News 2003

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Contents

• The Herb Society’s Annual Conference 2003
• The Herb Society's BBC Essex Garden is Planted!
• Herb Study Day Sulgrave Manor
• Bronze medal at Tatton Show
• Hampton Court Show 2003
• Herb Society Garden in BBC Essex Garden
• Herb Study Day in Staffordshire
• The National Garden of The Herb Society Opens
• Setting up the Chelsea garden - the reality
• Two Silver Medals for the Herb Society at Chelsea 2003
• A garden you can eat and the sexiest chef in England
• Herbs on BBC Women's Hour and on the Food Programme
• Looking towards Chelsea 2003
• Chairman's New Year Message

The Herb Society’s Annual Conference 2003

Chairman’s Report

Council members were there to welcome delegates as they arrived and took coffee or tea and biscuits sitting out in the sun of Sulgrave Manor’s Buttery courtyard. As Chairman, I then formally welcomed the delegates, and invited them to attend the AGM in Sulgrave’s new hall. At the end of the AGM the Society’s special thanks were recorded to Cheryl Waller, for her tireless work for the Society, and especially for her key role in achieving the Society’s two Silver Medals at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

After the business of the AGM I spoke about the development of The Herb Society’s National Herb Garden at Sulgrave Manor, in Northamptonshire, and the newly completed Herb Society Garden in The BBC Essex Garden at Abridge in Essex. This latter garden has been created by volunteers and its story can be found elsewhere on this website.

The conference delegates then accompanied me to the Society’s National Garden where I outlined the work that has been carried out on the garden (click here for more information) and discussed the historic and present uses of some of the herbs growing in the garden. I highlighted the role of the garden in fulfilling the needs of the society in having a botanic garden (more appropriately a physic garden given the age of the setting), that reflects the needs of a household such as that at Sulgrave in the past in meeting its medicinal, culinary and household requirements with herbs. We focussed on the "Herbs to America" circular bed that contains herbs that were taken by early pilgrim settlers sailing to the New World from Britain, and which is an important feature of the Sulgrave garden as the manor house is the ancestral home of the family of George Washington, founding President of the United States.

It gave the delegates an opportunity to look at the garden early in the conference. The garden key role is not to be just decorative but primarily to be an educational resource, and to demonstrate this role I particularly spoke about plants that are and have been used to aid digestion, such as peppermint, Artemisia’s, and native catnip.

An enjoyable buffet lunch followed in the Buttery, which gave everyone a great opportunity not only to enjoy the food, but also to have an unhurried chat with other delegates.

After lunch delegates had their first experience of the culinary star of the weekend, Britain’s top specialist herb chef Mike Cullen. They were in for a real treat, for Mike does not just skilfully demonstrate cooking with herbs given with pearls of herbal wisdom, but he richly laces his delivery with wit and good humour. At this he is well experienced, for over the years he has had a double life around Christmas as a pantomime dame!

Mike held everyone in an entranced state interspersed with good-natured laughter as they followed his unique delivery as he showed the preparation involved in making excellent herb-filled food.

Then Dave Butterworth, the Herb Society’s "Webmaster" gave a lively presentation of how this website works, and the way to navigate its varied parts. He used a large digital projection so that everyone could see easily. Although a number were familiar with the site, for those that had not yet ventured onto it, it proved a most helpful introduction.

He showed among the topics he covered, in the "News" section, pictures of the construction of the Society’s BBC Essex Garden pointing out volunteers Barbara Cuthbert and Conway. He also drew attention to how during Chelsea Flower Show week earlier this year, he had been able to update the site on a daily basis, so members and others could share in the excitement as the story developed, and the Society gained its two Silver Medals.  He then showed the virtual tour of our garden, which can be seen by clicking on the garden logo here , and finished by demonstrating how to post massages on our Pot-pourri Forum.

Then tea with various delectable types of herby scones was delivered up by Mike (with some invaluable assistants!)

After tea, the stage changed to allow Jan Greenland to get delegates to each make a herbal tussie-mussie under her expert tuition and guidance. Jan is an acknowledged expert in their production.

Then there was the opportunity to take a little while to recuperate and ease into more glamorous evening outfits, before returning to the Herb Society’s Conference Gala Dinner. In deference to Sulgrave Manor’s Tudor past the Chairman initially welcomed delegates wearing a Tudor cloak, though this was removed for the meal! The charming candlelit tables gave an intimate atmosphere to the occasion, which enhanced the opportunity for conversations during the meal.

Even though delegates had been enthralled by Mike Cullen’s earlier cooking demonstration, not everyone was prepared for the amazing quality of the Gala Dinner that he prepared. Comments of unsuppressed delight over the appearance, wonderful aromas and exquisite tastes were heard all round. Each of the courses in turn offered further herb-tasting pleasures, culminating with (for those who chose the dark chocolate sweet) Mike’s speciality combination of Rosemary and dark chocolate with their uncannily complimentary flavours. Many took up Mike’s kind offer of a second sweet, after which Mike was given extensive applause for the whole meal that was such a fabulous culinary herbal delight.

On the Sunday morning after coffee and biscuits, Lesley Bremness gave one of her fascinating master classes using herbal essential oils. The room, despite its huge size soon took on a heady atmosphere of a multitude of aromas as Lesley took delegates through the careful process of mixing the oils together, drop at a time to form tailored blends that could be used as room sprays on specific occasions. If you wanted a spay to inhale to make you feel alert and confident for a job interview, or one to help you relax, or another to help you stay focussed when driving, then Lesley could recommend a mixture that would fit. Everyone headed off to lunch clutching their own spay that they had made themselves to suit their preference, under Lesley’s guidance.

After another splendid herb-based lunch, delegates listened spellbound while Jessica Houdret transported them with projected pictures of herbs taken around the world. She encouraged delegates to spend some time herb hunting when they were away on holiday. She conjured up images of Europe, India and Southern Africa, with some stunning slides of close-ups of foreign herbs.

After Jessica’s talk, as the weather was still superb, I took the delegates back to the National Garden, and particularly talked about mugwort and hound’s tongue to illustrate the educational botanic value of the garden. However, the key purpose of this visit was to walk them through the areas that it is hoped the Society can develop, and to outline the future plans for the next stages that we hope will be made.

Then some cakes topped with crystallised violets and tea, [herbal or standard] sitting in the sun, in good conversation with others of like mind, provided a charming conclusion to a most enjoyable weekend. Thanks were particularly given to Sally Miller for organising the Conference. Bookings are already being taken for next year!

Roger Tabor

The Herb Society's BBC Essex Garden is Planted!

Roger Tabor, Chairman of The Herb Society

The Herb Society now has a fully functioning garden at the BBC Essex Garden in Crowther's Nursery at Abridge in Essex, which is close to the M25/M11 junction. This gives the Herb Society a great resource easily accessible to anyone in the heavily populated South East of England. It is open every day, including Sundays, from 9 - 5.30.

On 30th August 2003 the bark paths were laid, stone rope edges were put in place, and the fourth bed dug and planted up by a volunteer team of Barbara Cuthbert and her husband Steve, Conway and myself. Measurements were taken, and repeated, and adjusted to position the stone edging in the formal design. Fortunately it had rained overnight making the ground more easily workable than on previous days in this year's hot summer.

Barbara took along some herbs to plant, but we were welcomed by the generous donation of a number of plants by Crowther's Nursery which allowed the planting of the final bed. These included five varieties of Agastache, Giant Hyssops, and a couple of varieties of Salvias, plus Monarda, which will bring colour to that bed. (The leaves and flowers of a number of types of Agastache have been used as tea flavourings). In addition to the kind donation to the garden by Crowthers of the stone rope edging and bark, they helped our work by mechanically moving these up to the garden.

The new plants added to the garden included:

Pot Marigold, Myrtle, Variegated Mugwort, Bee Balm, Hartsease, Perennial Lawn Chamomile, French Parsley, Wood Sage, Sweet Woodruff, Curry Plant, Giant Hyssop's 'After Eight', 'Blue Fortune', 'Apricot Sprite', and 'Pink Perfume', Salvia guarantica 'Blue Enigma', Salvia greggi x lyciodes, Artichoke, Lemon Balm, Russian Sage, Horseradish, Rue, Rosemary, English Lavender, Pineapple Mint, Golden Marjoram, Rock Hyssop, Red Valerian, Creeping Thyme 'Russetting'. [For listings of other herbs in the garden take a look at the earlier news reports on the garden].

If you live in Essex, East Hertfordshire, East London, North Kent, South Suffolk, and can pick up BBC Essex, then listen out on Saturdays for the "Down to Earth" programme, which will feature The Herb Society's Garden in the BBC Essex Garden from time to time. If you are in the area why not pop along to see the garden yourself, (and spoil yourself with tea and cake at the nursery's teashop!)

If you would like to become a volunteer to help occasionally at the garden, please contact Nicky.

Click here or scroll down for earlier news item on this garden.

Finished and Watering	Planting and Recording

Putting in Edging: Barbara Cuthbert (HS volunteer) and her husband Steve in foreground, and behind with spade Conway, who volunteered from from our Forum, and is now joining as a member

Herb Study Day Sulgrave Manor

Hampton Court Show

The Herb Society did a window box and hanging basket display for the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show held on 8 - 13 July. This was arranged by our Silver winning garden designer, Cheryl Waller. She did a beautiful design of red shisho perilla contrasting against the bright green of parsley and the fabulous orange and yellow of the nasturtiums tumbling down.  Click here for pictures.

The arrangement was a huge success, and can now be seen at the Society's National garden at Sulgrave Manor.

Herb Society Garden in BBC Essex Garden

Herb Society Chairman Roger Tabor, with Herb Society member Barbara Cuthbert, had a meeting on site recently with Ken Crowther, the Nursery owner, and presenter of BBC Essex’s weekly gardening programme, and Kevin the site manager. The Herb Society garden site position had been marked out, cleared and rotivated by Ken’s team, and Ken kindly donated to the Society materials for the hard landscaping including a Bradstone Herb Wheel, and some mini-millstones for laying in the paths, and bark chips for the path. The Bradstone company has donated edging for the paths.

The rectangular plot is over 40 foot long, and Roger has designed it to be formally sub-divided into 4 blocks with central crossing paths, with a circular centrepiece. The inner paths will be laid with bark and the garden is bounded by grass paths and hedges on the long sides.

After the meeting, the garden’s internal design was pegged out, and one of the quarter sections was dug over and planted up with herbs brought from the Chairman’s own watermill herb garden. The herbs were then well watered in, and Crowther’s Nursery team will kindly continue to water the garden when required.

These were planted in The Herb Society’s BBC Essex Garden and despite the very hot weather watering from the Crowther’s team has meant virtually all are settling in:

Angelica, Black Horehound, Black Peppermint, Bowle’s Mint, Columbine, Common Comfrey, Cow Parsley, Creeping Thyme, Eau de Cologne mint, Orange (Eau de Cologne) Mint, Garden Sorrel, Golden Feverfew, Golden Oregano, Green Alkanet, Ground Ivy, Hedge woundwort, Herb Bennet, Herb Robert, Lemon Balm, Lungwort, Mugwort, Pennyroyal, Perennial Double Chamomile, Periwinkle, Purple Toadflax, Spearmint, Teasel, White Comfrey, White Maiden Pink, Wild Marjoram and Wild Strawberry.

The Herb Society has also since had kindly donated the following pot grown herbs that have been planted in two more beds, and the central Bradstone Herb Wheel has been planted up as well:

Roman Wormwood, Liquorice, French Tarragon, Garlic Chives, Bowles Mint,

Lady’s Mantle, Black Peppermint, Salad Burnet, Foxgloves, Lady’s Smock,

Fennel, Giant Fennel, English Mace, Pennyroyal (Creeping), Creeping Thyme, Weld, Old Canterbury Bells, English Lavender, Marsh Pea, Caraway, Clary Sage, Kidney Vetch, Wormwood, Masterwort, Hyssop, Giant Fennel, Sweet Marjoram and Parsley.

Now three quarters of the the initial planting is in place, and soon work will have the bark paths laid.

The BBC Essex Garden is used as Ken’s programme’s garden for weekly broadcasts (Saturdays), and was started by Ken in 1987. Recently in a significant extension of the garden Ken invited a number of national plant societies to have society gardens within the larger BBC Essex Garden. The Vegetable Society, Hosta and Hemmorocalis Society, Pelargonium and Iris Societies, like the Herb Society are all establishing gardens there.

For The Herb Society the new garden is a wonderful opportunity for frequent broadcasts on the garden and the Society on BBC Essex, which is heard not only all across Essex, but also the eastern side of London, and parts of Kent, Hertfordshire and Suffolk. The BBC Essex Garden is also open to the public, and receives many visitors, and of course will be a most welcome resource of The Herb Society and its members in the South East and the whole London area due to its location close to the M11 junction on the M25.

Full address of the garden is Crowther Nurseries, Ongar Road, Abridge, Essex RM4 1AA.  Click here for map.

We need more members who live in the area to give a hand, and we also will need some more plants. If members locally have some known herbs they could donate to the garden we would be pleased to hear. Don’t be put off if they if they are already on the list! If you can spare some time, plants, or both, please email Nicky the Herb Society Administrator.

Herb Study Day in Staffordshire

By Audrey Butterworth

About a dozen people attended the day's event including three Herb Society Members. 

We started the day with cups of Earl Grey tea or glasses of elderflower cordial with biscuits and delicious tiny home-made buns. Then Jan gave a short talk defining the meaning of a herb. She then showed slides of herbal dishes cooked for Wine magazine and served at Chelsea Physic Garden. These were based on seventeenth century recipes which is when that Garden was opened. We were also shown slides of herbs and gardens visited by Jan, including the Abbey Gardens at Malmesbury.

We next visited Jan's garden which is truly a paradise. Apparently the garden receives the minimum of attention, which suits my idea of gardening. There is a rampant clematis, Clematis viticella 'Mary Rose', which is a 400 year old variety. Next to it is a magnificent plant called clary sage or a colloquial name is Sweaty Betty. Jan said it was awful, and I went and rubbed my hand against it. The smell was truly awful, and I found it difficult to live with myself for the rest of the tour.

After a good wash, (see last paragraph) we had lunch in the grounds, which we had brought ourselves.

After lunch we were shown how to make tussie-mussies. Jan provided bundles of different herbs and we assembled them into a tussie-mussies, so we each had one to take home. We were also allowed to take pieces of plant from the garden, within reason, of course.  Under Jan's instruction I found this activity extremely easy despite my renowned for ham-fistedness.  The picture on the right shows my creation resting on my water feature back home in my small town herb garden  We were then served with Pimms garnished with strawberries, borage and Kentucky Colonel mint (as used in mint juleps). Before we left we had drinks and attractive little chocolate cakes each decorated with a little petal. It was a magical day in a secret garden.

Above: On the wall Clematis viticella 'Mary Rose'.  The dreaded 'Sweaty Betty is on the right at the back (pink) Left.  Jan Greenland almost lost in amongst the abundant foliage as she showed us around her beautiful garden

Bronze medal at Tatton Show

The Herb Society received a bronze medal for our stand in the National Plant Societies Marquee at the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park on 23 - 27 July.  The plants and garden display were provided by Phil Jones (Tavistock Herbs).

Thanks are due to the many Society Members who helped on the stand  and especially to Cheryl Waller, Rosemary Scholes and Sue Townsend who put in a lot of time and efforet.

Rosemary Scholes also produced the "Guess the number of herbs" display.

The Society's Bronze Medal winning stand at the Tatton Show

Rosemary Scholes,  "Guess the number of herbs" display at the Tatton Show

The National Garden of The Herb Society Opens

The Chairman's View

It was a real pleasure to welcome the assembled guests, press and members in the Manor's courtyard as Chairman. I met them wearing a heavy cloak of the sort worn by the lord of the manor centuries ago. I mentioned that as Tudor-built Sulgrave Manor is the ancestral home of the family of George Washington, a key feature of my design for the new garden is a circular bed of herbs taken by early settlers to the New World. Consequently my cloak and the appropriate period dress worn by Nicky and the past Director of Sulgrave Manor was to bring an echo of those times to the event.

We then all walked to the Great Hall of the Manor, where everyone on entering was given a glass of elderflower cordial with which we toasted the large portrait of George Washington at the end of the room. Then the Earl of Clanwilliam, Patron of The Herb Society, and the Society's host of the occasion gave the formal greeting. The Earl is himself a former Chairman of the Society, whilst his mother had an influential involvement with the Society from its earliest days. I then was delighted to introduce Ms Jessica Fellowes, The Royal Herb Strewer who inherited her honorary title from her ancestor who held that post for King George IV.

We then moved to the honey-coloured stone steps that lead down into the Society's new garden. There, Ms Fellows strewed sweet smelling herbs (including Maiden Pink and fennel), and cut a golden ribbon, and declared the garden open. Everyone the walked down into the garden, and around the paths dividing the different sections. The herbs provided an enjoyable mass of colour and scents, enlivened by statuary,

Click here for pictures taken at the garden opening.

Setting up the Chelsea garden - the reality

When octagon shaped bricks were finished building and it was ready for planting, it was already past 5 pm. As soon as builders left, she began to put pots of herbs which could have been waiting to be planted in the garden. Of course, she had a plan of plants, however, as same as the case of making any other gardens, a plan is one thing, a planting is another thing. There are always more or less differences between a plan and an actual planting. When we put pots of plants in the garden, slight differences of heights, volumes and colours started effecting on a total atmosphere. We moved a pot from one place to another and also exchanged pots endlessly like doing a jigsaw puzzle. We must have been tired, however, to make matter worse, rain began to fall.

Around 9 pm, we noticed that nobody was around us and got completely dark. We couldn't help stopping working.

Next morning, when I went there, Cheryl had already been working there and finished putting plenty of pots. Finally, we started planting. We started with a lovely climbing rose which she got from David Austin. In planting, Cheryl kept paying a great attention to them so that plants looked totally natural from all aspects. We were working just steadily and the clock was ticking steadily. At 4pm when other gardeners completed their gardens and were leaving, rain began to fall again. Under that situation, all people in the world would be fed up. Under the gentle rain, we still couldn't cut corners and kept planting each plant carefully. Though I nearly lost all feeling in my body because of coldness and tiredness, at the same time, I was filled with pleasure that we pump life into the garden by planting.

Unfortunately, I couldn't join them on Saturday because of my job. As the uncompleted garden and Cheryl were always on my mind, I was fidgety all day. When I saw the completed herb garden on the final day of the Chelsea Flower Show, I was deeply moved. All plants were lively and they were glistening with raindrops after the rain. Golden thymes were brighter and bronze fennels were swaying in the wind. All herbs looked so happy as they were planted in places where they should be. The area in front of the garden was filled with such a mass of people that were talking about the herbs or teaching the name of herbs to one another. I found Cheryl stood in the corner of the garden. She looked so natural as if she hadn't done such a hard work. When she saw me, she smiled. I also smiled. The scene that we were working while getting muddy came into my mind and something hot welled up in my eyes.

See pictures and details of our silver medal winning garden

Two Silver Medals for the Herb Society at Chelsea 2003

Report from Roger Tabor, The Herb Society Chairman, TV naturalist and author

I had the pleasure to introduce Anthea to the garden's designer, Cheryl Waller, who has a track record already as a Chelsea medallist for the society. Anthea was dressed in a light lime green coat that resonated with some of the bright yellow-green herbs, such as the cushions of golden oregano and variegated lemon balm. Anthea has her own herb garden in a walled courtyard at her home, and has had a keen interest in gardens ever since her days in the Blue Peter TV garden. She was intrigued that all of the plants in this "Feast of Herbs" garden are all edible, and that after Chelsea it will be moved in its entirety back to be put on display as part of The Herb Society's National Garden at the society's HQ at Sulgrave Manor.

While at the garden Anthea was photographed by the press, and for "Herbs" magazine and the Herb Society website, and interviewed for television. Both Cheryl and I also gave broadcast interviews from our outside garden.

I then accompanied Anthea to the Lifelong Learning Marquee, to see the Herb Society's inside stand and garden of British Wild Herbs, where she again stepped into the garden for the cameras. Here she was fascinated to find such a large number of wild plants from the British countryside can be used as herbs, medicinally, with food, or even with plants such as soapwort for household uses such as cleaning delicate fabrics.

I then accompanied Anthea to other parts of the Chelsea Flower Show as guest of the society, and she was repeatedly interviewed by the press and for TV, and each time she kindly mentioned that she was at Chelsea on behalf of The Herb Society. There were a number of celebrities at Chelsea, and we bumped into Dianne Louise Jordan (another ex-Blue Peter presenter), Gloria Hunniford and others. I had a chat with Christopher Timothy about his plans to grow more wetland herbs such as water mint at his home. But Press Day is not just about celebrities and cameras, all the time the serious business of judging is taking place. Groups of RHS judges with clipboards move from garden to garden, and from stand to stand, with eagle expert eyes. Overnight everyone waits with baited breath.

On Tuesday morning Cheryl, Sally Miller, Herb Society volunteers and I went in to find that The herb Society had had a double success of a Silver Medal at each of the gardens, the outside one and the inside display. The response of the public clearly was in agreement with the judges, for the both with packed with visitors, armed with cameras, and being the first RHS Member's Day, knowledgeable insight. The rain on Tuesday followed the same pattern for the Monday, but it didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the thousands of visitors who surged around the gardens. Throughout the whole day Cheryl and Sally manned the outside garden giving out leaflets to eager enquirers, and answering many questions about the range of plants in the garden. There were questions about the bergamot, the peppermint, the various thymes, the protrate rosemary, and many others, but most of all visitors were delighted with the beautifully composed colour patchwork achieved by Cheryl's planting. The colours really sang, and if they could do that in the weather of the first couple of days at this year's Chelsea, visitors could really see how herbs can enliven any garden, as well as the kitchen at the same time!

• See pictures and details of our silver medal winning garden
• See pictures and details of our silver medal winning stand
• Plant list for our silver-medal winning garden garden  
• See the press release on our success
• Read about what it is really like in those final hectic days creating a Chelsea garden

A garden you can eat and the sexiest chef in England

April 2003

As you will find by clicking here, our garden includes a variety of herbs, from well-loved ones to more exotic specimens, all of which can be used in the kitchen to create exciting dishes. The garden will be laid out in an organic theme and will also offer visitors to the show a haven of peace and tranquillity.

Jean Cristophe Novelli, who has won several international accolades and who has said that "eating and making love are two activities in which we use all five senses" is without a doubt one of the top chefs in the UK and perhaps in the world. Jean Christophe has a keen love of herbs in cooking and in natural medicine. His passion for cooking started at the age of 14 and in 1998 he was nominated Chef of the Year by the AA. He has since achieved 5 AA rosettes and Michelin stars on four separate occasions. He is now the Chef Patron of the exclusive Auberge du Lac at Brocket Hall, in Welwyn, near Hertfordshire.

Click here for the full press release.

Herbs on BBC Women's Hour and on the Food Programme

April 2003

Apparently, the Romans and Greeks were especially partial to a few pinks and the occasional carnation; and orange blossom and marigolds are still used in Eastern cuisine. But we seem to have lost the taste for dandelions or nasturtiums.

Jekka McVicar has been growing herbs near Bristol for twenty years and has re-discovered the use of blooms. She's the author of Cooking with Flowers, and shows us how to make a primrose and violet salad.

'Cooking with Flowers' is published by Kyle Cathie Limited, £12.99; ISBN: 1-85626-483-1

Click here to go to the BBC web page where, if you act quickly, you might be able to listen to the interview on your computer.

Jekka McVickar was again interviewed on Radio 4 on 27 April but this time on The Food Programme, talking about those herbs which are believed to benefit eyesight.  You can find the relevant BBC web page by clicking here, and should also be able to listen to the programme on your computer.

Looking towards Chelsea 2003

February, 2003 - updated April with release of our plans for the garden

In an exciting new move for the Society, we have applied for and have been allocated a garden at this year's show.  This is entitled 'A Feast of Herbs,' is organic, and features herbs grown in the kitchen garden.

The exciting catalogue entry for the garden is

EAT IT or DRINK IT! All the plants in this unique garden are designed to stimulate and encourage the use of herbs. This garden plays to your senses of taste and smell. You cannot help but be inspired to grow herbs imaginatively and benefit from the peace and tranquility that a herb garden evokes.

The garden is a striking fresh pallet of soft and variegated greens, bronzes and creams created not only by familiar herbs such as parsley, rosemary and thyme, but also the more unusual varieties such as shisho perilla and red orach.

With an informal and natural ambiance, this organic garden includes a tumble down wild herb area to encourage wildlife into the garden, a comfrey barrel in one corner, and a "beehive" compost bin. The mellow stone walling has different varieties of thyme growing out of the crevices and has a water feature in the corner for water-loving herbs.

After the show this garden will be rebuilt to form part of the existing herb garden at Sulgrave Manor, the home of The Herb Society.

Wow!  This sounds great.

Click here to see the beautiful plans drawn by Cheryl, or click here to go to the entry on the Chelsea web site.

Chairman's New Year Message

January 2003

2003 is due to be an exciting year for the Herb Society. We have now settled in to our new home at Sulgrave Manor, and the Herb Society’s new national herb garden is due to open officially in June. It should be a great event, so do come along. Practical work on the garden, the site clearance, hard landscaping and planting, went on throughout last year and will continue on into the Spring. If you look at the picture diary of the garden progress, you will see the great strides that have been made.

This year will also see the Society’s first full garden exhibit at The Chelsea Flower Show. In previous years we have kept to an education exhibit (for which we have won medals) and a commercial stand. So if you attend the Flower Show at Chelsea, do take a look for the Herb Society’s garden exhibit. 

You will also be able to find the Herb Society’s stand at a number of major flower shows, including at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham, Tatton Park and the Southport Flower Show. For the first time we will also be taking part in the Holker Hall Show in Cumbria in June.

Due to the great success of our Annual Conference over the last two years, this year for the first time we are extending it to be a two day weekend conference at Sulgrave Manor. Whilst you will still be able to attend for just one day, the greatest range of activities, events and lectures that will be on offer will mean that most people will wish to be there for both days. It will also be a good opportunity to see how the Herb Society National Garden has developed over this year and to be able to use some of the herbs grown in the Society’s herb garden in preparation for workshops.

We will also be holding this year for the first time at Sulgrave Manor and in the north herbal themed tutorial days. Andrew Chevallier will be running herbal training courses at Middlesex University in association with the Herb Society. These offer a great opportunity to begin to gain some knowledge of medicinal herbs.

The Herb Society is also cooperating with BBC Essex in forming a regional Herb Society garden in the BBC Essex garden at Abridge, Essex. This will be both open to the public and also a focus for features on herbs and the Herb Society on BBC Essex.

Also in Essex I will be leading a tour of the marvellous Cressing Temple walled herb garden (see Diary of Events). This was the garden that Jekka McVicar and I featured in her Radio 4 series on herbs, when we focused on the Borage family.

On the Legislative front 2003 promises to be one of changes relating to the uses of medicinal herbs, and to the standing of medicinal herbalists. Both the proposed EU Conventions and UK legislative response are being evaluated and monitored by our Herb Society legislation team. The proposed changes, and the implications of those changes were debated in a forum at the Herb Society’s 2002 Annual Conference, and you can join in on the Herb Society’s Website Forum.

As you move around the Herb Society website you will find many more activities and much more to interest you throughout the year. Why not make it a New Year’s Resolution to join the Herb Society at some point in 2003.

With All Good Wishes

Roger Tabor
Chairman of the Herb Society

To make comments on these news items, go to our forum Pot-Pourri

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