August Open Days 2020
In August we were finally able to reopen the garden to women from the community. The lockdown has meant that we have been closed since March, so it has felt extra special welcoming lots of new faces to the Bloom garden this month. Normally our open days are free to anyone to attend, but we have had to limit the numbers due to covid safety measures and social distancing. We’ve managed to iron out any bumps and they have all gone smoothly. Thanks to everyone who has come along and helped us in the garden. It has been so lovely to meet you all and we hope you come back soon!
Our first open day was a wet one. After weeks of lovely hot weather and glorious sunshine, we were met with side ways rain and wind on our first open day back after 5 months. However, that did not stop us and we had a soggy time weeding the garden, drinking tea and eating biscuits. It gave us time to admire the new greenhouse!!
On Sunday 23rd August, the weather was a lot kinder to us and we had a great day doing lots of different jobs in the garden. The main one being clearing and chopping down the jungle at the back! We had a team of women hacking the wall of thistles down and it looks amazing now. We can almost see the back of the garden (which we have never been able to do before). This space is being prepared to be redeveloped in the new year, so this has been a great job to achieve. It is true what they say, many hands make light work. One of our attendees also spent time potting on the biennial seedlings that were sown in July. That is a long job that requires patience and some excellent fine motor skills. What a fabulous job to get done! Those seedlings will be very grateful for the extra space and nutrients.
Sunday 30th August was another clear day and we welcomed a new group of women to the garden. We spent time potting on seedlings, and planting out the wallflowers into the beds. The rose bed got weeded and planted up with a new David Austin rose that we bought this year. And our volunteer Esther tackled the undergrowth at the back of the garden. We finished off our open day by making bunches of flowers to take home - like a beautiful, floral party bag! It feels good to be back, and we can’t wait for September!
Big love to everyone who has attended. Can’t wait to see you all again soon! xx