Welcome to our new website! Lockdown has been an opportunity to develop some new desk-bound skills involved in juggling website content, as well as a chance to bring all our research on the Physic Garden plants into one place. We hope that you enjoy exploring our fledgling plant database as much as we have enjoyed finding out interesting facts about useful plants. More will be added in the coming months, as time permits.
Usually, May is a very busy month for the team – we have the annual May Open Day to prepare for, and then we would be looking forward to our appearance at the June Food & Drink Festival. But Covid-19 restrictions mean that neither of these events will take place this year, and we’ve had to be imaginative about our response. We’ve created some ‘virtual’ Open Day events for you, and we hope you will also feel able to come down to the Bath House & Physic Garden to enjoy your exercise in our lovely grounds.
One or two of our volunteers have been able to continue looking after the garden, although it has become a more solitary task. We have been able to keep on top of most of the weeds, but did not manage to dig over the meadow. This will mean that the annuals, like Poppy and Cornflower, will get less of a chance to establish. However, most of the garden has burst into life under the influence of spring, without our intervention.
At this time of year, the Hawthorn becomes a cloud of white blossom, along with other fruiting trees, like Apple, Quince, and Medlar. This is followed by shades of blue, provided by Wisteria, Comfrey, and Forget-me-not. Nature is in full spate of growth, with tadpoles in the pond, and the blackbirds loudly claiming their territories.
Life has been quiet, however, on the building front. Work on our new utility building has had to remain on hold while restrictions were in place. We are hoping to be able to make careful progress in the coming weeks.
