News
Step into spring with The Gardens Group
The Gardens Group will be hosting a series of talks at each of their garden centres throughout February and March. Talks will be given by the Groups own experts on topics ranging from shrub pruning to border planting, to seed sowing and lawn care will be covered in the talks, which are free for gardeners of all abilities to attend.
Mike Burks, Managing Director of The Gardens Group comments: “This first of our talks in February was on Shrub Pruning and we were thrilled to welcome over 100 people to our garden centres – we hope our guests found it useful. The talks are an integral part of welcoming spring into our gardens and have very much become a staple in The Gardens Group calendar. It is great that we are able to educate and inspire green-fingered folk on a whole host of talking points relating to gardening and I am looking forward to another great year of gardening.”
Talks at Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil will take place every Tuesday, at Poundbury Gardens near Dorchester on Wednesdays, and Castle Gardens in Sherborne on Thursdays and each talk will start at 2.30pm.
For more information see 'Spring Talks' on our fact sheet page
Better than X factor - Louise picks up award for WOW factor!
The Christmas displays at Castle Gardens in Sherborne have been recognised with an award for WOW factor! Presented to Louise Burks at a ceremony in Harrogate, the award was given because judges thought that the displays at Castle Gardens “stirred all the senses in their various themes and made great use of the area”.
The Greatest Christmas Awards Judges said: “Castle Gardens had great original themes, such as the Downton Abbey theme and the ‘German Market’. Customers can enjoy all the different sections and peep through one display to the next. All the senses are used to create a fun, interactive shopping experience – Christmas was even brought into the plantearea and there was a place where children could try out toys.”
Part of The Greatest Garden Centre Team awards, the Gold award presented to Louise joins many top national awards for the Christmas displays at Castle Gardens and it is now proudly displayed in Sherborne.
“The judges mentioned our Downton Abbey display and it seems that this really captured their imagination and made a huge impact – we call it the Downton effect and it is great to see that we share the success of this series! We are just about to start planning our displays for 2012 so for us, Christmas is uppermost in our minds again,” said Louise Burks, director of The Gardens Group and leader of the Christmas display team.
Brimsmore Gardens comes out on top not just with green fingers but with ‘clean fingers’!
Staff members at the Apple Tree Farm Shop and Apple Tree Restaurant at Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil are celebrating after achieving a perfect FIVE STARS in ‘Scores on the Doors’, the food hygiene inspection scheme organised by South Somerset District Council.
Five stars is the top score food establishments can achieve so this is an excellent, and well deserved, result for both the Restaurant and Farm Shop. Cath Stuteley, Manager of the Apple Tree Farm Shop comments: “We put a lot of time and effort into training our staff and ensuring that both the farm shop and restaurant are as welcoming to customers as they can be. A five star rating shows that our hard work each day is paying off and we will continue to work as hard as we can to maintain this high standard.”
Scores on the Doors is the number one national food hygiene rating scheme for food businesses and it offers a uniform rating system to raise hygiene levels within an area as a whole and it is designed to help customers to make informed choices about where they shop and eat.
“The judges arrive anonymously and unannounced to score each establishment fairly and I agree with this kind of unannounced judging as it shows that we are always prepared. I’m pleased for the whole garden centre team as this award reflects the commitment we feel to our customers not just in the plants we sell but in the whole experience of visiting Brimsmore” finished Cath.
Willow Workshops at Castle Gardens
Local garden designer and willow artist Angela Morley will be at the Butterfly House at Castle Gardens in Sherborne running a series of Willow Workshops in January and February including Willow Dragonflies, Hearts, Wigwams and planters.
The first of the workshops, Willow Birds Nests, was held on 11th January and was a great success, Angela said: “There has been in a lot of interest in recent weeks for willow workshops to be run in the area and it is great that Mike Burks and the team at Castle Gardens have allowed us to use the Butterfly House for the workshops. The location is perfect and we had a lot of interest in the first course so hopefully this will continue.”
Each course costs from £20 which includes materials, and experience is not necessary. Advance booking is essential as courses are limited to 10 people and booking forms can be picked up from Castle Gardens. The next Willow Workshops will take place on:
• Willow Dragonflies Wednesday 25th January 1-4pm £20: Have fun making a willow dragonfly for your garden (or home)
• Willow Hearts Friday 10th February 1-3pm £20: Using a simple weave make beautiful woven hearts using a range of natural materials
• Willow Wigwams Friday 24th February 1- 4pm £25: Make willow planters for your garden, these make a great focal point, add height to borders as well as provide support for sweet peas
For further information about the courses please contact Angela Morley on 01749 830205
Drum roll please…Castle Gardens takes top prize for its Christmas displays
It has been announced that Castle Gardens in Sherborne has once again beaten garden centres across the county to win the Christmas Display competition for the South Thames Area, awarded by the Garden Centre Association.
Castle Gardens was judged today and given first prize for its spectacular themed display which includes scenes from Downton Abbey, Tinsel Town and a Teddy Bears Picnic.
Mike Burks, MD of The Gardens Group said: “It’s great to receive such great news on a wet and miserable day. Congratulations to everyone involved including all those from Brimsmore and Poundbury Gardens who helped make the displays so spectacular, not just in the building stage but every day the displays are looked after to keep them looking fresh. This is a team award for the whole of The Gardens Group and our staff should be proud of such a fantastic achievement”.
The Garden Centre Association stamp is a quality mark for garden centres around the UK and its criteria for membership is rigorously upheld to ensure quality and service from all members. Each Centre is judged on the presentation, product range and merchandising of the display, and also on the range of fresh Christmas trees, Christmas indoor plants and the Christmas menus in each of the restaurants.
The Gardens Group helps bring station back to its former glory
A team of volunteers from Somerset are working together to transform the gardens, beds, borders and platform at Templecombe Station in the hope that it will once again be awarded ‘Best Station’ in the Annual Best Station Awards which was last won by Templecombe in 1991.
With the help of The Gardens Group which has sponsored the hanging baskets and supported the team with advice and supplies, the Templecombe Station Volunteers are working hard to bring the station garden back to its former glory.
Meg Hall, Chairperson for the Templecombe Station Volunteers comments: “The station is a focal point in the village as it has extensive gardens including mature shrubs and flower beds and an impressive statue relating to Templecombe’s history and this is something which passers-by often comment on. When we started to clear the area and realised what support there was from the local community we thought we’d make it our aim to once again win best station and put Templecombe station back on the map”.
“I’d like to express our thanks to local businesses and groups including Dikes of Stalbridge and Thales for their support and enthusiasm for this project, as well as the whole team at Castle Gardens in Sherborne as they have provided sound and practical advice when we’ve needed to brush up on our gardening skills. We hope everyone will wish us luck for next year’s “Best Station Awards”, finished Meg.
Photo Caption – Back row left to right back - Christine Hillman, Christine Scott, Margaret Clark, Shirley Pettit, Front row Left to Right - Meg Hall, Alison Clements, Rita Moody, Richard Pettit.
For further information about Templecombe Station Volunteers please contact their new Chairman Christine Hillman on 01963 370279
For further information about Castle Gardens which is part of The Gardens Group please visit www.thegardeneronline.co.uk or call 01935 814633.
(154) October 2011
The Green Shed celebrates its first birthday
Hundreds of bags of kindling, two giant knitting needles and lots of recycled nails – these have been the ingredients for a successful first year at The Green Shed recycling project based at Castle Gardens in Sherborne.
Almost 100 people from Sherborne and the surrounding area turned out to celebrate with The Green Shed team. Guests enjoyed speeches from Mike Burks, MD of Castle Gardens; Barry Watts who helps run The Green Shed and Christine Stevens who is chairperson for the steering group. A huge birthday cake, canapés, and Pimms made the party even jollier.
1 – Mike Burks and Barry Watts with service users from The Green Shed
Sherborne project wins award for its recycling commitment
The Green Shed, a project based at Castle Gardens in Sherborne, has received an award for its recycling commitment and effective use of waste products.
The Inspiring use of waste products Award was presented to one of the service users at The Green Shed at an awards ceremony in September and is sponsored by the Green and Sustainable Programme (GASP) and the Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust.
Day Service Officer, Barry Watts, who helps to run The Green Shed comments: “Every activity and everything we produce at The Green Shed is focused on recycling and it’s great to receive an award which recognises this. We began recycling old wooden pallets and turning the pallets into kindling and our activities now include composting all waste and also knitting bags and mats from organic waste. Best of all, everything we produce is sold locally and the money we make is put right back into The Green Shed.
“Thanks must go to Sherborne Fencing who supplies us with useable offcuts which helps create many of our products, and also to the League of Friends for their continued support,” finished Barry.
The Green Shed, which opened in October 2010 was part-funded by local body Chalk + Cheese, is situated in an area at the rear of Castle Gardens in Sherborne, Dorset. It was developed after the Whitehouse Resource Centre in Sherborne closed and currently opens three days a week during which time adults with learning difficulties are able to use the workshop to further develop community recycling projects, including plant pot recycling, wood recycling, compost making and veggie growing.
Garden gets GOLD
Last weekend we were busy at the Dorset County Show and we thought you might like to see the garden we designed and created especially for the Show. We named it, ‘The Lost Art Of Gardening’ as it was inspired by a painter’s pallet. The garden was planted with a beautiful mixed border of flowers of different colours and these were carefully planted to blend together as if they were paint on an artist’s pallet. Giant bamboo canes were planted along with some stunning grasses to represent paint brushes and the end result was a vibrant space to inspire artists when painting.
It was judged (much to our surprise as we just did it for fun) by a team of judges appointed by the Show who were so impressed they awarded us a GOLD medal!!
Talking of impressive, don’t forget that Castle Gardens has the wonderful Clive Farrell in this Sunday at 11am – he will be giving a talk called 'Gardening for butterflies, moths and other animals' which is free to attend and Clive is truly an inspiring wildlife expert so this is one not to be missed.
James
Wildlife Gardening Awards 2011
The second Wildlife Friendly Gardening competition, organised in partnership by The Gardens Group and Dorset Wildlife Trust, has once again been a huge success with even more gardens from all corners of Dorset entering the competition to be crowned winning wildlife friendly garden.
The top gardens will be announced and celebrated during an awards ceremony and charity fundraising evening in The Engine Room Restaurant at Poundbury Gardens, Dorchester on Thursday 14th July from 6.00pm – 8.30pm (tickets are now available from Castle Gardens).
Mike Burks, Managing Director of The Gardens Group comments; “Last year’s competition was a huge success and it was great to see so many of our customers encouraging wildlife into their gardens. This year we have seen new entries in the medium garden and community garden categories, and many improved gardens following tips given in last year’s competition. We will be judging and short-listing the finalists over the coming weeks and hope that everyone who entered, or is interested in wildlife, will be able to join us on 14th July to celebrate and hopefully raise lots of money for the Greenfingers Charity which is committed to helping children in hospices by creating magical gardens.”
During the evening on 14th July, guests will be able to hear from Pam Lewis, owner of wildlife haven Sticky Wicket and Joy Wallis from Dorset Wildlife Trust, who will be talking about how you can encourage and provide for bees in your garden. Awards will be presented by Pam during the ceremony, and each entrant will receive a Wildlife Friendly Gardening Plaque and Certificate with bigger prizes of Garden Centre vouchers and a year’s membership to Dorset Wildlife Trust awarded to the top entries in each category. There will be more information about next year’s competition and refreshments, music and a charity raffle.
Tickets are open to the public and can be purchased from Castle Gardens for £5 - all proceeds go to Greenfingers Charity.
For more information or to buy a ticket please contact Katie Burt at Positive PR on tel: 01935 389497 or email katie@positivepr.co.uk
For further information about The Gardens Group please contact Mike Burks at Castle Gardens, tel 01935 814633.
(151) June 2011
Notes to Editor:
Greenfingers - Greenfingers is a small charity which is dedicated to creating magical gardens for children’s hospices around the UK. Greenfingers is eleven years old, and during its life has created 32 special gardens. The benefits of these gardens are tremendous to children staying in hospices, and their families too.
A Greenfingers garden can be a place to play or to rest, a place to laugh or to cry, a special place for memories whilst experiencing the tranquil benefits and values of nature. Above all, every garden is special because every day is precious….. and that is why Greenfingers is committed to helping more children in hospices by creating special gardens for those hospices unable to provide that relief and outlet to the families and children they care for.
Picture shows the winners of the Wildlife Friendly Gardening Competition 2010
Green’s the word - Sustainable Gardening Week 2nd – 10th July
Gardeners in the South West are invited to learn more about sustainable gardening during a special week long initiative - Sustainable Gardening Week – which will take place at three garden centres in Yeovil, Dorchester and Sherborne. As winners of several sustainability and community awards, Castle Gardens in Sherborne, Poundbury Gardens in Dorchester and Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil, are proud to be supporting the environment by offering practical, sustainable gardening techniques for new and experienced gardens to adopt in their own gardens.
From Saturday 2nd – Sunday 10th July gardeners dropping into any one of the three Garden Centres will be able to learn from the experts and discover tips to help to protect and enhance our natural surroundings.
“Sustainable gardening is not something that is simply trendy at the moment – it has been at the heart of our Garden Centres for many years and we are asked every day by new and experienced gardeners about what they should be doing to help the environment. The questions often refer to the use of peat or which insecticides are safe to use, or whether or not it’s safe to use slug pellets, in fact a multitude of questions relating to the best sustainable methods to adopt in the garden. So, during our Sustainable Gardening Week we’ll have the latest, relevant information about gardening with our natural environment in mind. From water re-cycling to composting, green alternatives to gardeners’ old favourites and new products which will gradually become must-haves in the garden,” commented Steve Fry, Eco and sustainable expert at The Gardens Group
“Our farm shop team at Brimsmore and all three of our restaurants will also be focussing on the work they are doing to become more sustainable – local sourcing in the restaurants, and encouraging customers to buy just the amount of local, seasonal produce they need in the Farm Shop, loose with no packaging to reduce waste – these are all steps we have taken as a business and which have been recognised by several sustainability awards,” said Steve.
During Sustainable Gardening Week there will also be a board in each Centre where customers can write their top tips for sustainable gardening, the best Top Green Tip across all three Centres will win a sustainable gardening kit as a thank you!
The Sustainable Gardening Week will be held at Castle Gardens in Sherborne, Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil and Poundbury Gardens near Dorchester. Displays, advice, talks and information during the week will highlight how the little (and big) changes gardeners can make to contribute to a healthy and sustainable environment. There will be a talk at Castle Gardens by Dan at Aqua Allotments, an Aquaponics display and information from the Dorset Wildlife Trust.
The Gardens Group is dedicated to its local community and is continually looking at greener initiatives to introduce into its garden centres.
For further information please call: Castle Gardens, Sherborne on 01935 814633; Brimsmore Gardens, Yeovil on 01935 411000 or Poundbury Gardens, Dorchester – 01305 257250
For further press information please contact Katie Burt at Positive PR on tel 01935 389497 or email katie@positivepr.co.uk
(150) June 2011
Notes to Editors:
Aqua Allotments
Aquaponics: By combining the best of pond-keeping and hydroponics, a self-supporting natural cycle produces great yields of fish and plants with minimal input. So, Goldfish, Koi, Trout, Tilapia, Carp, Perch and more can be kept alongside vegetables, salads, herbs, and flowers. Aquaponic systems are easy to operate with no soil, no watering or water changes; High-level grow beds provide very easy access and provide a fascinating garden feature.
Buzzing about our Bee Weekend - Saturday 25th June – Friday 1st July
With the latest news that certain types of Bees are becoming endangered and even extinct in Britain’s gardens, Mike Burks of The Gardens Group and his team at Castle, Brimsmore and Poundbury Gardens are determined to do all they can to help gardeners protect Bees in Dorset and Somerset.
The Gardens Group garden centres in Sherborne, Yeovil and Poundbury are running a series of events and activities this summer and the first main event is a week buzzing with Bee activities, talks and competitions. Mike Burks comments: “We’ve all been aware of the worrying statistics about Bees and the reducing numbers in gardens and if the decline continues, this could have serious implications, since most plants rely on bees and other insects for pollination. It is in everyone’s interest to garden with Bees and other wildlife in mind and our Bee Weekends will hopefully help gardeners to encourage Bees into their gardens and to look after them while they are there. The little things we do as gardeners can have a massive impact when they are all combined – so we hope people will come along and take one step to being a Bee-friendly gardener!”
Experts will be on hand to answer questions, there will be Bee-friendly garden displays; a talk and question time with Chris Slade - co-author of Getting The Best From Your Bees; local honey on sale and special honey recipes on the menu in each of The Gardens Group restaurants.
The Bee Week will take place at all three garden centres and talks will take place on the following dates. Talks are free to attend and places do not need to be booked in advance although booking is recommended.
Saturday 25th June 11am - Castle Gardens, Sherborne – 01935 814633
Sunday 26th June 11am - Brimsmore Gardens, Yeovil – 01935 411000
Monday 27th June 11am - Poundbury Gardens, Dorchester – 01305 257250
Bill Butters makes a statement in the Walled Garden
Visitors to Castle Gardens can now sit comfortably and look out over the Garden Centre thanks to Bill Butters of Sherborne, who have constructed a beautiful new conservatory at The Walled Garden Restaurant. “The conservatory part of our restaurant was in need of a bit of TLC and we were more than happy to have Bill Butters’ help in transforming it. It’s a lovely place to enjoy a cream tea or lunch while looking out over the plants in the walled garden and our customers have all been very complimentary”, commented Mike Burks MD of Castle Gardens.
Picture shows from left to right: Paul Kelly (Bill Butters), Adam Allen (Bill Butters) Mr and Mrs Jeffries (regular customers at The Walled Garden) and Mike Burks.
Poundbury Gardens celebrates its 5th birthday
During March, Poundbury Gardens has been thanking its customers for five years of loyal support, by giving away a prize every day.
The Birthday celebrations began with a cake cutting and speech from the Poundbury Mayor Leslie Phillips, and will finish with a Big Birthday Breakfast on Sunday 3rd April from 9.30am – 11.00am to which everyone is invited.
James Foster-Pegg comments: “Throughout March we have been asking customers to enter our free raffle and have given away a different prize every day. We have been absolutely thrilled with the number of people coming in to enter the raffle and we wanted to finish celebrations with a bang. We have five top prizes to be won at the Birthday Breakfast – everything from garden furniture and a bird table to a barbeque and even a water feature. There will be a free breakfast for everyone wanting to celebrate with us and over £1,000 of prizes will be given away.”
Poundbury Gardens, which is part of The Gardens Group, is housed in a sustainably converted farm building; many materials were recycled during its construction and today it uses a number of recycling methods in everyday operations including collecting rainwater and mulch to use on beds around the centre as well as using old pallets in an energy efficient heating boiler.
For further information about the birthday and activities please contact James Poster-Pegg at Poundbury Gardens on tel 01305 257250
‘Cheers’ - Poundbury Gardens celebrates its 5th birthday
The team at Poundbury Gardens at Poundbury, Dorchester will be celebrating the garden centre’s fifth birthday with events every day during March – so for 31 days there will be a birthday surprise for customers. To launch the birthday activity, residents, local businesses, garden groups and customers are invited to a celebration drink and cake cutting on Tuesday 1st March at 10am.
On the 1st March, it will be exactly five years since the garden centre opened its doors to customers and since then, the business has grown and developed into a successful, award-winning garden centre and restaurant. James Foster-Pegg, Director of Poundbury Gardens comments: “I love seeing the familiar faces of gardeners come through the door week after week; some of them since the first day we opened. We have received such a huge amount of support from local businesses and the community and we wanted to use the whole of March to say a big thank you”.
“To kick things off, we would like people to join us on the 1st March for a slice of our Birthday Cake and a glass of bubbly to launch our great big Birthday Bloom. Each day throughout March we will be giving away prizes to customers in our free raffle and will finish with a Birthday Breakfast on Sunday 3rd April at which five customers will win top prizes of furniture, BBQs and vouchers each worth over a hundred pounds. We hope people will be able to join us to celebrate this milestone”, continued James.
Poundbury Gardens, which is part of The Gardens Group, is housed in a sustainably converted farm building; many materials were recycled during its construction and today it uses a number of recycling methods in everyday operations including collecting rainwater and mulch to use on beds around the centre as well as using old pallets in an energy efficient heating boiler.
Bird food soars at garden centres
Bird lovers across Somerset and Dorset have been remembering their feathered friends during the recent snowy conditions as Brian King from Castle Gardens in Sherborne reports: “Over the last month, and despite the awful road conditions, we have seen customers over and over again coming in to buy supplies of bird food. Overall we have seen an increase in the sales of bird food of over 28% at all three of our garden centres in Yeovil, Dorchester and Sherborne. When the ground is frozen and berries, worms and insects are in short supply, putting food out regularly is really important as birds use energy simply flying to places where they usually feed”.
The RSPB recommends that birds are fed all year round and not just with specific bird seed mixtures and suet balls. Brian gives his top tips for keeping the birds well fed, “Put out a mixture of different seeds, suet balls and peanuts, supplement this with things like jacket potatoes opened up or dried fruit, make sure clean water is available, keep the bird table clean and free of mouldy crumbs, and keep a note of the birds you see regularly – you’ll be surprised at how quickly you get a regular gang at the table!”
“Gardens would not be the same without birds as they are natural pest controllers! So gardeners understand the value of attracting birds to their gardens – not just because they are a delight to watch. The antics of birds round a bird table stocked up with half a coconut and some peanuts are better than any computer game!”
Aqua Landscape Design recognised in national awards
Aqua Landscape Design at Castle Gardens in Sherborne has come third in the aquatics category in the Garden Centre Association (GCA) awards. The specialist water landscaping Company opened at the Garden Centre in 2009 and despite being a new business, it scored very well against many larger established garden centres in the South Thames area.
Andy McConnachie, Managing Director of Aqua Landscape Design comments: “We are absolutely thrilled to be recognised in the GCA awards, especially after just one year at Castle Gardens. Everyone has worked very hard and Mike and the team at Castle Gardens have provided us with the support and opportunities we needed to extend the business; we now have Japanese Koi Units, extended aquatic plant units and a granite water features display. Our whole team is thrilled to have won this award.”
The garden centre falls into the South Thames area category and Castle Gardens also picked up awards for its staff and for the houseplants area. Roger Crookes, GCA South Thames area judge comments: “I really enjoyed judging Castle Gardens; the attention to detail in areas such as their wonderful houseplant department is obvious and it’s great to know that there is always a member of staff on hand who knows exactly what they are talking about. The aquatic centre stood out as, unlike many other centres, it is not just selling fish and products to take home, it is providing a complete service, from design to installation of ponds and natural pools and the staff seem absolutely passionate about what they do.”
The GCA has over 160 members across the UK, and awards are presented to garden centres that really stand out from the crowd. A stringent judging criterion is applied and each year the results of the awards are eagerly awaited.
Hard work pays off for Brimsmore Gardens as team wins Garden Centre Association Awards
Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil has wowed judges in its 2010 annual audit and picked up a number of top Garden Centre Association awards in the Wales and the West Category.
The garden centre, which is part of The Gardens Group, picked up awards for; Most Improved Garden Centre, second prizes in Best Farm Shop and Best Houseplants areas, and scored over 90 per cent for Garden Centre Staff.
“We have just heard that we have won all these awards for the Wales and the West region and the whole team is thrilled to bits! This year we took things back to basics and looked at exactly what our customers want from a garden centre and stuck to The Gardens Group ethos. We have concentrated on core garden products and maintenance alongside life style and the hard work has obviously paid off. The whole team has had training during the spring both in-house and by external companies and these awards have certainly recognised the benefits of good training. They have really boosted morale and everyone is feeling like they have had a pat on the back!” commented Adam Wallis, Manager of Brimsmore Gardens.
The judging for the awards is carried out as part of an annual Garden Centre Association audit, which examines every aspect of the Garden Centre from; the products on offer, the condition of the car park, environmental policies, the quality of the customer experience and the overall team ethos.
Picture shows Assistant manager of Brimsmore Garden Karen Hillard together with; Mike Burks (MD of The Gardens Group), Andrew Wright (Retail Assistant at Brimsmore Gardens) and Adam Wallis (Manager of Brimsmore Gardens).
COMMUNITY SUPPORTS NEW RECYCLING PROJECT AT CASTLE GARDENS, Sherborne, Dorset
A new recycling project named The Green Shed has been given the go-ahead at Castle Gardens in Sherborne, Dorset. The new project will enable local people with learning difficulties to continue their work and further develop community recycling projects, including plant pot recycling, wood recycling, compost making and veggie growing.
The Green Shed project will be based in an existing shed at the garden centre and, once the shed has been upgraded, it will provide recycling facilities for the group of young people and adults from The Whitehouse Resource Centre, which is due to close later in 2010.
Mike Burks, MD of Castle Gardens explains: “For a long time we have worked closely with the fantastic team at The Whitehouse Centre and when we learnt that the Centre was closing we looked at ways we could continue the relationship. We had a space which we knew could be used; we have the recycling work here at the Garden Centre and we just needed to have some financial help to make the project happen. We applied to Chalk + Cheese, our local funding body which delivers the Local Action for Rural Communities programme, and when we presented to the Local Action Group we had unanimous support for the project.”
Siobhán Davis, Community Coordinator (Learning Disabilities Service) Sherborne, comments: "This is a good example of how working together can have positive results. We are all looking forward to working together with different agencies, businesses and local organisations to make a difference.”
Little explanation is needed as to why the project has been named The Green Shed!
The new project will involve –
• Recycling broken pallets, supplied free of charge to the project. The ‘rescued’ wood will be turned into growing boxes and kindling, which will be sold at the Garden Centre – the funds will go back into the project.
• Recycling plant pots returned to the Garden Centre by customers – the pots will be washed in harvested rainwater, then re-used in the nursery, or given to local schools and community groups.
• Making compost – the team at The Green Shed will be shown how to make good compost from green waste generated at the Garden Centre and this will then be used to fill the growing boxes so that veggies can be grown and sold, or given to local groups such as a drop-in centre cafés.
• Planting raised beds, using The Green Shed compost and growing salads and herbs for local chefs.
Sarah Watson on behalf of Chalk + Cheese added: “We are absolutely delighted to have been able to support this brilliant project and supply the much needed funding to ensure everyone’s good work continues. It was great to have our first ‘Fast Track’ project go through the system and demonstrate that getting your project funded doesn’t have to be hard work. The Local Action Group is really looking forward to having the chance to support other projects just like this one.”
Ros Urwin, Head Occupational Therapist, (Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust) at The Whitehouse Resource Centre, comments: “This is a great example of how – by offering service users activities outside of the confines of a day centre – opportunities for them can really blossom. In this instance, they have already made additional plans to plant up a ‘Sherborne in Bloom’ flowerbed, due to their new links with the Garden Centre, and they will be ably assisted by a dedicated community support worker. The clients have ideas about how they would like to take forward woodwork and are being supported by their personal workers, some of whom have worked with them daily for many years, to develop other work and leisure opportunities in their local community.”
Gardeners across Dorset protect and nurture their wildlife!
The first Wildlife Friendly Gardening competition, launched in partnership this year by The Gardens Group and Dorset Wildlife Trust, has been a huge success with 50 wildlife friendly gardens entered from all four corners of the County – including private wildlife gardens and community projects.
The winning gardens will be announced and celebrated during an awards ceremony and charity fundraising evening in The Walled Garden at Castle Gardens, Sherborne on Thursday 15th July from 6pm – 8.30pm, (tickets are available from Castle Gardens now).
Mike Burks, Managing Director of The Gardens Group comments: “We have worked with the Wildlife Trust over many years and it has been great to organise a competition which celebrates wildlife – we were absolutely thrilled with the number of entries we received and look forward to receiving more next time. We will be judging and short-listing the finalists over the coming weeks and hope that everyone who entered, or is interested in wildlife, will be able to join us on the 15th July to celebrate and hopefully raise lots of money for The Butterfly Conservation Society”.
During the ceremony each entrant will receive a Wildlife Friendly Gardening Plaque and Certificate with bigger prizes of Garden Centre vouchers and a year’s membership to Dorset Wildlife Trust awarded to the top entries in each category. Renowned eco-gardener Clive Farrell will be presenting the awards to the winners during the ceremony and there will be more information about next year’s competition as well as canapés, refreshments, music and charity raffle and auction. All money raised will be donated to The Butterfly Conservation Society.
Tickets are open to the public and can be purchased from Castle Gardens for £5.
The Engine Room opens for breakfast . . . and dedicates it to the new Square at Poundbury
The Engine Room Restaurant at Poundbury Gardens, which is situated on Peverell Avenue, is naming its new breakfast in honour of a soon to be built landmark square at Poundbury, Dorchester.
“St Mark’s Square in Venice is famous for all the coffee houses which spill out onto the Square, so we thought we would take an early opportunity to dedicate our new breakfast to the Square which will be our closest neighbour at Poundbury. The plans show a substantial, architectural masterpiece and we are thrilled that we are so close to such an important open space which is being dedicated to The Queen Mother,” explained James Foster-Pegg, director at Poundbury Gardens.
The new Square Breakfast will be served every day at The Engine Room, and each cooked breakfast, served on a square plate of course, will include produce sourced from local producers.
Head chef Paul-Jon Swingler, who has worked at The Engine Room since it opened in 2006, has built up a great reputation in the area. Paul comments: “There are many businesses in the area and often we are asked for cooked breakfasts, especially when people want to have a meeting early in the day, so we decided to offer a full breakfast menu. We have sourced ingredients as locally as possible, including eggs from Blackacre Farm in Wincanton, Somerset and bread from Shelley’s Bakery in Weymouth, and of course Dorset Cereals which are also made at Poundbury. We hope that residents and businesses alike will come and join us for a Square Breakfast soon.”
For further information or to book a table please call the Engine Room on tel 01305 257251
News from The Engine Room
The Engine Room Restaurant at Poundbury Gardens is now open for breakfast every day from 9.00am…
…and on Friday and Saturday evenings, the lights will be dimmed and the menu transformed for evening meals with ‘Candles at the Engine Room’.
We’ll have more news on this soon but in the mean time if you would like to book a table for a Dorset breakfast or romantic evening meal, call the Engine Room on tel 01305 257251.
GET YOUR LAWN IN ORDER !
After a long winter many lawns are looking in pretty poor shape. But where do you start in sorting them out ? Here’s what to do:-
On a dry day give the lawn a light mowing to tidy it up.
Apply Westland lawn sand which will kill off moss and give the lawn a mild feed. Seven – ten days later rake out the dead moss with a spring-tined rake or if you have a large area use a mechanical scarifier.
Spike the lawn with a fork, preferably all over, but particularly where the grass is thin or where there are bare patches.
Top dress with Westland lawn and turf dressing, a mixture of sharp sand, peat and soil and then brush well in using a besom broom or the back of a rake.
Over sow with grass seed at a rate of 25g per square metre, this rate should be increased where there are bare patches to 35g per square metre.
As required mow the lawn but keep the mower at a raised setting to begin with reducing the height gradually over the next few weeks.
Three or four weeks later apply Evergreen Complete, which is a feed, weed and moss killer it also helps to retain the moisture.
If deep rooted perennial weeds – including dandelions, plantains and daisies – persist apply Verdone, which is a selective lawn weed killer.
As the grass begins to green up and grow quicker, increase the frequency of cutting and reduce the height of the mower.
In September allow the grass to grow slightly longer and repeat the treatment as above but with Evergreen Autumn.
Again if weeds are a particular problem apply Verdone in late August or early September in order for it to achieve the maximum effect.
Wildlife Friendly Garden Competition
As gardens become increasingly important strongholds for much of our native wildlife, a competition has been launched to find the most wildlife friendly gardens in Dorset. Following the success of its innovative Wildlife Friendly Garden Plaque scheme (with over 150 awarded so far), Dorset Wildlife Trust has joined forces with The Gardens Group to launch a county-wide competition to help recognise the important contribution gardeners are making to the conservation of the county’s wildlife.
Joy Wallis, People and Wildlife Co-ordinator at Dorset Wildlife Trust, said: “The countryside and other urban open spaces are often unwelcoming, sterile and do not have the range of micro-habitats many gardeners supply. We want to encourage gardeners across the county who are providing a haven for wildlife. The judges will be looking for gardens, however small, that welcome wildlife and so form a vital stepping stone between other suitable habitats.”
The Wildlife Friendly Garden Competition is open to all Dorset gardens, from a small patio to a large garden which is more of an integral part of the countryside. Judging will be in different size categories and entries can be from individuals, community or school gardens, a group of neighbours or even a whole street. Gardens will need to provide a variety of sources of food such as nectar-rich flowers, seed and fruit planting with various sources of water, shelter and places to breed.
Mike Burks, MD of The Gardens Group, commented: “We are very pleased to be working with Dorset Wildlife Trust on this project to find the best wildlife friendly gardens in Dorset. Gardens can be full of perfect specimen roses, they can be full of leeks and lettuces but they can still be very comfortable homes for wildlife! One does not preclude the other and so we will hopefully find gardens where plants and wildlife are in perfect harmony!”
Entry to the competition is free. Forms are available from www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk, www.thegardeneronline.co.uk or from Castle Gardens, Sherborne, Poundbury Gardens, Dorchester and Dorset Wildlife Trust centres at Brooklands Farm, Lorton Meadows and the Urban Wildlife Centre. Closing date is 10th May. For further information, please contact Joy Wallis at Dorset Wildlife Trust on 01305 264620.
Prizes, which include a wildlife friendly collection of plants, gardening vouchers and books, will be presented by renowned eco-gardener Clive Farrell at a wildlife friendly gardening event at Castle Gardens, Sherborne on 15th July.
Wildlife Friendly garden features could include:
• Wildlife Pond
• Bog or permanently wet area
• Bird bath
• Bird Box
• Wild flower meadow
• Long grass area
• Nectar rich flower border and bushes
• Mixed Native Hedge
• Mature native tree
• Log pile and/or substantial decaying tree stump
• Compost heap
• No-go area
• Climbing plants/trellises suitable for nesting and feeding
• Slug pellet free
Notes to Editor
For more information please contact Joy Wallis at Dorset Wildlife Trust on 01305 264620.
About Dorset Wildlife Trust
Dorset Wildlife Trust was founded in 1961 to protect the wildlife and natural habitats of the county and now has over 25,000 members and manages 45 nature reserves. Most are open daily and there are visitor centres providing a wealth of wildlife information at Brooklands Farm, Lorton Meadows, Kingcombe Meadows and Brownsea Island Nature Reserves, The Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve and the Urban Wildlife Centre at Upton Heath Nature Reserve.
The largest voluntary nature conservation organisation in Dorset, DWT plays a key role in dealing with local environmental issues. It leads the way in establishing the practices of sustainable development and engaging new audiences in conservation, particularly in the urban areas.
About The Gardens Group
The three Garden Centres that make up The Gardens Group are situated at; Castle Gardens in Sherborne, Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil and Poundbury Gardens in Dorchester.
Castle Gardens is situated in the grounds of the kitchen gardens of Sherborne Castle. Mike and Louise Burks set up a garden centre on the site in 1987. When they arrived it was badly overgrown and derelict. The business soon developed on the basis of high quality plants and horticultural expertise backed up by excellent customer service.
In 1992 Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil opened within the Fruit Farm alongside the Farm Shop. The site has developed over the years with the inclusion of the Apple Tree Restaurant and Farm Shop with a strong focus on local produce and homemade food.
A third garden centre opened in March 2006. Set in redundant Victorian farm buildings the site is in the centre of Poundbury, Dorchester - the village being created by HRH The Prince of Wales. The buildings have been carefully restored with minor adaptations to create a unique garden centre. Working with the Duchy of Cornwall many eco friendly features are being utilised including the collection of rainwater for irrigation, the use of waste packaging to heat the site and the inclusion of bat roosting boxes.
Prince Charles has been a regular visitor and has taken a keen interest in the project. A recent scheduled two-minute visit stretched to 20 minutes as the features of the new centre absorbed him.
From a team of 5 in 1987 the business now employs over 130 staff. The original ideals of high quality plants, expertise and customer service still hold true and are the backbone of the business.
Birdhouses seek new home during the Big Garden Bird Watch
To celebrate the RSPB’s Big Garden Bird Watch, The Gardens Group garden centres in Sherborne, Yeovil and Poundbury are each giving away a brand new bird house and feeder to the person who spots and records the greatest number of species of birds during the Bird Watch weekend.
The special RSPB event takes place over the weekend of the 30th and 31st of January and counting sheets will be available from Castle Gardens, Brimsmore Gardens and Poundbury Gardens. To be in with a chance of winning, participants need to return their completed forms to one of the garden centres by Sunday 7th February.
Alex Hill, Garden Centre Assistant and bird expert comments: “Keeping your bird feeders topped up is important all year round but especially when it’s cold and icy as often your feeder is the bird’s only source of food. Birds remember where they find food so if you keep it topped up they won’t waste energy flying from garden to garden to find food. We wanted to use this event to encourage people to keep feeding the birds over the winter months but also to challenge people to spot as many birds as they can over the two days. If you need any suggestions on what will entice different varieties of bird to you garden do pop in for some free advice.’
For further information about the Big Garden Bird Watch and advice about what you should be feeding your birds and when, please pop into one of the Gardens Group garden centres or call on the number below:
Castle Gardens, Sherborne: 01935 814633
Brimsmore Gardens, Yeovil: 01935 411000
Poundbury Gardens, Poundbury, Dorchester: 01305 257250
QUEEN’S GARDENER COMES TO SHERBORNE
Sherborne garden lovers will be treated to a Gardening Extravaganza on Wednesday 24 February at the Digby Hall as part of an initiative by the Rotary Club of Sherborne Castles to help end the war against polio.
The gardening event will feature an illustrated talk by Mark Lane, the Head Gardener at Buckingham Palace, when the audience will be treated to some of the stories associated with this magnificent 39 acre royal garden in the middle of Westminster. Some of Dorset’s own garden experts will also be on hand for a local version of “Gardeners’ Question Time”. An area of demonstrations and displays present both the unusual and the practical. An insight into the art of Japanese gardening will be will shown through the use of a Japanese ladder; specialists from Sherborne’s Castle Garden Centre, part of The Gardens Group, will be demonstrating pruning techniques and ideas for creating Spring tubs and water features; botanical prints and cards will be displayed by illustrator Christine Battle, a distinguished graduate of the Chelsea Physic Garden; the organisers of the gold award winning Sherborne in Bloom event will outline plans for 2010.
The initiative is part of Rotary’s national Thanks for Life campaign, that will see hundreds of Rotary clubs across Great Britain and Ireland linking up with schools, businesses, organisations and individuals to hold a range of fund-raising events to raise the £1 million target set for the week of 22nd February (Thanks For Life – Rotary Day, Tuesday, February 23, 2010 is Rotary’s 105th birthday).
Tickets for Sherborne’s Gardening Extravaganza are available at Castle Gardens, Sherborne’s garden centre, part of The Gardens Group.
Michael Peart, President of the Rotary Club of Sherborne Castles, said: “We are so close to stamping out polio and we hope this fun event will encourage more people to get behind the initiative. It is vital that we eradicate it from the four remaining endemic countries or the likelihood is that the disease will spread again to the countries which have been cleared. With the public’s help we can destroy polio.”
“Rotary has been involved in this fight for 25 years and the world is so close to being free from polio for good thanks to the joint hard work of organisations and governments. Every £1 raised in this campaign will purchase five doses of the special anti-polio vaccine. These children will be protected against polio - forever. How fantastic for our community to join the fight and be able to say, ‘I helped to wipe out a disease for only the second time in history, after smallpox. I stopped children from dying - I helped change the world’.”
The Rotary Club of Sherborne Castles has so far raised nearly a thousand pounds towards polio eradication and hopes to achieve its own target of £3,000 by the beginning of 2012. Interested residents should contact Roger Johnson (coverackhouse@gmail.com or 01935 814307) or visit www.ribi.org/thanks-for-life.
Ends
Notes to editors:
• Polio eradication has been Rotary's top priority since 1985. Since then, polio cases have fallen from 350,000 a year to a recorded 1,600 last year. Thanks to Rotary’s help, two billion children have been protected from the disease, and the number of endemic countries has fallen from 125 to just four: Afghanistan, northern India, Nigeria and Pakistan.
• It is estimated that five million children have been spared from disability and 250,000 deaths have been averted.
• Rotary is the largest private sector contributor to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, with partners including the World Health Organisation and UNICEF.
• Rotary members have so far raised US $700 million to fund polio immunization activities and every penny raised goes to the project. Rotarians all work on a purely voluntary basis so funds are not drained away in administration costs. Rotary clubs in Great Britain and Ireland have so far donated more than £10.5 million (US$20 million) to polio immunization initiatives.
• Money raised goes towards funding national immunisation drives for all children under age five in endemic and high risk countries, as well as tracking possible incidences of the disease, measures to control outbreaks and improving public health infrastructures.
• Rotary International is a worldwide voluntary organisation of 1.2 million dedicated business professionals and community leaders. In Great Britain and Ireland there are over 55,000 men and women of all ages from all walks of life in Rotary clubs who share a passion and commitment to helping and improving communities both locally and across the world. Each member enjoys giving something back to those in need, as well as building business and social networking opportunities, learning new skills and having a huge amount of fun. For more information, visit www.ribi.org
Green fingers get woolly as staff knit for charity!
Staff members from Castle Gardens in Sherborne (and their mums!) have dusted off their knitting needles to make Christmas decorations which will be sold to raise money for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.
The team has been spending every spare minute knitting chubby angels, Father Christmas’, plump Christmas puddings, snowmen, crackers and many more decorations for people to hang on their trees this Christmas. In a break from knitting, Louise Burks, Director of The Gardens Group said: “It has been great fun getting together to knit the decorations but some of us needed a bit more practice than others to get the designs perfect. We wanted the profit from the sales of the knitted decorations to go to a local charity and Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is one which everyone involved wanted to support as they do such a lot in the local area.”
“This is the first year that we have made our own decorations and the customers love them. We hope that next year we will be able to get more people involved so we can knit enough decorations to sell in our Poundbury and Yeovil garden centres too. I would like to thank everyone for their hard work, let’s hope we sell lots so we can give Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance a nice big cheque in the New Year,” enthused Louise.
The wool used to make the decorations has been donated by Castle Gardens and the team of knitters includes: Margaret Bicknell, Liz Laws, Fran Powell, Alison Extance and Louise Burks, all staff members at Castle Gardens, as well as mums Joan Burks and Sheila Weeks. The money raised will be donated to the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance which provides sickness and injury relief to patients in the Somerset and Dorset Area.
A Dame, a Bin Bag Wolf and a Garden Gnome from Sandford Orcas spotted in Sherborne
Castle Gardens in Sherborne is sponsoring the Sandford Orcas Dramatic Society (SODS) in its production of ‘Little Rude Hiding Fred and the Bin Bag Wolf’, so some of the cast members paid the garden centre a visit to pick up ideas and magical inspiration!
In true panto tradition, the visit including some larking about in the enchanted forest display and woodland area and the Bin Bag Wolf had to be restrained amongst the gingerbread men.
The panto performances, which take place from 26th – 28th November, are set in an enchanted Castle Garden Centre and the plot is an adaptation of various famous pantos! It includes hilarious characters such as ‘Little Red Riding Hoodie’, the ‘Bin Bag Wolf’ and ‘Forsythia – a Dame with a twist’.
“We love being involved in community projects but this is the first time we have been asked to support an event like this. I was only too happy to help out when SODS approached us but must admit I was a little worried about what we had let ourselves into when I heard the title,” commented Mike Burks, MD of Castle Gardens, “As well as sponsoring the panto, we are providing plants, pots, trees and the props needed to make the stage come alive. The proceeds from ticket sales and programme advertising will go towards future productions and the Sandford Orcas Village Hall fund. We hope that the audience have a magical evening.”
The play is being held at Sandford Orcas Village Hall from 7.30pm on the 26th, 27th and 28th November. Tickets are now on sale and available from the box office on 01935 220666 or 01963 220270. Mark Freestone, Writer, Director and Garden Gnome said: “We were thrilled to have the support of Castle Gardens, the Christmas displays at the Centre were a great inspiration and Mike has offered us all we need to create similar scenes at the village hall to help the audience feel like they are part of the production.”
Cup Cake madness in Somerset and Dorset
Over 100 different cup cake ideas – ranging from pink and pretty to fabulously floral - were entered into the first annual cup cake design competition organised by Castle Gardens in Sherborne; Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil and Poundbury Gardens in Dorchester. Each entrant designed a cup cake for a chance to win a free afternoon tea in one of the Garden Centre restaurants, and the opportunity to see their winning cup cake design baked and decorated by the talented team of patisserie chefs at each centre.
The competitions ran throughout September and each entry was judged by the restaurant cake-making team. First, second and third place winners were picked at each centre:
Connie Farrands aged seven won at The Walled Garden Restaurant in Castle Gardens for her yellow marzipan ‘Hickory Dickory Dock’ design
Imogen Gommo aged six picked up the top prize at The Apple Tree Restaurant in Brimsmore Gardens for her ‘Sunflower Delights’ design and
Jessica Scotchmer aged seven from the 4th Dorchester (Poundbury) Brownies group, won first prize for her ‘Ladybird’ design made from coloured icing and chocolate buttons!
“This is the first time we have ever been involved in an event like this and we were thrilled with the response. As soon as we put out competition entry forms and posters we had entries from children aged just two years old and several from people aged over 60! The restaurant teams have all said how impressed they were with the quality and originality of the designs and we really congratulate the winners who showed great talent and imagination,” said Mike Burks, MD of The Gardens Group.
For further information about The Gardens Group please contact Mike Burks at Castle Gardens on tel 01935 814633 or visit www.thegardeneronline.co.uk
For more press information or images please contact Katie Burt at Positive PR on Tel 01935 389497 or email katie@positivepr.co.uk
October 2009 (128)
Gardeners in Somerset and Dorset urged to support Water Saving Week Friday 17th – Friday 23rd July 2009
The Gardens Group, with garden centres in Sherborne, Yeovil and Poundbury, is inviting everyone to its centres during Water Saving Week 17th – 23rd July, to learn about the importance of saving water and pick up some handy hints on how to save water and possibly save money too.
“Many people are unaware of the costs of water and the quantities we use every day without even realising it. The UK’s water supply is not as plentiful as people may think and, although it’s cheaper than energy, it comes with a lot of hidden costs. We have a number of energy and water saving methods in place in our three Garden Centres, and we’ll be using Water Saving Week to explain some practical and easy water saving tips to anyone who comes along,” commented Mike Burks, Managing Director at The Gardens Group.
Water Saving Week aims to show, in simple and practical ways, how people can save a litre or two every single day. For more information, ideas on how to save water and interesting facts visit www.watersavingweek.org.uk.
“We hope members of the community will join us during the week to find out how to save significant amounts of money and water. I would be thrilled if someone implements just one change; maybe installing a water butt to collect rainwater, using mulches to keep moisture in the soil and even watering at the right time of day! Small changes can make a huge difference,” said Mike.
For further information about The Gardens Group please call Mike Burks at Castle Gardens on tel: 01935 814633 or visit www.thegardeneronline.co.uk.
For further press information please call Joanne Myram or Katie Burt at Positive PR on tel: 01935 389497 or email katie@positivepr.co.uk.
(124) July 2009
Facts about water
It takes:
185 litres of water to produce a bag (2009) of crisps
200 litres of water to produce a can of cola
2,900 litres of water to produce a cotton shirt
3,900 litres of water to produce 1kg of chicken
5,000 litres of water to produce 1kg of cheese
8,000 litres of water to produce a pair of leather shoes
15,500 litres to produce 1kg of beef
148,000 litres to manufacture a new car
http://www.watersavingweek.org.uk/
Dorset gardeners want potatoes as much as petunias!
Poundbury Gardens in Dorchester has been inundated with requests to design vegetable growing borders and beds for gardens in Dorset. So far in 2009, the garden centre team have completed more garden designs with vegetable growing areas than in the whole of 2008 – a clear indication that people in the area are taking steps to improve their health and save money!
Poundbury Gardens, Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil and Castle Gardens in Sherborne, have all seen significant uplift in demand for vegetable seeds, young vegetable plants, seed potatoes and herb plants. So far this year, sales of home growing products have risen by 25% and demand keeps growing.
James Foster-Pegg of Poundbury Gardens comments: “Last year around half a dozen of the garden designs we completed had vegetable growing areas in them. Contrast that with this year when almost 50% of all the designs we have been asked to do have stipulated that a growing area must be part of the final garden plan. We’ve been asked to include raised beds, soft fruit areas and plenty of traditional herb gardens. Whether it’s the economic climate and people are thinking of ways that they can save money by growing food, or that people are realising the benefits of fresh, home grown produce, we are not sure, but we can say that it is a dramatic increase and it is across all age groups.”
Edible plants can be grown in small gardens, on windowsills, in tubs, hanging baskets, plant pots, old china sinks and even in re-cycled compost bags. “Growing your own can save money but the main reason to plant a row of carrots or a few runner beans amongst the flower border is flavour – freshly picked vegetables taste superb and there is nothing like pulling a carrot, running it under the tap and eating it,” said James.
For further information about the Gardens Group garden design service please contact James Foster-Pegg at Poundbury Gardens on tel: 01305 257250.
For further press information or photographs please contact Katie Burt at Positive PR on tel: 01935 389497 or email katie@positivepr.co.uk.
Aqua Landscape Design impresses locals on its first day of business
Saturday 28th March was the first day of trading for the new Aqua Landscape Design shop and office, which opened at Castle Gardens in Sherborne. The whole team were on site to welcome over 300 shoppers who braved the chilly weather to stock up on aquatic supplies and even pick up a quote for a pond or natural eco pool.
Andy McConnachie, Manager of the new shop comments: “We were absolutely thrilled with the amount of support and encouragement we received from customers on Saturday. We had lots of customers who came in to pick up the essentials for their garden ponds and we even gave quotes for some local contracts for ponds and landscaping which amounts to thousands of pounds worth of business and should keep us busy for the next couple of months. I would like to thank Mike and the local community for all the support they have given us and the added confidence we now have in the product and service we are providing”.
The team at Aqua Landscape Design has a combined experience of over 100 years within the aquatics and landscaping industry and will be offering customers a complete service from bespoke design, construction and renovation to a well equipped shop; stocking a full range of aquatic supplies including: pond fish, pumps, filters, lighting, liners, fountains, plants, fish food, treatments and accessories.
Aqua Landscape Design, situated in the walled garden at Castle Gardens in Sherborne, will be open from 9am to 6pm seven days a week.
The Gardens Group scores a hat trick!
The Gardens Group has picked up three awards at the Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) annual conference in Cirencester held on Monday 26th January.
The Group, which has garden centres in Sherborne, Yeovil and Poundbury, picked up the Green City Town and Country Outstanding Commitment Award, along with an Outstanding Achievement Award for its speedy recovery after a fire at Castle Gardens in March 2008, and a national award for its dazzling Christmas Displays.
Mike Burks, MD of The Gardens Group comments: “The Garden Centre Association awards are the equivalent of the Oscars to us gardeners and we are so excited to have received three awards when we were up against some really stiff competition. The teams at our three Garden Centres work tirelessly all year round and awards like this really show that hard work does pay off.”
The GCA joined forces with the Green City initiative to promote the real value of plants and green space, and as the winner of the Outstanding Commitment Award The Gardens Group is not only permitted to use the Green City logo as an endorsement of its green approach, but is also being held up as the ‘best of the best’ and a true champion of the local community.
The GCA has over 160 members across the UK, and awards are presented to garden centres that really stand out from the crowd. A stringent judging criterion is applied and each year the results of the awards are eagerly awaited. “We were very impressed with The Gardens Group’s entry into the Green City awards, they submitted a diary full of all the activities and initiatives the three centres carry out within their local communities; from hanging basket competitions with schools, tidying up the local green spaces with teenagers, helping children and adults with learning difficulties to learn about growing, loaning plants for charity events and providing children with free seeds so they can plant at school or home – the list is long!” commented Amanda Long, GCA Green City judge.
“Working within the community is something the team here really enjoys doing. We get so much support from businesses and people in the local area, and our involvement in local community and environmental projects is our way of saying thank you. It was really exciting looking back over the pictures and material from events we have held in the past, and we will continue to work with people and businesses in the local area for many years to come,” finished Mike.
For further information please contact Mike Burks at Castle Gardens, tel 01935 814633.
For further press information please contact Katie Burt at Positive PR on tel 01935 389497 or email katie@positivepr.co.uk
(120) February 2009
Top marks given to The Gardens Group Christmas displays
Castle Gardens in Sherborne has fought off stiff competition from garden centres across the Country to win the top prize in a national Christmas display competition, awarded by the Garden Centre Association.
Castle Gardens was given first prize for its spectacular themed displays. Meanwhile Brimsmore Gardens was awarded first place in the Wales and West area Competition, with Poundbury Gardens coming a very close second in the South Thames Competition, just a few points behind Castle Gardens. All three garden centres are members of The Gardens Group, and have each received prizes in the top three places of the Garden Centre Association Awards for five consecutive years.
“October is a very exciting month for all the staff at Castle, Brimsmore and Poundbury Gardens as we all team up to plan, build, move, dress and finally switch on the festive displays. It is amazing when it all comes together and we were thrilled that all the Centres received awards and glowing reports from the judges. We had just started celebrating our two firsts and one second place awards when I got the call to say that Castle Gardens had gone on to win the national final! We have had thousands of visitors to our displays and seeing the children’s and even adult’s reactions makes all the hard work really worth while,” commented Louise Burks Director and Christmas Co-ordinator of The Gardens Group.
The Garden Centre Association stamp is a quality mark for garden centres around the UK and its criteria for membership is rigorously upheld to ensure quality and service from all members. Each Centre is judged on the presentation, product range and merchandising of the display, and also on the range of fresh Christmas trees, Christmas indoor plants and the Christmas menus in each of the restaurants. Garden Centre Association judge Jeanette Cheetham comments; “I love this time of year as I get to see so many dazzling displays. I was absolutely blown away by the standard of the displays this year and must admit that the results were very close. Congratulations to Castle Gardens who went on to become the overall winner of the small to medium sized garden centre category.”
Tempting reindeer treats from The Gardens Group
For the third year running, The Gardens Group is pleased to announce that it will be selling reindeer food in the run up to Christmas in its Sherborne, Yeovil and Poundbury garden centres. Each bag will cost £1 and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
Three mums from the Sherborne area, all with children who have the condition, have teamed up to raise money for the Trust. Anne Hall, who works at Castle Gardens and has a son who was born with Cystic Fibrosis comments: “Last year we raised over £1,000 for the Trust which was amazing, but this year we really hope to raise more, and I think we’re on track as we have already reached £600. Thanks must go to everyone who has helped put the bags together and to the companies that provided the wheat, stars and the material.”
Each little red bag is filled with wheat, glitter and sparkly stars and a story attached to each bag explains how to use the reindeer food. “Children sprinkle the food onto their garden and the sparkling stars and wheat attract Father Christmas and his reindeers down from the sky!” explained Anne. Bags of Reindeer food cost £1 and all the money raised will be given to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust where it will be used to help fund research into gene therapy.
Reindeer Food is available from; Castle Gardens in Sherborne, Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil and Poundbury Gardens in Poundbury, Dorchester.
For further information please contact Anne Hall at Castle Gardens, Tel 01935 814633
Botanical Art Trek, Exhibition and Talk at Poundbury Gardens
Last Easter, the botanical artist Sally Pinhey from Upwey, near Weymouth in Dorset, led a botanical art trek to the Himalayas. Four women between the ages of 55 and 72, trekked for 12 days in the Annapurna Region of Nepal, recording the flora on the way. An honest and illuminating talk and exhibition, which illustrates the story of this group of extraordinary women and their experiences on the trek, will take place at The Engine Room, Poundbury Gardens at 6.30pm on the evening of Sunday 23rd November. Wine and Canapés will be served following the talk.
“This is an area of great biodiversity. Many of the plants resemble our own, either because they are closely related, or because we have bred garden varieties from plants brought back by explorers,” explained Sally.
Sally’s watercolour exhibition of plants from the trek explores the relationship between our garden plants and the indigenous pre-ice age plants of the Himalayas.
Tickets are £5 each, the proceeds to be split between the Upwey Church Windows Restoration Appeal, and the “Medics Away Foundation” in memory of Dr Giles Molyneux to set up medical student placements in hospitals in Nepal.
The exhibition will continue until 14th December. For tickets for the talk and reception please call 01305 813307.
Give something back and plant a tree during National Tree Week
Castle Gardens in Sherborne is encouraging people to help the environment by planting a tree as part of National Tree Week which takes place from 29th November to 7th December 2008.
“Trees have a positive impact on the environment, even if the tree is small, for instance the type of tree that will fit in a courtyard garden or on a balcony. We would love to be able to reach our target of 500 trees planted in Somerset and Dorset during National Tree Week. As well as benefiting the environment, trees provide structure, texture, and shade in the garden and of course they create a perfect environment for wildlife,” Malcolm Mills, Tree Specialist at The Gardens Group.
Once a tree is planted, within a very short space of time, it starts to have an impact. Leaves absorb carbon dioxide and pollutants such as carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide and then give out oxygen.
“There are plenty of reasons to plant a tree,” continued Malcolm “More and more companies are planting trees as part of their corporate responsibility. Individuals are choosing to plant a tree to mark the birth of a new baby, an anniversary, or to remember someone special. Research has also shown that hospital patients recover from surgery more quickly when their hospital room offered a view of trees”.
National Tree Week began in 1975 and is now the largest annual tree celebration and launches the start of the winter tree planting season. Each year schools, organisations and community groups support the event and encourage people to plant in excess of 1 million trees.
The Gardens Group offers hundreds of different types of trees, both big and small varieties including fruit trees, flowering trees which have brilliant coloured berries to attract wildlife to the garden, superb examples of native British trees such as Oak, Copper Beech and Horse Chestnut, all of which can be delivered free within a 25 mile radius of Castle Gardens, Brimsmore Gardens and Poundbury Gardens. During National Tree Week, the centres will also be offering free labour to plant the trees and every tree is guaranteed.
Special Christmas evenings at Poundbury Gardens
The Engine Room at Poundbury Gardens at Poundbury in Dorchester is opening for special Christmas Suppers on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights in the run up to Christmas – and festive food full of local flavour will be top of the menu. The special Christmas Suppers will be served in the atmospheric Engine Room Restaurant at Poundbury Gardens and, as well as enjoying delicious food cooked by chef Paul Swingler, diners will be able to experience the magical Christmas displays which this year include traditional, contemporary, art deco, woodland, fairy castle, and natural feather and fir-cone themes.
The special Christmas supper evenings begin on Thursday 6th November and will run on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights until Saturday 20th December. Flavours such as Roast Marmalade Ham, Breast of Local Pheasant in a Winter Berry Sauce and Tipsy Trifle are on the menu which can also be arranged for private parties.
“This year our Christmas suppers have been chosen by Paul to reflect the very best local produce available – from local game and meat through to superb home made puddings and cheeses. We have already had hundreds of people through the displays and it is wonderful to see the reaction of people and of course especially the children. Our evening events will give people an opportunity to walk around the displays maybe with a pre-supper drink, then afterwards enjoy a wonderful supper of local food,” said James Foster-Pegg.
Reservations are advised, please telephone The Engine Room on 01305 257251.
Castle Gardens receives a special award for outstanding achievement
Castle Gardens in Sherborne has been recognised for its outstanding achievement in getting its business up and running just one day after a fire which caused considerable damage. The award for ‘Outstanding Achievement’ was created especially for Castle Gardens by The Garden Centre Association – a body which represents the best independently-run garden centres across the UK. In addition, Castle Gardens was also given a ‘Best Garden Centre Staff’ merit award which reflects the spirit and professionalism of the team during a very difficult period.
“Over the last couple of weeks, things have really started to take shape, the roof has been fixed, the shop has been cleared and repainted, carpets are down and work to rebuild the glass house has begun. To achieve such credible awards during what has been a bit of an uphill struggle is a true reflection of the hard work and commitment put in by every member of staff. We are right on track for a spectacular Christmas opening on 23rd October, which we hope will be one to remember!” commented Mike Burks, Managing Director of The Gardens Group.
The Garden Centre Association has over 160 members across the UK, and awards are presented to garden centres that really stand out from the crowd. A stringent judging criterion is applied and each year the results of the awards are eagerly awaited.
Ian Boardman, Garden Centre Association Assessor comments, “I have visited Castle Gardens for many years and was shocked to hear about the fire of course. So it was a real pleasure to see such a cheerful and tidy centre still operating. They had managed to relocate stock and displays, and it was a remarkable accomplishment to be trading again just 24 hours after the fire. The centre has improved every year that I have visited it and this year was no exception, I felt they needed a special award which represented what a huge achievement it was to remain open and positive during such a difficult time. We have never given an award for outstanding achievement but this year it was truly deserved – well done!”
One potato, two potatoes, three potatoes, four… Yeovil’s Spud Fest has even more!
The Gardens Group has organised a new event as part of the South Somerset Food Festival. Spud Fest, a celebration of local potatoes, will take place on 4th and 5th October at Brimsmore Gardens, The Apple Tree Farm Shop and The Apple Tree Restaurant, situated at Tintinhull Road, Yeovil.
“Spud Fest will be great fun! Visitors of all ages will be able to learn more about the history of potatoes, how easy they are to grow, how versatile and delicious they are, and how much fun you can have with them if you use your imagination and add a few bits and pieces! Spud Fest is part of the South Somerset Food Festival which is a great celebration of locally produced food, but we also wanted to hold an event to coincide with the International Year of the Potato*,” says Adam Wallis, manager of Brimsmore Garden Centre. “For people who want to grow their own potatoes, we’ll have a selection of seed potatoes and lots of advice on how to get started in an allotment or veggie patch”.
In the Apple Tree Restaurant the menu will include a host of potato inspired dishes from Dauphinoise to Hot Pot and in The Apple Tree Farm Shop there will be lots of local potatoes, including little flavoursome potatoes, wedges and crisps with dips and sauces from local producers.
“There is more to the potato than eating it, so we’ll have fun activities for children involving the popular Mr Potato Head game and potato printing. We will be showing how potatoes grow underground with a special see-through growing box and one display will even show the potato’s ability to create green energy by powering a clock. Children will also be able to put their gardening skills to the test as we will be encouraging them to plant a potato and take it home to grow into a meal!” explained Cath Perrett, manager of The Apple Tree Farm Shop.
Poundbury Gardens has gone potty over pot painting
Poundbury Gardens is doing all it can to keep children entertained during the school holidays by offering free plant pot painting from Tuesday 12th August, right through to the end of the month. Children of all ages are invited, along with their parents, to come and paint some of the hundreds of small terracotta pots at the Poundbury Gardens pot painting bench. The children will then be able to take home the finished pot - or pots if they feel like painting more than one! Parents and carers will be able to enjoy the plants or stop in the Engine Room for a coffee!
“The weather this summer has been a bit tricky for playing outside so we set up a table where children could paint terracotta pots out of the rain. We had no idea it would be so popular, and the table was packed each day with arty children, so we decided to hold a proper painting event where children can come in, paint pots and take them home free of charge,” commented James Foster-Pegg, Director of Poundbury Gardens.
Staff from the centre will be on hand to supervise and help the children, and they can then take home their individually designed pots and grow some seeds at home. Pots will be available to paint from Tuesday 12th August until Sunday 31st August 2008.
Leweston School library fills with laughter as
Over 150 guests gathered on the immaculate lawns of Leweston School, Sherborne to attend the 17th annual Gold Club Summer Party, organised by The Gardens Group of Sherborne. Leweston School kindly offered its library, art-deco rooms and beautiful grounds as a venue for the high spot of the Gold Club’s year as Castle Gardens is still undergoing major repair work following a devastating fire at the Garden Centre in March 2008.
“We were delighted to host the event for The Gardens Group and happy to see so many members of the Gold Club at Leweston. Mike and Louise Burks help our gardening club throughout the year so we were more than happy to step into the breach and hold the annual Summer Party here. It was also great fun to hear Johnny Kingdom speak about his life. The library at Leweston was full of laughter for a change rather then the quiet turning of pages and studious whispers,” explained Jane Wareham, House Manager at Leweston School.
Johnny Kingdom, the well known Devon countryman and film maker, was the guest speaker at the Summer Party event. Johnny recounted stories about his life on Exmoor and showed guests some of his short wildlife films including amazing footage of a family of stoats bathing in a bird bath and a family of wild boar filmed on the edge of woodland on Exmoor.
Penny Old, organiser of the Gold Club at The Gardens Group explained; “We were completely booked up for this event which was a lovely way to celebrate another successful year of the Gold Club. Over the last year we have been on several holidays as a group to magnificent gardens both in England and Europe. We have over 400 members and during the last 17 years we have had some wonderful gardening experiences. We are very grateful to the team at Leweston School for making us so welcome.”
Leweston School runs a Summer Club during the school holidays when members of the public are able to use the sports facilities including an outdoor heated swimming pool, tennis courts, badminton, squash and netball courts, hockey pitch and 46 acres of grounds. To find out more please call 01963 210790 or visit www.leweston.co.uk
Local talent and local food at Poundbury Gardens
An alfresco fortnight starting on July 21st and running through until 2nd August will feature local food and local talent. Organised by Poundbury Gardens, Poundbury, Dorchester, the event will celebrate the ‘British Summer’ – even if the heaven’s open!
“It’s been cold and wet and there have been very few occasions to barbeque or picnic so we have decided to bring a little sunshine into the Garden Centre and celebrate local food and local talent for a fortnight. Sean Scannell and Seamus McMahon, who are well known to our regulars in The Engine Room Restaurant, are great entertainers so they will be providing the music on July 26th and August 2nd from 12 noon until 3pm. Sean regularly performs to packed audiences across the South West and his repertoire includes everything from Sinatra to Cold Play!” explained James Foster-Pegg of Poundbury Gardens.
Poundbury Gardens’ chef, Paul-Jon Swingler, who will be cooking on the barbecue on both July 26th and August 2nd, commented; “I’ll be making my own burgers, and there will be pork and apple and pork and mango sausages from family butchers Parsons of Sherborne, and my special Coca-Cola spare ribs!”
During the alfresco fortnight, there will be special garden furniture displays, and picnic paraphernalia and many special seasonal offers.
The Alfresco Fortnight begins on Monday July 21st at Poundbury Gardens, Poundbury, Dorchester. For further information please contact James Foster-Pegg at Poundbury Gardens, Tel 01305 257250
Best Show Garden and RHS Gold at Hampton Court - the Dorset Cereals Edible Playground wows judges
Dorset Cereals is absolutely delighted to announce that its first ever show garden has won the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show Tudor Rose Award for Best Show Garden and RHS Gold at the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2008. Fresh from its Gold award-winning success at the Chelsea Flower Show, the garden, Dorset Cereals Edible Playground, which was designed by Dorset-based Nick Williams-Ellis and opened by children from Beaucroft School in Dorset, has been created to inspire schools across the UK to build their very own vegetable garden within their grounds.
Nick Williams-Ellis designer of the garden at Hampton Court said: “I am hugely surprised, really thrilled and so grateful for all the support from so many different people in Dorset; especially, of course, Dorset Cereals who have been enlightened and generous sponsors. Also to project manager Mandy Cooper for being an organising genius and Alan and Tim Goddard of Goddard Landscapes for building the garden in such a thoroughly professional way with such attention to detail.”
Thousands of individual edible plants were grown for the garden. Nick continued: “The plants of course were central to the Edible Playground garden and my thanks go to Mike and Louise Burks of Castle Gardens, Sherborne, for growing the lion’s share of the plants and to Ken Tuffin of Pearce Seeds, Sherborne, for growing the oats, wheat and barley in such mint condition under exceptional circumstances. It has been a pleasure to work with such a happy group of people over the whole build-up period; there has not been a cross word.”
The Dorset Cereals Edible Playground is full of delightful edible plants offering colour, texture and taste for children and adults; from ‘Pink Passion’ chard to thornless blackberries, Welsh onions and Corsican mint. The garden incorporates many environmental features including a windmill to power the garden’s weepy hose watering system, a fully working wormery for processed foods, a compost bin for kitchen and garden waste, rainwater collection and a green roof for the outdoor classroom area.
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“This really is a fantastic achievement for our whole team and we are truly delighted to have won RHS Gold and the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show Tudor Rose Award for Best Show Garden. The hard work, imagination and dedication of designer Nick Williams-Ellis, construction team Goddards and growers The Gardens Group have helped us to put Edible Playgrounds on the map in a way that none of us thought possible; we cannot thank them enough. We hope this success will encourage and motivate schools to create their own Edible Playground gardens, teaching children about food, growing it, cooking it and ultimately eating it!” commented Patrick Horton from Dorset Cereals.
In 2008 Dorset Cereals will be directly supporting over 100 schools and helping them to put Edible Playgrounds into their grounds. Progress will be tracked over the next three years as the project develops. There is also a highly interactive website www.edibleplaygrounds.co.uk to give both grown-ups and children inspiring ideas to start their own Edible Playground.
Dorset Cereals Edible Playground is project managed by Positive PR of Sherborne, Dorset.
For further information on Dorset Cereals and Edible Playgrounds, please contact Patrick Horton on 01305 751000, or email patrick@dorsetcereals.co.uk.
For further press information or images, please contact Mandy Cooper or Briony Gubbins at Positive PR on 01935 389497, email mandy@positivepr.co.uk or briony@positivepr.co.uk.
St Mary’s create their Wonderland
St Mary’s create their Wonderland
The pupils of St. Mary the Virgin Primary School in Gillingham were busy planting trees, shrubs and flowers to get their grounds ready for the big opening of the Community Garden. Within a few hours the children converted dull spots on the grounds into amazing gardens and got some hands-on experience in gardening.
For a long time the pupils of St. Mary the Virgin Primary School in Gillingham have been looking forward to this event where they were finally allowed to dig up their school grounds. Equipped with spades, trowels and rakes and supported by the professional team of Sherborne Castle Gardens the pupils for once did not swot English and numeracy but learned a lot about how to prepare the perfect pit for a tree, how to make climbers climb and how to arrange perennials in a flower bed. The children relished this special day on their grounds and at the end were very proud of what they have accomplished: They have turned a bare acre into an orchard and a fallow mound into a butterfly garden, planted a sensory garden and introduced native plants into the boggy area around the pond. “I can’t believe how the kids transformed the grounds, this is amazing!” marveled a mother who came to pick up their children in the evening.
Some children were able to spot two newts during their work around the pond, which is already inhabited by the Great Crested Newt, a protected species. Other wildlife like insects, birdlife and small mammals are expected to make the orchard, wildflower meadow and butterfly garden their home soon. These features aim to enhance the understanding of the children for the natural environment and help to increase the awareness as to the source of food and the importance of sustainable living.
This whole-school planting day was one of the last big steps towards the St. Mary the Virgin Community Garden established by many volunteers and some professionals during the last year. Additionally to the environmental features the garden provides exciting play opportunities for children of all ages as a football field, an award winning maze, a beach garden complete with a willow pirate ship, an obstacle course, and shady places to sit and rest. The Community Garden is open to the public out of school hours.
The public opening ceremony of the St Mary the Virgin Community Garden will be celebrated with a summer fair on Saturday 21st June, starting at 2pm. The fair themed “Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland” offers fun for the whole family as a bouncy castle, tombolas, raffle, TVR car display, fire engine, treasure hunt, craft and cake stalls, face painting and much more. Refreshments will include a BBQ, Dorset cream teas and a beer tent.
The gardens are a community project largely funded by Liveability, through the Three Rivers Partnership, by Friends of St. Mary School, by the school itself and by a Religious Education and Environment Program Award. Thanks to the ongoing support of Friends of St. Mary School, the Community Garden will improve further in the near future with additional features as picnic tables and hedges.
Ends
For further information or other/more pictures contact:
Daniela Vavrecka-Sidler on 01747 835 334 or 07717 843136,
e-mail: fam_vavrecka@yahoo.co.uk
Listed building is lovingly restored after fire
Following a fire in March, which destroyed a large part of a Listed building and greenhouse at Castle Gardens in Sherborne, the re-building project has started and hopes are that the building, part of Sherborne Castle Estates, will be restored to its former glory by August.
“Our customers have been watching the project since the fire in March and I, along with our whole team, am happy to see the rebuilding work begin. The shop building is Listed, and so once the work is finished there will be little to show that such a major fire took place. So far the roof has been stripped of damaged slate and timber, but as much as possible will be re-used, in keeping with our own policy of recycling!” explained Mike Burks, MD of The Gardens Group.
A large greenhouse, which was also destroyed in the fire, will be rebuilt and it is hoped that the entire Garden Centre will be back in shape by September. The anticipated cost of restoring the Garden Centre is put at £0.5 million.
“The support of gardeners in the area has continued throughout this difficult period and we will remember the kindness for a long time. Now that the summer months are upon us, we are very busy, and as the building work is complete it will be great to move everything back into the shop area. By September we hope to be back to our former glory and as many people will know our Christmas displays will be the next thing on our minds,” said Mike.
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