This workshop is now sold-out. There are still a few tickets remaining on the other workshops listed below.

May marks the transition from spring into summer, a month long shaped by folk customs. In London’s oldest botanical garden, plants bloom and burst, reaching their potency under the lengthening of days.

Part of Folklore ReRooted, Chelsea Physic Garden’s year-long folklore theme for 2026,  this full-day creative writing workshop invites writers to create folklore for modern times, using the Garden as both setting and catalyst. Writing as nature is fully blooming, participants will explore plant potency, abundance and its cost and the moment when abundance begins to turn.

You can attend this workshop on its own, or as part of the wider seasonal series.

Other workshops in the Twisted Roots series:

Sunday 31 May: Blooming (sold-out)

Sunday 25 October: Gathering

Saturday 19 December: Wintering

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.

When you attend this event, you’re supporting Chelsea Physic Garden’s charitable mission to protect and celebrate plant knowledge for future generations.