News Page
Ceramics Exhibition
PACS Potters held a very successful show in the Physic Garden exhibition room at the end of November. On display was a large collection of interesting and attractive ceramic items made by members of the PACS specialist group which is part of Petersfield Arts and Crafts society. As Christmas was approaching many of the exhibits on sale were sold snapped up as Christmas presents.
The Physic Garden has also benefitted from the exhibition having been given a beautiful hand coiled vase. This was made and presented by Christine Bull and will be much enjoyed by the volunteers and visitors to the Garden. It is pictured here on the grass as it is weatherproof but never the less it was felt that safer place should be found for it to be appreciated inside.
HELP NEEDED!
www.petersfieldphysicgarden.org.uk
01730233557
December Edition of Country Gardener
It also includes items of news and gardening events through Hampshire and the West Country. With its collections of regular features, good advice and reader's letters it makes an excellent read.
This is a free magazine which is now printed in Somerset and covers five areas Devon, Dorset, Somerset, The Cotswolds and Hampshire.. The publication which aims to give quality information about gardening and garden events in and around the area covered is an essential magazine for enthusiastic gardeners.
The spring edition will be published in March 2024.
Quince News
Harvesting of the Quince tree has now taken place. The golden pear shaped fruit has now been made into jelly and marmalade which is available for visitors to buy from the Garden office. Marmalade which first appeared in the English Language in 1480 is borrowed from the French word marmalede which in turn came from the Portuguese word marmelada - a preserve made from quinces. In the 17th century marmalade, as we now know it, came to refer to a preserve made with citrus fruits when they became sufficiently plentiful in England to do so. Our marmalade adds lemon to the original Portuguese preserve.
Popular Cards Replenished
Many of our popular photo garden cards have recently been reprinted and a new range has also been added.
This comprises a series of four beautiful reproductions of hand drawn studies depicted in the adjacent picture. The subjects are three single flowers, a Hellebore, an Aquilegia, a Peony and to complete the quartet an Artichoke. All of which can be found growing in the Physic Garden.
The drawings are the work of artist and volunteer gardener Pauline Elkins who has previously produced many of her multicolour pencil portraits of flowers for both the newly published garden herbal and the Physic Garden website.
The cards [which are supplied with envelopes] are available from the office when a steward is on duty.
Thank You Party
A small party was held in September to thank all the many volunteers who help to run the garden and keep it open for the enjoyment of all. It had been feared that the garden might have to close after Adrian Milner who had opened the gates for many years retired. However a plea for help resulted in a number of volunteers stepping forward and a Rota has now been established to ensure the garden stays open.
Chairman Mrs Joan Shepley thanked all of them for their efforts as well as those people at the Petersfield Men’s Shed who had done a splendid job in repairing the rear gate leading onto the walkway. It was also an opportunity to say farewell to Paul and Dot Barton who had been with Garden for many years. We will miss them, not not least for their enthusiasm and expertise.
Restoration of the Back Gate
Access to the Physic Garden has now returned by the back gate as it has been repaired and is now fully functional.
Our very grateful thanks to the volunteers at the Men's Shed in Petersfield whose skills can be seen demonstrated in the picture. Large amounts of the rotten wood were cut out and relaced with new seasoned oak thus enabling the gate to provide at least another thirty years of service.
Jams and Jellies for Sale
Autumn is the time for harvesting fruit and in the Physic Garden we have taken advantage of this year's bounty to make a variety of conserves which are now offered for sale.
This year we have blackberry and apple jam, damson jam from damsons grown in the Garden, and apple sage jelly which is reccomended with cold meats. A Special Edition has also been added to the list - a jam made with a trio of Raspberry, Redcurrant and Mulberry fruit. A treat for the taste buds !
Radio Shine's Growing Together Podcast
A recent interview was held in the Physic Garden between volunteer Mike Wadey and Claire Vennis of Petersfield's Shine Radio. On August 1st the edition of the Growing Together gardening magazine podcast was aired and may be heard by clicking the link below.
Mike's interview is featured after 18 minutes of the recording and lasts for 7 minutes
Exciting new publication - THE HERBS OF THE PETERSFIELD PHYSIC GARDEN
Butterfly Workshop
The butterfly population soared during the half term week. The result of a project organised by Mrs Paddy Dawson who helped and encouraged enthusiastic children to decorate and colour paper butterflies. Fortunately the weather was kind and sunshine helped the young naturalists shown here at work.
This delightful little book also contains a short history of the Garden and its origins. Volunteers in its early days noted that two eminent botanists of the 17th century, John Goodyer and John Worlidge, lived in Petersfield.
Hence the theme of the 17th century was developed. The book is amply provided with many photographs of herbs and views of the Garden, a colourful map, plans of the herb beds and several beautiful hand drawn illustrations.
It is available for purchase at the Garden at a cost of £6.99.
Contributors are:
The Text is by Jennifer Hill
Illustrations by Pauline Elkins
Photography by Brian Robinson
Edited by Philip Dawson
Petersfield Spring Festival
The Physic Garden was invited by Radio Shine to showcase itself in the town's festivities. In a small corner of a beautiful mobile greenhouse provided by local successful business Alitex volunteers displayed some very elegant Rosemary and Lavender plants, plans of the Herb Garden and other information about the Garden. Altogether eleven groups comprising local florists and gardening clubs added displays to the greenhouse. The event was organised by Petersfield Shine Radio's gardening podcast Growing (https://shineradio.uk/growingtogether/.) Together partnership to support and raise interest in this year's Petersfield in Bloom competition. The greenhouse attracted a large number of visitors.
Two more volunteers frm Aspire
Lynn and Beth from Aspire joined volunteer workers in the Garden on a lovely sunny May morning. The two scaped from the office to use one of their volunteer days allowed by the company to help in the local community. Here they are seen attacking the weeds in the herb garden. Their efforts are much appreciated and we are very much looking forward to welcoming them back.
News of the Gatekeepers
The Garden has won a reprieve! After fears that loss of gatekeeper with the retirement of Adrian would result in closure of the Garden as no-one seemed available to take on the job a group of volunteers have done just that. A teem has been put together and a rota established so that the Garden will remain open for everyone to enjoy as before. the pictures below, taken by the open gates show several of the many volunteers we all need to thank.
Jacquie and Stu (of Sheet Primary School)
Gatekeeper Appeal
A recent article in the Petersfield Post for someone to take on the role of gatekeeper for the Garden to enable it to stay open has raised a great deal of interest and concern. We are very grateful to all the volunteers who are prepared to give up their time and make a commitment to do this. At the moment we are preparing a rota so that the task is shared and the Garden will remain open so that it can be enjoyed by everyone. Thank you.
Radio Solent debut
Earlier this month Radio Solent contacted the Physic Garden saying they would like to feature it in their ‘Clued Up’ programme. Clued Up is a kind of radio treasure hunt where the treasure (place or person) is found in various locations in the local area. The editor writes riddles to these mystery places and the listeners phone in with guessed answers to the clues and hence solve the mystery. The subject is then visited by a roving reporter. The Physic Garden, it was suggested would be one of the treasured places of the day. Normally there would be a radio car to drive around with the reporter but on the day proposed instead it would be a virtual helicopter. Our Chairman Jenny Hill accepted the invitation and the programme was broadcast on February 18.
The clues for the listeners to find the Physic Garden were:
1. An anagram of ‘deep trifles’ which got to Petersfield
2. ‘High and low this (mint note) is a grower’. Another anagram spelling ointment.
3. 'Think of Tom in the Dark’ leads to the book ‘Toms Midnight Garden’.
4. 'Boys don’t cry’ - a song by the group called The Cure
These 4 answers led to listeners concluding that the mystery place was either The Grape Tree (Health food shop) or The Physic Garden. Physic Garden was chosen and Jenny was as the ‘clue keeper’ interviewed by the host Pat Sissons.
If you wish to hear a repeat of the show and Jenny's interview (towards the end of the program) please follow the link which is available until 11th March: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0f00vjp
The interview was a good opportunity to publicise the garden to an entirely new audience and Jenny made the very best of this.
Exhibition by pupils of Dunhurst School
Pupils at Bedales Prep,
Dunhurst, were inspired by the illustrations in Gerald's Herbal and John
Goodyer's Botanical work in their autumn term project on 'The Art of the
Garden'. All age groups from year 4 to year 8 responded to the theme by
creating individual outcomes, whether illustrated poems or botanical
illustrations, prints of birds or paintings of flowers.
New look for Garden Entrance
Melanie Oxley has been at work recently brightening up the appearance of the archway leading into the Garden. She has made the entrance way more welcoming and informative for visitors whilst lightening the appearance of the dark brickwork. She has used large illustrated placards celebrating the work of the early local botanists John Goodyer and John Worlidge to do this.
A new information board showing a map of the Garden, a brief explanation of the history of physic gardens and pictures of the Garden taken by Brian Robinson has also been installed
Volunteer Gardeners from Aspire Pharma
Aspire Pharma is a small pharmaceutical company which has been established in Petersfield for the last 10 years. The company have recently been considering their corporate social responsibility (CSR) and are launching CSR days across the business for members of staff. As a company they wish to support local projects to help the community. The Physic Garden was chosen to recieve this support as staff regularly took lunch breaks in the Garden and felt that it had had a positive impact on their mental health and wellbeing. As a result garden manager, Mike Wadey welcomed the help of two of their volunteers, Mary and Emma, for a day of garden maintenance.
PHYSIC GARDEN WELCOMES UKRAINIANS
We would like to invite our Ukrainian guests to join us in the Petersfield Physic Garden. We are very aware of how important gardens and gardening are to physical and mental well being. If our guests would like to join us in gardening we would be delighted; to do as much or as little as they would like or simply to sit and enjoy the peace of this green oasis in the centre of Petersfield. If you or anyone you know is interested please contact us on the website below.
ContactUs@petersfieldphysicgarden.org.uk
POLLINATOR DAY
The Physic Garden was a buzz with on Saturday when the Petersfield and District Beekeepers Association came to talk about pollinators. They brought some honey bees in an observation hive, demonstrated how to make homes for solitary bees and took people round the Garden to search for pollinators. They also had set up a varied exhibition in the hall on a range of subjects on bees, which were supported by talks as well as an extensive bank of information on butterflies.A very successful day.
Helen holding a honeycomb whilst demonstrating bees in the observation hive
Daphne Clark recieves a Cheque from Claire Cotton of Waitrose
A Birdseye view of the Garden taken from a drone shown in the picture on the left
