: Gathering

Saturday 19 December: Wintering

Across the year, participants are invited to return to the Garden as it changes, listening closely to what stirs, emerges, ripens, rots and rests. Each season becomes a threshold for writing, offering a moment to pause and respond to the plants, the light, the weather and the deeper rhythms of the year.

Led by Helen Haxell-White, a professional storyteller and creative writing teacher, the workshops combine gentle guidance, reading, sensory attention and sustained time to write. Participants will move through the Garden, noticing first buds, heavy seed heads, falling leaves and bare stems, and will be encouraged to shape these observations into new folklore, myths and short tales rooted in place and purpose.

Each workshop is a full day gathering with a one-hour lunch break, allowing time to write, reflect and be in conversation with others. Over the course of the year, the group will form a small and committed circle of writers, returning again and again to the same place and building a body of work shaped by shared seasons and quiet attentiveness.

Participants may choose to step fully into the cycle of the year by attending all four workshops as a complete journey through the seasons. Booking the full course offers a 10% discount and supports the development of a sustained body of work over time. Each workshop can also be attended individually, inviting writers to enter the year at the season that interests them most.

Please note that lunch is not provided. Participants are welcome to bring their own or visit the Physic Garden Café.

About Helen Haxell-White

Helen Haxell-White is a professional storyteller who runs creative writing workshops on the paranormal in Somerset, where she is based.

Originally from Suffolk, ghost stories and the paranormal have been under her skin from an early age. Helen can often be found after dark, exploring historical monuments and dark woods to get her heart racing and feel the fear for creative inspiration.

Helen is currently finalising her ghost story anthology, titled 33 Ghosts, which is a collection of flash fiction for the digital age.

Included in your ticket:

• Entry to the Garden for the day
• Light refreshments
• A branded Twisted Roots notebook to accompany your writing.