It’s been a very busy late summer and autumn, with some of our main events taking place at this time, alongside our normal maintenance and development tasks. That’s why this blog is being posted almost at the outer limit of the season! Our minds and activities in late summer are focused on the arrival of the judging teams from RHS In Bloom, as we not only contribute to Congleton’s overall entry, but also participate in the “It’s Your Neighbourhood” section of the competition.
Judges this year seemed particularly to enjoy their time at the Bath House & Physic Garden, showing a keen interest in what we had been doing. John and Vanessa are seen in the picture with the judges admiring the wildflower meadow.
Readers may recall that wet weather frustrated our earlier preparation, as we couldn’t dig the meadow area over to let the annuals through. When the judges arrived the main show was white flowers and curled seed-heads of Wild Carrot and the dark brown ‘bobbles’ of Ribwort Plantain, with tall spikes of Common Sorrel dotted around. Fortunately, this lack of colour and variety did not seem to be a problem.
Serious judging business over, we could welcome the fun and relaxation of the annual Jazz and Blues Festival on the August Bank Holiday weekend. We had plenty of help with the marquee beforehand; and were blessed with good weather.
The visitors enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the family-friendly, sing-along entertainment, provided by the Beartown Ukes (Ukulele band), the lively Goosebumps swing band, and the local band, the Mad Hatters.
Our next event was for Heritage Open Days, on Saturday 17th September. Once again, we had a fine sunny day, and the event was well attended. David was pleased he could start his history talks actually inside the Bath House, for the first time since the pandemic. Here he’s telling the audience about the garden shelter, which this year we also used as an improvised art gallery!
Barbara took her usual popular guided tours round the Physic Garden, and the picture shows her expounding the uses of the aforementioned Ribwort Plantain, getting people to roll it between their hands to release the juices.
As always at our open days, we had a selection of plants and books available for a donation. For the first time we also had pictures and prints donated to us for this purpose, and this proved to be quite a successful fundraiser. The Herb Society also set up their stall with items for sale, including cakes and herbal teas.
A few weeks later, the RHS In Bloom results were announced. Not only had Congleton won Gold in the Large Town section, was runner-up in the National Competition, and received the accolade of Best in the North West, but the Bath House & Physic Garden earned Level 5 Outstanding in the IYN category.
The RHS also presented us with a Special Award to recognise that we had reached this level five years running (although in fact it’s our 6th year of this success – not that we’re bragging). Achieving awards is not the reason for what we do, but we are naturally proud to demonstrate that we meet the key themes of the RHS In Bloom competition: Horticultural Excellence, Community Involvement and Environmental Friendliness.
Somewhat overlooked in the celebrations for In Bloom, but certainly not ignored by our team, is the achievement of those volunteers who are more likely to be seen up a ladder wielding a hammer than on their knees with a trowel.
Thanks to them, we can at last declare the new Utility Building “Complete”! The process involved all the team, of course, in some way and at some stage: design decisions, getting planning permission, preparing the site, dealing with more bureaucracy, helping with fund raising, sourcing materials, and the actual construction.
But the hands-on building team put in long hours of labour and skill, effort and energy, to great effect: we now have a plumbed-in kitchen and a flushing loo! Tea made with boiling water from a kettle! Washing up done in a sink not a bowl! Space for storage! Four years later, the Portaloo has finally been demobbed and despatched!
At this time of year, like many gardeners, we are often found ‘tidying up’: cutting back, and dealing with plants past their best. But we don’t forget the benefits to wildlife of a less tidy plot: we leave some areas alone so that over-wintering species, from invertebrates to birds, can find shelter and food, such as the bountiful seeds of our teasel plants. It’s also when we think ahead to next year: we started preparing the ground for the wildflower meadow in good time.
Coincidentally, our RHS certificates arrived as we started this work! And after a delay – sorry – your blog-writer has now uploaded pictures of the certificates themselves…
2022 has been a very good year overall: we’ve recruited new volunteers, the garden has flourished, we’ve enhanced the security of the Bath House, our events have been blessed with good weather and attendance, we’ve attained another Outstanding in IYN, and we have a new utility building that will support our team all year round for years to come. We look forward to whatever 2023 may hold, anticipating more opportunities to extend the appeal and facilities of the Bath House & Physic Garden to our local community and beyond.
As there won’t be a winter blog before the new year, we would like to take this opportunity to wish all readers and visitors to the Bath House & Physic Garden a Joyful Christmas and a Peaceful and Healthy 2023.
