Petersfield Physic Garden is a private garden which is open to the public without charge, providing a green oasis in the centre of town. It is a garden created in a 17th Century style with distinct parts laid out for different purposes.
Physic gardens owe their name to the plants grown in them which were considered to contain medicinal properties. Generally the beds were of a defined geometric shape and laid out in a formal pattern. In addition to these formal herb beds, planted with such things as Woad (Isatis tinctoria), Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris) and Horehound (Marrubium vulgare), there is a topiary walk, a knot garden, an informal orchard with wild flowers and a rose arch. The 17th Century was also a time when many plants were introduced from the New World and there are borders planted with shrubs, roses and herbaceous plants which would have been familiar at that period.
A picture of Petersfield Physic Garden features in the Wikipedia entry for Physic Gardens.
A full colour brochure with a map, short history and details of the garden is available from the warden's office.
Garden news is now also available on Instagram.
Address: https://www.instagram.com
RESTRICTED AREA
The ancient walls surrounding the Physic Garden are sadly now showing their great age. In particular the West wall with the curved coping stones is now in need of some tlc. Consequently the area surrounding the damaged part has been cordonned off until repairs can be carried out.
A Cosy Corner
The new seat, installed underneath a rose covered pergola, provides a cosy corner to view the long path leading to the topiary walk.
Photographs by Brian Robinson
Awards
The Physic Garden has now been awarded the prestigious TripAdvisor Hall of Fame 2019 Award for receiving their Certificate of Excellence for five consecutive years. This award is based on ratings recorded by visitors to the garden and can only be earned through consistently great reviews.
UK Registered Charity Number 1105681