News 2002

Latest on the BBC’s Essex Garden
Annual Conference 2002
Sulgrave Manor featured in Radio 4's 'Open Country' programme
Complementary planting at Chelsea
The Grand Design is Under Way
Tatton Park Show

Latest on the BBC’s Essex Garden

December 2002

The Herb Society’s garden in the BBC’s Essex garden at Crowther Nurseries, Abridge has now aquired its first Herb Society volunteer. She is Betty Wallace who drives directly past the garden (at the junction of the M1 and the M25) when transporting herbs from Cambridge to her shop in London. She will help plant, weed and maintain the site. One or two more volunteers are still needed. The work is not too exacting as staff at the nursery can do the watering - and there’s a good tea shop! If you would like to help in the garden for the odd hour or two a week, please call Nicky on 01295 768 899. You can check the web site on www.gardeningwithken.com.

Annual Conference 2002

September 2002

The 75 anniversary year conference, at Sulgrave Manor on 8 September, was an entertaining and informative event. Included in the programme were the following.

Opportunity to see the progress on the new Society herb garden and to hear about future plans. These include two further gardens which will be linked to the existing garden and form a large L-shaped garden
Entertaining talk by Jan Greenland, Council Member, on the history of herbs.
Informative presentation on the Eden Project by Sue Minter the Head of Living Collections there.

View of our herb garden
Click here for more information and pictures

Open forum on the developments in herbal legislation led by Roger Tabor, Society Chairman, Chris Hayne, Council Member concerned with legislation, and Ian Thomas, Chairman of Culpeper Ltd. The Society has not yet taken a position on on this issue and is currently therefore seeking views. Most of the speakers from the audience were however concerned about the possible un-necessary costs and restrictions which the legislation might impose upon them. Click here for a more detailed report on this forum.

Plenary session

Presentation by Chris Hayne on the Society's new ideas on local groups. He said that the Society had not made a very good job of this in recent years and therefore planned two new initiatives. The first is to help foster an Association of Herb Groups and the second is to develop regional branches within the Society.
Enjoyable workshop on essential oils given by Lesley Bremness, Author and Garden Designer. We all had great fun attempting to make an air-freshener spray and a face lotion

The workshop on essential oils

All in all, this was a fun day. If you couldn't attend this year, make a note in your diary for next year's event which will be at Sulgrave Manor on Sunday, 7 September, 2003. Since writing this news item, it has been decided to hold a two-day event on 21/22 September.

Sulgrave Manor

September 2002

BBC Radio 4’s ‘Open Country’ on 31 August 2002 (repeated 5 September visits) featured Sulgrave Manor, the home of the Herb Society, to celebrate Harvest Home. The house is a Tudor mansion and was home to the ancestors of George Washington's family. The manor estate was bought by Lawrence Washington, a wealthy wool merchant and Mayor of Northampton when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, and built the house. His great-great grandson emigrated to Virginia in 1656, and America's first president was born three generations later.

The ‘Open Country’ programme presented some of the customs and traditions that surround harvest time in the time of Lawrence Washington . Also, Cheryl Waller from the Herb Society talked about the importance of herbs to housework through the ages.

Sulgrave Manor

Check out the Sulgrave Manor
Web site for more information.

Complementary planting at Chelsea

August 2002

Once again the Royal Horticultural Society gave the Herb Society a large stand at the Chelsea Flower Show, in a wonderful situation. The Shows Organiser, Cheryl Waller, made full use of this opportunity, creating both an educational section and a herb garden. The herb garden received a Silver/Gilt from the judges, and the educational section received a Bronze. The stand was the busiest it has ever been at Chelsea and it was a delight to see everyone gathering around, reading the boards and asking for information. All volunteers were rushed off their feet trying to keep up with the endless requests and demands.

The Chairman, Roger Tabor, spent a couple of days helping and discussing his new book, All About Herbs, with visitors to the stand. An enormous number of books were sold, benefiting the Society’s funds.

Cheryl decided that the main focus of the stand would be Complementary Planting, First Aid for the Garden and First Aid for the Gardener. The three themes profile how plants benefit from being planted in close proximity to each other, how to treat ailing plants organically, and how to treat the ailing gardener! Three information sheets were drawn up and sold at the show, and the Society has pleasure in placing these sheets on the web site - click here to go to find them.

The Chelsea stand

Cheryl then went on to do the Hampton Court Flower Show, BBC Gardener’s World at the NEC in Birmingham, Tatton Park Flower Show in Cheshire, and finally Southport. If you attend any of these shows next year, don’t forget to look out for us! Click here for report on the Tatton Park Show.

The Grand Design is Under Way

July 2002

The Herb Society has been at Sulgrave Manor for a nearly a year now, and at last year's conference in September, we set ourselves the target of establishing our herb garden there by end of 2002. Things have moved more quickly than we dared hope thanks to the help of many volunteers. Despite the wet summer, most of the landscaping is complete and we'll soon be able to start planting.

But we still need your support which can be given in several ways

Time and energy. The soil is heavy having been uncultivated for many years. Help is needed to dig over and lighten with compost and grit.
Plants. Let us have any spare plants you might have - named varieties please. Can you bring your plants and dig them in?
Donations. This has been and continues to be an expensive project so any donations you make will be greatly appreciated.

Phone (01235 768889) or e-mail if you can help.

Click here for pictures and article on the garden.

Tatton Park Show

July 2002

The Herb Society Had a very successful stand at the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show held on 17-21 July. This was a very busy event at which the Society signed up 39 new Members and took over £2000. I had helped on the stand last year, so knew what to expect when I offered to help again this year.

The stand was divided in two. On one side was a miniature garden with paths and herbs grown by Tavistock Herb Nursery, near Preston (email). The proprietor, Phil Jones, was on hand to give information and was in great demand. In the centre of the garden was a tea tree from Australia, which he had grown from seed. Phil explained that it was easy to grow from seed, but is hard to keep it thriving, as it needs constant watering because its natural habitat is marshes. So not all of Australia is hot and dry! Phil was doing a good trade selling his plants, particularly dwarf lavender.

In the more open part of the stand there was a display of dried aromatic herbs, and Cheryl Waller, who designed the stand, had dried her own orris root from Iris florentina grown in her own garden. The scent of the pot pourri always draws people in and is a major seller. Cheryl's flower arrangements composed solely of herbs are an inspiration. There was also a picture composed of herbs, with the question "How many different herbs are there?" Can we now be told?

We are asked many questions by visitors to the stand. Last year the major question was "How do you get rid of slugs?" This year it was "What can you grow that rabbits don't eat?" (Slugs, maybe!) There was also interest in red clover as an HRT alternative, thanks to Angela Rippon. People also were keen to know when was the best time to pick lavender for drying. (Apparently, just before the flowers open fully.)

The Country Living gold medal garden had a lovely feathery leafed, delicate, white flower growing in profusion. It was chervil.

One of the features of the Tatton Park Show is the back to back gardens. This interests me, as my new back garden is very small, and already full of herbs and flowers. When I called at the end of the day to get one of Phil's dwarf lavender, he had sold out.

It was a wonderful day. The punters were lovely. I can't wait till next year.

Audrey Butterworth

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