Free workshops start today - here comes summer at last

Glorious weather, finally! Just in time for the workshops to start. Today from 10am onwards Kristina Binns from Lewisham Council is providing a recycling information stall in the centre reception area. At 1.30pm she will be hosting a composting workshop and at 3.30pm a Love Food Hate Waste workshop. If you come to both as I'm going to you can learn all about creative ways of using leftovers, storing food correctly and if you can't use it, compost it! More information on these workshops and permaculture/build a bug hotel can be found on the earlier blog post here. Please come along and check it out to see if there are spaces available - you can visit the garden in progress too.

I have to say the compost heap is smelling lovely at the moment. Very compost-y, is that the word? Rowland helped me water the garden including the heap and planted several herbs and medicinal plants from the big plant giveaway.  We had a closer look at the St John's Wort growing by the preschool fence. Rowland showed me the translucent spots on the leaves that mature to produce the oil. It is an exquisite plant, very delicate in contrast to its showier relatives.

St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) - link to uses

Today (when I'm not at the workshops) I will be mostly raiding the allotment garden for more plants. It's getting overgrown so I will be doing it a favour. 

The circular bed and herb border

Now there is more light coming in through the fence, the lavender bushes are flowering for the first time in years. Marjoram, which must have self-seeded, is growing underneath and the soil is very compacted and mossy. They really need to be in a sunnier spot so once they've finished flowering I'll cut back and transplant. That area is crying out for some woodland plants: foxgloves and pulmonaria

On the home front, the rain has obviously benefitted the garden and my agapanthus which usually produces one measly flower head if anything, has four large globes. It's growing in a very large pot among japanese anemones. This was sold to me many moons ago as Anemone hupehensis 'Hadspen Abundance' but it doesn't look like the photos being a lighter pink. It is alive with honey and bumble bees.

Agapanthus

Anemone hupehensis 'Hadspen Abundance' - or is it?

I just had to include a photo of this beautiful rose, Joie de Vivre. I'm still reading 'No Dig Gardening' by Ruth Stout and will have to put off the review and received wisdom until next time! It's such a harsh climate on the eastern seaboard of the United States.

Joie de Vivre, rose of the year 2011

WORKSHOPS IN NEW CROSS

Three Cafe Crema garden events for aug-oct 2012

August 11th 10-1

Horticultural workshop and fruit tree pruning

Paul Ritchens from The Kings Cross Skip Garden leads this session on pest recognition and organic pest control strategies. This session would be great for beginners and enthusiasts and people who really don't want to douse their trees and gardens with harmful pesticides but don't want everything to get eaten either... Also good for new gardeners and allotment holders. After the morning session there will be a break for lunch (you are welcome to bring a picnic or you can buy something from the Cafe) followed by a short practical session looking at the new espalier trees and doing some summer formative pruning. Session ends at 1pm. All welcome, free. 

Please drop in to the Cafe or text Kiri to reserve a place. 07950 552 571.

Many thanks to Lewisham Council's 'Community Gardens Small Grant Award' for funding this event.

Come and try your hand at Botanical Illustration at Cafe Crema....

Free botanical illustration workshops will be held on Sat 15th sept and oct 13th from 3.30 til 5.30.

Learn to paint and draw botanical specimens with professional artist Alison Day from Lewisham Arthouse. Explore the autumn colours, shapes and textures of the local flora found in the wildlife garden at Café Crema. Suitable for adults and children over 10 yrs, (or younger if they are very keen.) No previous experience needed. Materials provided. You are also welcome to bring your own sketchbooks/ pencils if you prefer.

These two events are organised in partnership with London Wildlife Trust.

To reserve a place please text 07950 552 571 or email: freshfilmscafe@hotmail.com. You will need to drop by to leave a £3 deposit to keep your place, but this will be returned to you on arrival. Refreshments will be provided.

Cafe Crema: 306 New Cross Road, London SE14 6AF. Close to the Town Hall and almost opposite the venue, minutes from New Cross Gate station. Tel: 020 8320 2317

Apples and pears and surprising discoveries

Espalier fruit trees
Some examples of espalier trained apples and pears in the walled garden at St John's Jerusalem, a 13th century chapel in Sutton-at-Hone, in the Darent valley. The chapel and gardens are open one afternoon a week from April until September.

The walled garden at St Johns Jerusalem

Two crimson roses have emerged from the blanket of brambles and weeds, liberated at last into the air and sunlight.  The cardboard collars seem to be working! Both are highly fragrant, one is more 'winey' than the other. Karen and I compared the scents. I shall miss her volunteering after her baby yoga class and her serene take on life.

I dug out some huge bramble roots and covered the areas with cardboard - another trip to the Co-op is in order for more supplies. There are plenty of worms and the soil is easy to dig. Under the plastic are some truly humungous slugs. Karen said she has made a gastropod restaurant (no, not a gastropub although if you included beer...) where she puts all her leftover lettuce and berries and her plants are untouched.

Light in the garden has made such a difference, as well as being able to see in and out and chat through the fence. The woodbine, lonicera periclymenum 'Serotina', is in full flower alongside the climbing rose 'Masquerade' on the fence by the preschool. They are so similar in colour that it's hard to make out the rose blooms among the honeysuckle but both are beautiful. You just have to get close, which is not a bad thing.

The Woodbine; Lonicera Periclymenum Serotina

Roses among the thorns; is this William Shakespeare?

The Wellbeing Service has moved into Room 3 and the corridor is bright and cheerful with posters and information. Yesterday I met Sorrell Robbins, who responded to the Give 2 Hours campaign to volunteer in the garden. Sorrell is a herbalist and was able to give me valuable advice as well as identifying plants in the centre gardens that can be used in the apothecary garden. I was immediately able to pass on my new knowledge of St John's Wort to Karen as there is some growing by the preschool fence. 

Time for a raid on the allotment garden, now sadly overgrown - if I'm not careful I may start tidying that up too. Picking strawberries from the few that haven't been eaten by snails, a hidden bramble ripped my hand. This garden is a testament to time-limited funded projects and I feel sad that all the energy and enthusiasm that went into designing it and tending it has gone. An hour or two a week would keep the cafe in fresh veg and salad, at least for some of the year. There has to be another way otherwise sustainability will become just another buzzword, a metaphor for someone else will do it and no-one does.

The herbs are looking very perky and comfortable now. After weeding the beds and pruning the weigela to a more upright shape, I planted some of the treasures from the big plant giveaway last week. Anne-Marie from Lewisham Gardens organised a delivery from the show gardens of RHS Hampton Court Flower Show by Groundwork London, sourced a garden big enough to accommodate 2,000+ plants at St Swithuns in Hither Green and then let community groups, gardens, churches and schools know, compiling a list and arranging times to visit. On Saturday in the pouring rain, representatives came along and filled a wheelbarrow (one person demanded more but that's another story!). Congratulations and a big thank you to Anne-Marie, her actions and organisational skills have benefitted many groups in Lewisham and their gardens will all look the lovelier for it.

Some of the plants are still in my garden, ready for planting next time. It was so interesting planting through the cardboard and mulch. More on 'No Dig' gardening next time, I now have the book originally published in 1962. Couldn't resist it!

A herb quintet - mint, sage, fennel, chives and marjoram

Flowering thyme

Fat Head lavender, flowering for over a month

Summer Holiday Workshops

We have an amazing variety of workshops this summer!

Thanks to the generous support of Lewisham Council we will be running workshops for children, families and adults over the holidays from 25 July to 17 August.

Where?

Room 3, the community garden and reception at Goldsmiths Community Centre, Castillon Road, SE6 1QD [map].

Permaculture Kids Club comes to Goldsmiths! 
PLEASE NOTE THIS WORKSHOP HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL
15th SEPTEMBER 11am-3pm

As part of the project we are offering a one day Permaculture ‘taster’ workshop for a maximum of 15 parents and children, by Ruth and Suriya who host the Permaculture Kids Club at Grow Mayow Community Garden, Sydenham.

A herb spiral

What is permaculture? It's a design approach to any human activity and is a combination of Ecology, Architecture and Organic Gardening. 

Who is it for?

Parents with children age 6-11

Maximum 3 places per family (eg 1 parent + 2 children). There are 15 places in total. Light refreshments are available, please bring lunch (to share if possible!).

More information/booking
Read all about the principles of Kids' Permaculture here 
Email: organicgardener@yahoo.co.uk

or jane.hearn@goldsmithscommunityhub.org.uk

Build a Bug Hotel in the community garden 17 August 10-2pm
PLEASE NOTE THIS WORKSHOP IS NOW FULLY BOOKED

What is a bug hotel? If you look it up on Google there are horror stories of hotels and bed bugs, but this is different; a home for bugs to shelter, live and reproduce in that we will design and build ourselves.

Who is it for?

Parents with children age 6-11

Maximum 3 places per family (1 parent + 2 children, 2 parents + 1 child). There are 15 places in total.

Where?

Room 3 at Goldsmiths Community Centre, Castillon Road, SE6 1QD [map].

More information/booking

Contact Jo Cooper: jo.cooper@pre-school.org.uk or on 020 8695 5955 option 3

Composting workshops starting 25 July, on Wednesdays and Fridays

There are 15 spaces available on each workshop, which is just over an hour long. The workshops have been arranged at times to suit everyone.

Suitable for adults and young people age 16+

It’s best to book so you don’t miss out, but if you haven’t booked you’re welcome to see if there’s space to join us on the day.

More information

For more information about the workshops contact kristina.binns@lewisham.gov.uk
Alternatively call 020 8314 2145 to leave a detailed message. 

BOOK YOUR PLACE ONLINE NOW (opens new window)

Love Food Hate Waste workshops and information stall starts 25 July

We waste a staggering amount of food in this country, due to confusion over date labels, buying too much and not using cooked or uncooked food in creative ways. Learn how to love food, and hate waste!

There are 15 spaces available on each workshop, which is just over an hour long. The workshops have been arranged at times to suit everyone. It’s best to book so you don’t miss out, but if you haven’t booked you’re welcome to see if there’s space to join us on the day.

Suitable for adults and young people age 16+

On Wed 15th August there will be a Love Food Hate Waste and Recycling stall in reception from 1.30pm.

Where?

Room 3 at Goldsmiths Community Centre, Castillon Road, SE6 1QD [map]. Room 3 opens on to the newly created Goldsmiths Community Garden which grows herbs and medicinal plants for the learning and enjoyment of all. 

More information

For more information about the workshops contact kristina.binns@lewisham.gov.uk
Alternatively call 020 8314 2145 to leave a detailed message. 

BOOK YOUR PLACE ONLINE NOW (opens new window)

Recycling
Unsure about what should and what should not go in your recycling bin? Come along and find out!

The recycling stall will be in the community centre reception on the following days/times:
Wed 25th July 10am
Wed 1st August 1pm
Fri 3rd August 3pm
Wed 8th August 1.30pm
Fri 10th August 11.30am

Where?

Reception at Goldsmiths Community Centre, Castillon Road, SE6 1QD [map].

More information

For more information about the information stall contact kristina.binns@lewisham.gov.uk
Alternatively call 020 8314 2145 to leave a detailed message. 

Interested in food and cooking? There are lots of activities at the community centre this summer from Limelight Family Learning Centre and Delicious Nutritious UK!

Sage advice

Some years ago I planted a number of lavenders with the intention to create a 'river of lavender' in my front garden. My sister, an archaeologist, made annual trips to Jordan between 1998-2006 to restore one of the temples at Petra and remarked on a garden high above the Siq where lavender was grown and appeared to tumble over the cliff edge. If I find the photo she sent I'll add it to this post.

We may be only 90ft above sea level here but I imagined the lavender weaving its way through other plants. Only one survived; the rest shrivelled into non-existence, dwindling over time. The couple of purple sages I planted at the same time stomped all over the remains. Several years on I now have a 'river of sage' - not quite the same, but attractive in its own way! For years I disliked the dried blood smell of sage even in stuffing and have only recently come to appreciate it. Now I have so much of it I suppose.

Purple sage with periwinkle and crocosmia 'Lucifer' - you can't see the other plants it weaves through (a lot)

The botanical name Salvia derives from the Latin salvere ("to feel well and healthy, health, heal"), the verb related to salus (health, well-being, prosperity or salvation); referring to the herb's healing properties. The common modern English name sage derives from Middle English sawge, which like the botanical name, stems from salvere.

Having dug out an elderly sage bush, long past its useful life, from the raised bed I planted some more, including the common green-leaved sage, the purple one and the multicoloured variety 'Icterina' as I knew they would thrive. Here is the lovely Icterina, a couple of months on, between spearmint and chives. I have been trying to find beauty and cleaning products that contain sage - any ideas?

Salvia officinalis 'Icterina'

Here is a poorly looking one, but with a nice label (Hackney City Farm)

Herbs in New Cross Gate
Opposite New Cross Gate station is the Hobgoblin pub and Dig This Nursery. I stopped at the traffic lights long enough to read the list of herbs on sale and will definitely be paying a visit. They seem to stock lots of different varieties - what a change from the likes of Homebase/B&Q and garden centres like Ruxley Manor and Phoebe's. I've noticed a gradual narrowing of choice to larger (and more expensive) pots and less variety and it doesn't seem that long ago that I could pick up small pots of feverfew and lady's mantle for £1.50. At that price it doesn't matter that much if it turns up its toes; at £7.99 you not only have to make a bigger hole but I would feel precisely £6.49 more pain if it then upped and died.

Dig This Nursery in New Cross Gate

Out of interest I popped in this morning and picked up 6 pots of herbs for a tenner. That's more like it. 2 x elecampane (Inula helenium), 2 x lovage (Levisticum officinale) 1 x borage (Borago officinalis) - time for a Pimms! - and 1 x winter savory (Satureja montana). No summer savory unfortunately, but there was tree spinach which looked very interesting. I wonder if it's the same as the 'spinach' you get in Greece... another time.

The savorys are interesting, winter is perennial and summer an annual. Like many herbs they belong to the Lamiaecae family and both are considered to be an antidote to flatulence.
 

The 'curry' plant, Helichrysum italicum

I've grown the curry plant on and off for years. It smells more like curry powder than what I would call curry and is found in the Corsican maquis where it is more shrubby, along with several very pungent and beautiful herbs and plants. Our wet climate often makes it leggy and flop over.