Eyebrows raised, Seren shook her head at the boy, a faint smile on her lips. "I suggest you hold onto that frog, or keep it in your dorms next time..." because when they went hoppity hop, it could get distracting and disruptive. Neither of which were acceptable.


The conversation that developed, was a rigorous one, and it fascinated her to hear the students' perspectives and understandings of why topiary were created. She was thrilled, so very proud. Most all the students in one way or another acknowledged the care requirements for topiary plants, those indoor versus outdoor.. and the amount of sunlight they received as well as watering and trimming requirements. Astrid, Christmas, Beverly, Caelen, Caleb, Adi, Raven and Gwenhwyfar supplied some of the better responses in terms of environmental conditions, though Ella's perspective on the ecodiversity side of things supported the idea as well. "Yes, very good... climatic conditions, sunshine, rain and severity of climates is important to consider," she noted happily. Though, in terms of discussion on actual care requirements, Theo, Edvard, Kace, Sander, Michael, Jun and Bri supplied the stronger responses. Some more so than others, but the idea was there. "More often than not, it's the indoor variety that require the most attention," she noted in response to Michael's train of thought. "Outdoor varieties tend to be hardier, and are less restricted in terms of space, whereas indoor varieties lack exposure to adequate sunlight and naturally occurring minerals and nutrients , therefore requiring more human intervention and care." Of course, this was not always the case, but generally speaking.

Getting up from where she sat, Seren wandered around a little before settling in another spot, making herself more accessible to more students. She wanted to hear what they all had to say on the matter.

Anastasia certainly added an interesting perspective to conversation. "Atmosphere! Yes absolutely," she nodded, grinning, "the perfect example of that is the atmosphere at the beginning of the lesson, see how we all reacted, how it improved our moods," she wiggled her eyebrows at the students, seeeee, it was all relative, they'd experienced it first hand. And of course the Slytherin also mentioned creating sections in gardens, "another excellent point, whether you want to divide a space or utilise it, topiary is a fantastic way to do so."

The availability of space was also a poplar factor which was well supported in conversation. Anastasia, Lex, Raven, Hope, Lux, Lily, Bart and Robin all offering their perspective and understanding on the matter. She gave them all nods and thumbs up. Hit the nail on the head with that one. Size does matter!

Seren listened attentively as Hufflepuff Sophie asked a very good question, were the others listening? Were they hearing this too? They ought to...

"Excellent question," Seren nodded, even if the example was a little silly.. just a little.. "remembering that outdoor topiary are usually planted directly in the ground, whereas indoor topiary are usually potted, it's important to note that even enchanted topiary still need to have access to soil so their roots may be re-engaged. If they were moved indoors without the proper care, yes they would die."

Any more questions at this point? Not yet...

Naturally the most common perception of topiary use was for decoration, and a number of students supported this view. "Decoration, yes... could someone perhaps elaborate on that?" she asked, because there was a purpose for its use for decorative purposes, minus the fact that is simple looked good. The genius response she wanted didn't come from Lucus, but he wasn't wrong. Yes, some people liked to shape them. Simple. Therapeutic? Beverly wasn't wrong either, just not entirely right... perhaps she needed to rephrase that. Still, she and Lucus received smiles and a nod for their efforts. Kace and Sarah then enlightened them. "Yesss!" she said clapping her hands together, "It's a sign of affluence and prestige, the shape your garden is in, communicates to others the size of your bank vault or the extent of your skills." And it seemed as though Sarah had a question tooo. Excellent.

"Magic, my dear," Seren replied, waving a hand in the air dramatically. "Because of it's bigger foliage, it's often used for simpler shapes, and a simple freezing charm helps settle it while you work away." She added a wink for good measure. If there was a will, then there was a way.

But back to conversation.

"Yes, playing on..." she replied, eyeing Jun skeptically, he wasn't wrong. "Excellent, yes, art and expression," she nodded, giving the thumbs up to Sander, Penelope, Robin, Sarah, Bri and Slytherin Sophie. Sophie also hinted at another use of topiary... touching on charms... but didn't elaborate on the point, more asking than exploring. Trust the Gryffindor Prefect to help her out. "Defence!" she exclaimed in agreement, "absolutely.. it can be as subtle or as obvious as you want and they can be exceptionally useful." Just keep them away from fire, fire tended to be bad for plants - most plants. Bromulus, Ian and Bri also supported the idea.

Michael's idea also complemented the theme, "Privacy.. definitely one of it's more common uses," she agreed. Mo also raised an interesting point, one that was a little more philosophical. Pursing her lips, Seren nodded, impressed with the Captain's response. "Yes, human nature, and by extension culture has an interesting way of manifesting in the physical form.. the art of topiary being one of them. The need to shape and mold and create - to exert control over nature." And who said Quidditch jocks couldn't be academic too? Huh? Seren beamed, nodding as Alice too raised a fine point. Preserved Boxwood! "Yesss.. interestingly enough, preserved or created topiaries are also quite popular more-so for indoors than outdoors.. and this is generally as a result of the care indoor plants require."

Then they were back to some of the lighter more generic ideas again, "Interesting, fun, a hobby," she reiterated, nodding at Delilah, Rhodes, Raven and Hope.

With a side glance at Cutty, who had opted not to speak, Seren swept her gaze over the class, confident they were ready to move on, to take the next step, and just then, Huxley seemed to ask a question which led right into it.

She was touched by this, touched. The question came from a place of love, of caring... it warmed her heart. "Unethical... yes, and no," she replied pausing to let that sink in. "In theory, it's unethical, and depending on the plant variety it may certainly be inappropriate. For example, you wouldn't want to hack away at a fanged geranium, a venemous tentacular or even a devils snare.. it would cause them pain and effect their ability to live and grow." And that, would be exceptionally heart breaking, exceptionally... "However, for the most part, particularly your more mundane varieties, their health and growth are not impeded by the art, and while it may seem unethical in principle, there isn't anything wrong with the practice." Call it excessive pruning, it was fine.

....
....


But on with the lesson!

"So now, what methods do we use to create topiary? And what factors do we need to consider?" The second part of the question was perhaps a bit trickier, which would require some out of the box thinking... she was optimistic though.

Getting up to move around again, waiting for the question to sink in and for them to start discussing, Seren couldn't help but notice that the new Ravenclaw girl was disrespecting her in her classss!!!! That was most certainly a letter she was writing, and not notes! How long had she not been listening huh? This was rude, and could not be explained away. Blatantly rude.

"Minus five points for being disrespectful and writing letters in my class, Caelen." Yes, she knew her name. It was on her letter. Talk about busted. "I suggest you focus on class work during class time, letters can wait until your free time, in future."

OOC: The lesson will continue in approx 24 hours