Mercian Herb Group, West Midlands

Affiliated with the Herb Society

The West Midlands MHG is run by Sarah and they meet once a month around the 2nd Thursday of the month. Their meetings include demonstrations, talks, herb walks, workshops and discussions. Each meeting there is a Herb of the Month covered. You can find out more about the group via the Mercian Herb Group Website.

The Mercian Herb Group had its inaugural meeting on the 17th October 2008 and was founded by Debs Cook and Sarah Head, it was initially based in Coventry. The plan had always been to get the group established in one area and then move to others, so in 2011 Debs started up the Mercian Herb Group, East Midlands branch and Sarah took over what is now referred to as the West Midlands branch.

Talks: Making Tonics, Tinctures & Salves

Workshops: Making Lip Balm Using Alkanet Root

Diary Dates 2011

For more details contact Sarah Head

Date/Time Event Location

Thu 10th Feb
7.30pm Oils & Salves

Make your own infused oil, salves and lotions and learn how to blend them for cosmetic or medicinal purposes. Solihull

Thu 10th Mar
7.30pm
Seeds & Propogation

Learn about different types of seeds and how to sew them for maximum germination. Discussions and demonstrations of other kinds of propagation.
Rugby

Thu 14th Apr
7.30pm Herb Walk

How many herbs can you identify in the wild? Meet at Sarehole Mill and walk along the River Cole. Sarehole Mill,
Kings Heath,
Birmingham

Thu 12th May
7.30pm Flower Essences

Collect water from the Holy well and make your own flower essence. Radford Semele,
Warwickshire

Sun 12th Jun
11am Garden Visit & Lunch - "Hardwick Hall, How The Elizabethan's Used Herbs".

A joint meeting of the East & West branches of the MHG, at Hardwick Hall a beautiful Elizabethan house built by Bess of Hardwick in the 1590s, containing a wonderfully fragrant herb garden. Join us to tour the herb garden and learn how the Elizabethan's used herbs in their medicines, cosmetics, food and homes.
Lunch will follow at 14:30 at the Hardwick Inn .

After lunch you're free to wander back to Hardwick Hall to visit the house and grounds or you can join Debs at The Herb Garden , Hardstoft, a lovely little Herb Nursery containing herb gardens within it, a main garden, which is the original first opened in 1983, and the physic, lavender and pot pourri gardens which were opened in 1991. After wandering through the interesting and fragrant gardens you can buy herb plants to take home.

Note that Herb Society members get a 10% discount when they present their membership card at this nursery.

Please contact Debs or Sarah to let us know if you will be joining us. Hardwick Hall,
Doe Lea,
Derbyshire

Full details of this event can be found here

Herbal Crafts For Christmas

Talks on making your own herbal beauty products
Making Herbal Cosmetics

Members making lavender tincture during a talk on 'Eating the Herbal Flowers'
Making Lavender Tincture

Mercian Herb Group, West Midlands meetings are held at

Solihull, Rugby, Radford Semele and various other locations around the West Midlands. Full details can be found on the Mercian Herb Group website.

Mission statement

To meet as friends to discover and share the love and knowledge of all aspects of herbs.

Subscription

There is currently no subscription fee, members pay £3.00 and non members £3.50 to attend each meeting.

NON MEMBERS ARE WELCOME AT ANY MEETING

Where meetings include practical demonstrations a small charge may apply to cover the cost of materials.