Outside In • Spring Bulb Basket Workshop

Step inside a bright workshop on Skeldergate in York and you'll find The Outside In's Spring Bulb Basket Workshop, a two-hour creative session led by Alice. Located in the tucked-away entrance shared with Emperor's Gym beside Middleton's hotel, the class turns simple bulbs and soil into a living, transportable display you can take home. The experience is straightforward: on arrival you'll be offered a complementary York Gin & Tonic, then guided through potting, planting, and composing a spring bulb basket.

The tactile work of arranging bulbs, moss, and foliage is paired with practical horticulture—how deep to sit a tulip bulb, how to layer drainage, and how to set up aftercare to coax reliable early blooms. Alice keeps the pace relaxed for beginners while offering hands-on tips for people who want to refine their plant design. What makes this session special for visitors to York is the blend of city-side calm and craft.

The workshop occupies a small raised-bed garden entrance on Skeldergate, an intimate urban nook that frames the activity; you're not in a commercial classroom but in a plant studio that values slow, seasonal making. The finished basket is delivered in a sturdy bag with an aftercare guide, so the end result survives the journey home—ideal for travelers who want a living souvenir rather than a postcard. This is a good pick for couples, friends, or solo travelers who want a low-effort creative morning or afternoon that still feels connected to place.

No special skills or tools are required—just curiosity and steady hands; group sizes are kept intimate to let everyone get precise with arranging and compost layering. Alongside the practical instruction you'll hear local context: Alice's design choices reflect seasonal rhythms, and the workshop echoes York's long tradition of market gardening and craft. Practical notes: the entrance is via the small raised bed garden on Skeldergate; follow the path and turn immediately left down the steps.

Bring nothing more than a bag for your finished basket (the studio provides one) and wear comfortable clothes you don't mind getting a little soil on. The class lasts about two hours and is priced per the booking link. If you're in York for museums, riverside walks or a distillery tour, carve out time for this hands-on, slow-craft break.

You'll leave with a fragrant, bulb-filled basket, a clearer confidence about bulb care, and a small, living piece of York to nurture at home. Sessions are suitable for beginners and plant-lovers alike, and the social, table-by-table format makes it easy to ask questions and swap tips mid-build; if you have a dietary preference or accessibility need, contact the studio ahead of time through the booking link to confirm arrangements and any accommodations. Bring patience.