News 2004

Jessica Houdret - Our New Chairman. November 2004
Healthy Herb Day, Saturday 8 November
Annual Conference 2004, 18 September
Gardening Herbs Day, 18 August 2004
Kitchen Garden Magazine, August 2004
Medicinal Herbs Day, 28 July 2004
Silver Gilt Medal at Tatton Show, 21 - 25 July 2004
BBC Essex Herb Society Garden Official Opening - 3 July 2004
Course on Culinary Herbs - Sulgrave Manor. Wednesday 2 June 2004
Herbs and Horticulture event at Sulgrave Manor - Monday, 31 May 2004
Herbal Cosmetics & Toiletries - Sulgrave Manor. Thursday 15 April 2004
Garden Planting Day - Sulgrave Manor. Weekend of 27/28 March 2004

Jessica Houdret - Our New Chairman

November 2004

The Herb Society Council is pleased to welcome Jessica Houdret as the new Society Chairman. Jessica is well known to members through her articles in "Herbs" magazine and is an authoritative and widely published author on growing and using herbs. Her enthusiasm and knowledge will stand the Society in good stead as we strive to bring to fruition several projects that are currently at a very early stage. These include creating a conservation garden at Sulgrave Manor, updating the educational features on the web site and organising local groups to help bring herbal issues to a wider audience.

Jessica Houdret

Our past Chairman, Roger Tabor, felt that, after over three years in the job, he could no longer devote the time required to see these projects to a successful conclusion and resigned from Council at its meeting on 26 October. During his tenure as Chairman, the Society has seen the move of its HQ to Sulgrave Manor, the establishment of gardens at Sulgrave and at the Ken Crowther nursery in Essex, and a winning Chelsea show garden designed by Cheryl Waller. Roger will not be severing his relationship with the Society as he has volunteered his services as scientific adviser. His expertise will, no doubt, be called on many times in the future.

Council thanks Roger for his contribution to the Society and wishes him well in his new house as well as looking forward to a continuing professional relationship.

Healthy Herb Day, Saturday 8 November

This event was held in the Manchester area for members in that region. Carole Atkinson, aromatherapist, iridologist and herbal expert, gave a talk and demonstrated head and shoulder massage. Sarah Clark, from Green Garden Herbs in Yorkshire, was selling seeds and plants.
Frances Kershner MNIMH, Medical Herbalist, discussing herbs for the winter to ward off and cure winter infections.

Carole Atkinson

Carole demonstrates head massage

Frances Kershner

Sarah Clark (right) at her herb stand

Annual Conference 2004, 18 September

Click here to see pictures of the event.

Gardening Herbs Day, 18 August 2004

A successful and enjoyable Gardening Herb Day was held at Sulgrave Manor on 18 August hosted by Carole Atkinson, grower and lecturer. She described and demonstrated how to plant, propagate and maintain herbs in the ground, patio pots or hanging baskets.

Picture in the National Garden of the Herb Society

Picture above - Carole Atkinson (left) and two of the course participants in the Herb Society Garden

Picture on the right shows Carole helping another participant

Picture in the National Garden of the Herb Society

Kitchen Garden Magazine

The National Garden of the Herb Society at Sulgrave Manor was featured in the August edition of the 'Kitchen Garden' Magazine. The four-page spread, written and photographed by Associate Editor, Pamela Deschamps, contains many stunning photographs as well as giving a description and history of the garden. Pamela was shown around the garden by Cheryl Waller, herb society Council Member. This edition of the magazine also includes an article by Mike Cullen on cooking with herbs and advice from Pamela on drying herbs.

The Herb Society Garden is maintained purely by voluntary effort. If you live in the easy reach of Sulgrave and are able to help, please email us.

Cheryl Waller planting perilla

Cheryl Waller planting perilla - one of the many pictures in the Kitchen Garden Article. (Picture by permission of the Kitchen Garden Magazine)

Medicinal Herbs Day

Ann Freeman MNIMH hosted a successful one-day course on the medicinal use of herbs on Wednesday 28 July at Sulgrave Manor. The event was over-subscribed so, sadly, not everyone who wanted to was able to attend. Twenty one people in all were able to attend. Pictures of the day are given below.

Group visiting our garden

The garden tour

Group visiting our garden

The garden tour in bright sunshine

In the lecture room

The attentive audience

Ann Freeman giving a demonstration

Ann demonstrates herbal preparations

Silver Gilt Medal at Tatton Show

The Herb Society achieved the RHS prestigious Silver Gilt medal for the stand in the National Plant Societies' Marquee at the Tatton Park Flower Show, 21 - 25 July.

The theme of the stand was teas and tisanes. The idea for the display came from Cheryl Waller (Society Council member) but, due to a severe back problem, she was unable to set the stand up personally. Thanks are therefore due to Rosemary Scholes, Sally Miller and Nicky Westwood for doing most towards getting the stand together and setting it up.

There was a display case containing the following dried herbs with cards showing the name and therapeutic indications:

Red clover
Hops
Feverfew
Raspberry leaf
Peppermint
German chamomile

The display case was not covered, so people could touch and smell the herbs. Near the case were information leaflets on how to prepare the tisanes. In one corner on the floor was a beautiful display of pots of herbs, all labelled, and all could be used for teas.

Corner of the Herb Society's Silver-Gilt award winning stand

Cathryn Hayes (left) and Sally Miller hosting our Tatton stand

BBC Essex Herb Society Garden Official Opening

This garden, located at Crowthers Nursery, Abridge, Ongar, was opened on Saturday 3 July at 3pm. See press release for more details and pictures.

Herb Society member Barbara Cuthbert has been instrumental in creating the Essex Garden but she is off to New Zealand. Is there anyone out there who would be happy to pop over to this lovely nursery occassionally and maintain the garden? Ken Crowther and his team keep an eye on it, but it would be wonderful to have a Herb Society member overseeing the garden. Email us if you are interested in helping.

Barbara Cuthbert and Roger Tabor stand by the sign for the Essex Garden

Barbara Cuthbert (Herb Society Member who was a major driving force in creating the Essex Garden) with Roger Tabor (Society Chairman)

Course on Culinary Herbs - Sulgrave Manor

Wednesday 2 June 2004

Jan Greenland, Herb Society Council Member and cookery expert hosted the day with lectures, slide show, cookery demonstration, hands-on session and a visit to our extensive herb garden. The following pictures are from that day. Check out our Forum for a report of the event by Audrey.

Photo of Jan discussing a herb with the group

Jan leading the group around the garden

Photo of glass jug of punch

The powerful punch of Pimm's, herbs and fruit used to revive spirits at lunch time

Slices of the roulade fanned out on a black plate

Jan's famous pork roulade with green peppers.
One of the many great dishes demonstrated and consumed on the day

Herbs and Horticulture event at Sulgrave Manor

Monday, 31 May 2004

Sulgrave Manor organised a Herbs and Horticulture day for the Bank Holiday Monday. As the Manor is the HQ of the Herb Society, it is natural that we were an active participant in the event.

Cheryl Waller, Society Council Member, led 5 tours of about 45 minutes each around the National Garden of the Herb Society.

Other activities at the event included

Visit to the Herb Society's silver medal winning garden from Chelsea 2003 which is now rebuilt and re-planted at Sulgrave.
Visits to the Herb Society stall and many other stalls.
Tours of the Tudor manor house which is the ancestral home of George Washington, the first American President.
Visits to the George Washington exhibition.

Photo of group visiting our garden

A tour of the National garden of the Herb Society led by Cheryl Waller

Frontal view of garden

The newly planted Chelsea garden

Herbal Cosmetics & Toiletries - Sulgrave Manor

Thursday 15 April 2004

This hands-on guide to making natural facial and bathing preparations was given by Nicola Dent and Barbara Fredriksson of the Celtic Herbal Company. Here are a few photographs of this event. We hope to have some more pictures soon. Check out our Pot-pourri Forum for views of some of the 21 people who attended.

Nicola and Barbara preparing the herbal cosmetics while taking about them

Nicola and Barbara

Nicola and Barbara preparing the herbal cosmetics while taking about them

Nicola and Barbara

The luncheon spread

Lunch spread

The attendees listen with interest

Attentive audience

Attendeies trying out facial masks under the supervision of Nicola and Barbara

Trying out facial cosmetics

Photo of the tour of the Herb Society garden

Tour of the garden

Students tying herb bags

Tying linen herb bags to hang over the tap while running bath

Garden Planting Day - Sulgrave Manor

Weekend of 27/28March 2004

New pictures

On the Saturday the volunteers decided to dig over both the main garden and the Chelsea 2003 silver medal winning garden. The Chelsea garden had been re-established at Sulgrave last year after it was dismantled at the Chelsea Flower Show in May, but due to the hot summer and the lack of water source nearby, it was impossible to plant it.

Over the winter months the soil had become sticky in both gardens and difficult to turn, and volunteers were breaking off to weed at regular intervals! The presence of some large juicy worms was very reassuring, but the Herb Society robin was not on hand as usual, perched hungrily by the fork, to make the best of it.

A lunch of homemade soup and cheese left everyone revived, and the digging and weeding continued in the afternoon. The following day the Chelsea garden was easier to turn again, soil improver was added, and it was also planted. The main garden was tidied, and some plants which had initially been placed in the wrong beds were relocated.

The manor opened to the public on 1st April, so the herb garden is a credit to Society and them. In the meantime black plant labels, in keeping with RHS standards, are being produced and will shortly all be placed in position. The garden is a triumph for the volunteers that have worked on it over the past few years, and worthy of all its members too. If you haven't yet seen it, late May, June and July are excellent months.

The following pictures show the tidy gardens after all our hard work.

Our main garden after the April workover

The National Garden of the Herb Society after its workover

The Chelsea Garden after the april workover

The Chelsea garden after preliminary planting

To make comments on these news items, go to our forum Pot-Pourri