Having had a warm, dry, summery May, we seem to be getting April’s weather in June! The alternating sun and rain has brought a burst of new growth to the garden, and all our main jobs seem to involve propping things up, tying in, and dead-heading. We are fortunate to have gained a new volunteer with the tools and skills required to replace the wires that support the climbing plants by the garden wall. This has helped to stop the Jasmine from flopping onto the other plants in the Officinalis border. The Apothecary’s Rose is looking (and smelling!) good, next to the Lemon Balm. Meanwhile, across the way in our ‘Plants in Industry’ border, the Dyer’s Camomile and Dyer’s Greenweed set up competing blocks of yellow.
It has been good to see other volunteers again, albeit at a distance. Gone are the cosy mugs of tea around the table in the Bath House, but we can at least chat over the mounting piles of weeds and prunings, enjoying fresh air and birdsong, and the optimism of nurturing new growth. There is still room for more, if anyone would like to come on a Monday and lend a hand.
Life continues to burgeon in and around the pond. The yellow Flag Iris has now finished flowering, but the Waterlily is doing well, and producing a succession of flowers. We were particularly pleased to see a dragonfly emerging, having spent two or three years developing as a nymph, under the water.
The sight of the vivid blue flowers of Viper’s Bugloss was also pleasing, since we have nurtured the plant for some time, from a seedling. Find out more about the plant and its uses here. Anyone who looks closely at this and other plant pages will realise that we enjoy words, and name derivations, almost as much as plants. Other happy sightings this month, both florally and etymologically, are Dog Rose, whose roots reputedly cure the effects of a dog bite; and Alchemilla, whose leaves hold water droplets as if by magic – or alchemy.
Work on the new building for volunteers has restarted and, with the timber frame complete, attention has turned to the roof. Reclaimed slates are being used and, with several rows already fitted under the expert supervision of Nick, they will blend in very well with the Bath House roof. Nick’s experience, knowledge and boundless patience with his willing but inexperienced helpers have been the key to progress. We hope to finish this stage in the next couple of weeks, to be followed by the installation of oak cladding, doors and windows. Grant funding from a number of different sources has supported this important project, which will provide facilities and storage to support the team of regular volunteers who work to maintain and develop the Bath House and Physic Garden.
