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Gardens in Time: Heritage Gardening Retreats in France
Enjoy a weekend of specialist gardening expertise from Katya Lebedev, owner of the specialist plant nursery Plant d’Avenir and RHS Ivy Cultivar Registrar. Visit the Jardins de Gué, with its six specialist gardens and holder of the world’s largest collection of over 600 varieties of Ivies.
Relax & Enjoy
Stay in a delightful 13th century Priory, the home of Paula Dormer for the past nine years and Superhost on Airbnb. Le Prieuré Pressigny sits perched on the edge of a beautiful 10,000 year old river valley in the heart of woods in a beautiful rural corner of Nouvelle Aquitaine close to Poitiers.
Choose your course from one of six offered in 2026, run by Katya Lebedev, RHS Ivy Cultivar Registrar and Specialist Nursery owner..
Accommodation, meals and drinks provided, vegans and special dietary requirements catered for.
Limited to ten participants. Partners not participating in the course are welcome.
Itinerary
Friday
Arrive from 4p.m. Afternoon tea ready to greet you!
Settle into your rooms, meet the other participants, enjoy a swim if weather permits, explore the garden!
7p.m. Dinner with Katya. Coffee and an introduction to the course from Katya.
Saturday
8.30am Breakfast
9.15am Morning session
10.45am Coffee and biscuits.
12.30am Lunch break
2pm to 5.30pm Afternoon session
4.30pm Tea and cake
7pm Drinks and canapés followed by a four course dinner.
Sunday
8.30 am Breakfast
9.15 am Morning session
10.45 am Coffee and biscuits.
12.30 am Lunch break
2pm to 5.30pm Afternoon session
4.30 Tea and cake
7pm Drinks and canapés followed by a four course dinner.
Monday
8.30am Breakfast
Guests leave after breakfast
Meals are prepared by your hostess, using many of the plants, fruits and herbs grown in the Priory garden or available from Katya’s nursery, Plant d’Avenir.
Reviews from the last course in December at Le Prieuré
Thanx dear, darling Paula for your kindness, your magical house, and your wonderful cooking. Ici, tout est beauté, luxe, calme et volupté.
(Here everything is beautiful, luxurious, calm and pleasurable.)
Merci infiniment pour ton accueil et pour ces merveilleux repas. Nous avons été gâtés!
(Thank you so much for your hospitality and for the wonderful meals. We were spoiled rotten!)
Quelle cuisine merveilleuse Paula, dans vos plats, tantes de saveurs de générosité, d’amour…Nous avons reçu un séjour juste parfait, de plus profond de notre coeur, un immense Merci.
(Paula, what wonderful cooking. Your dishes are bursting with flavour, generosity and love…we had a truly perfect stay. From the bottom of our hearts, a huge thank you!
Prices
Participant :Euros 950, 50% deposit on booking, 50% 30 days prior to the commencement date.
Non-participating partner or friend (sharing bedroom with participant). Euros 350
The cost does not include travel but we can pick you up from Poitiers where there are high speed trains to Paris, Lille and other destinations that connect to Europe and the UK as well as Poitiers Airport connecting to Stansted)
**Guests may stay on for extra nights by arrangement. Bed and breakfast is Euros 140. Dinner is Euros 65 and Lunch Euros 35) Please contact Paula if you would like to stay for additional nights before or after the course. (Whatsapp+33674045315).
Katya Lebedev
Katya Lebedev is the daughter of a Russian-American couple who settled in France in the early 2000s. After studying Political Philosophy at Bard College, Katya took a leap into the world of 3D animation—a journey that led her through two master’s programs and work on animated series, blockbuster feature films, and small independent projects.
An avid illustrator, she began to feel the long hours of production work encroaching on her own creative garden and realized it was time for a change. Creating a plant nursery specializing in drought-tolerant plants offered the autonomy, rootedness, creativity, and curiosity that had been missing from a largely digital life.
Working alongside Paula—bringing shared attention to detail, history, and care for guests—has transformed the nursery’s path into a true collaboration. The opportunity to share her passion for all things botanical is a genuine gift.
