For the first time this week, garden enthusiasts will get the chance to see the remarkable garden created by Pat and Norman Webster at their stunning Canadian home overlooking the water, when the gardens open at 10.00 on 4 August. I was lucky enough to have a sneak preview when visiting Quebec in June with…
29/07/2016Older patients receiving care from Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust at a specialist unit in Ipswich are now able to make the most of the great outdoors following a mini-garden makeover.
Large planters which were once left derelict and unkempt have been filled with colourful plants and aromatic herbs, in turn bringing the courtyard at The Willows, which is part of Woodlands Unit at Ipswich Hospital, to life. Elsewhere, new seating has been added and tomatoes and peppers planted so that service users can enjoy growing their own vegetables.
The project was made possible thanks to the Woodbridge branch of Wyevale, which donated the plants, compost and gardening gloves to NSFT Staff Nurse Lesley Bradshaw. Some of NSFT’s service users helped with the planting, while more patients than ever now using the new-look garden to enjoy time away from the ward.
“We are really pleased with the makeover, which has added some colour, texture and aroma to what was once a rather bland and unloved courtyard,” said Lesley. “We asked our patients if they would like to get involved in planting and they really enjoyed it and found it quite therapeutic – one lady in particular who loves gardening at home was in her element.
“We are very grateful to Wyevale for their generosity, without which this project would not have been possible. More people are now using the space and enjoying sitting outside to get some fresh air, which shows that they really appreciate the work we’ve done.”
Brian Luke, Charity Champion with Wyevale, said: “It is a pleasure to help and I hope that we are able to support the unit again in the future and that many people get to enjoy the new space.
“I would like to thank John Bishop, the Garden Centre Manager, Mike Upson, our Horticulture Manager, and Tom Nunn, our Horticulture Team Leader, for making this all possible.
“It is my intention to do what I can to support our local communities in my role as Wyevale, Woodbridge Charity Champion.”
From NSFT Website
Death of the hardware store
As the harmless nondescript strips of suburban Melbourne are systematically bulldozed by developers, a few local shops cling to each other like possums in the equally sparse remnant vegetation.
Next to the sublime Melbourne Vintage Audio shop (I wrote about yesterday) sits this slither of a hardware store dug in like an echidna, bristling with spiky wares to ward off anyone in a sharp suit. In the soft underbelly no doubt there is an ancient shopkeeper and an able assistant who can find a 31/2″ screw in a flash (no we don’t sell metric fittings in here my dear they would say ever so slightly patronisingly).
When we lived in St Kilda there was such a little hardware shop just off Acland St – a great refuge for newlyweds unsure of the etiquette of dealing with the early disasters of home making. Nothing like a wander about an array of power…
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Once upon a time, there was a prince called Pedro who was calm and handsome. As the younger brother of the king, he did not expect to have to perform royal duties. So he devoted his energies to the construction of a palace in the village of Queluz where he could host hunting parties. The […]
Whilst down in Devon recently, one sunny Sunday morning I wandered into Tavistock Pannier Market to the Tavistock Garden Festival. It was busy.There was a lovely range of displays by local nurseries all vying for our trade, as well as some other trades people with garden ornaments and practical garden items. I was tempted…and succumbed, buying three rather unusual plants, all of which now adorn the pond garden here at the Old School: a beautiful white Camassia (I’ve already saved seed from this and hope to propagate further plants), a Sanguisorba with a mix of red flowers and nicely cut foliage and a rather nice Geum, with golden yellow flowers nestling on pinkish red bases.
A new generation of designers are applying ecologically inspired design to agriculture, architecture, community planning, cities, enterprises, economics and ecosystem regeneration. Join them to co-create diverse regenerative cultures in the transition towards a regenerative society. Humanity’s impact needs to shift from degeneration to regeneration before the middle of this century. We will all have to collaborate to achieve this transformative response to the converging crises we are facing….
Recent research has shown that children are now spending only half as much time playing outdoors as their parents’ generation did. If you’re concerned that your kids aren’t getting enough time out in the fresh air then help is at hand – in the form of the simple stick. We conducted a survey which showed […]
via The humble stick revealed as the must-have toy for summer. — National Trust Press Office
It’s lily season in New England. I know they only last for a single day, but I love them anyway. They’re the same, but different. The colors are all beautiful. They’re straight, and they are curly. They are large, and they are small. They’re like us humans – all different, but all beautiful. 💗 “Gardening […]
Collage picture archive: ‘tired of London, tired of life’ – http://wp.me/p2CnX7-1wt
The Walled Garden is really moving into overdrive and looks fantastic. My latest session- a short one- at Blickling was another warm day.I began the session an hour earlier than usual, and it was a good plan, because by midday the heat was pretty oppressive. Digging over an area next to the runner beans saw some serious weeds removed and I followed this up with some hoeing around the beans themselves.
My fellow volunteers were also involved in weeding and one or two were harvesting- there’s plenty of stuff for use in the restaurant and some will be packed up for offering to visitors, in return for a donation. My ‘pea tunnel’ created last week seems to have survived, though the peas themselves are not looking so good.
The rest of the gardens are also in full splendour and I chatted to Assistant Head Gardener, Steve about the hours of work he put into the parterre garden removing bindweed earlier in the season- he told me it was the equivalent of ‘triple digging’! The double borders and White Garden are also looking vibrant in the sunshine.
Elsewhere, Norfolk Peter was working with a colleague from a local firm to weld together the arches that will sit across the main path in the walled garden and eventually provide a wonderful ‘tunnel of fruit’.
Further Information:Nigel Boldero aka 'Old School Gardener'
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