Wreath Making with Nine Hazels Farm
February 9 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Paul Mairet, manager of Nine Hazels Farm, will give us a short talk and discussion of coppicing, the ancient practice of cutting trees and shrubs to the ground and allowing them to regrow. Following the discussion, we will make a wreath out of coppiced hybrid hazel stems. Students are welcome to bring additional materials such as ribbons and other plant material to further decorate their wreaths, or decorate your wreath later at home.
Please bring gardening gloves and a pruning shears / pruner.
Instructor: Paul Mairet manages Nine Hazels Farm, a hybrid hazelnut farm and nursery in Lake City, MN. For the last two years, he has been researching, practicing, and receiving training in coppicing and crafting with hazel and other trees and shrubs. His work with hybrid hazel wood is currently funded by a Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. This has allowed him to work and learn with several artisans who have experience crafting with European hazel and willow, two of the most common coppice craft plants. They have been leveraging ancient knowledge of these plants and new artistic ideas to see what can be done with wood from the hybrid hazel that is an emerging Midwest crop.
More about Nine Hazels Farm here
