The Blossom Tree Medicine Garden
About the garden project
The Blossom Tree Clinic team have embarked on a brave mission to transform the space in front of the clinic into an amazing medicine garden. It will soon be a place of beauty and biodiversity, and a resource to experience and learn about medicinal plants.
In the garden we are cultivating some of the most useful and potent plants used in Chinese Medicine. Because we share a similar climate to much of China, surprisingly perhaps, many of the plants we are growing are common to our own native gardens but their healing secrets are little known to the majority of us. In the garden we have familiar plants like sage, honeysuckle, rhubarb, forsythia, and goji berries, as well as other more unusual plants from the Materia Medica.
What is our approach?
We will adopt the forest garden design approach; choosing perennial plants situated in their most optimum position and utilising the beneficial inter-relationships of different plants. In order to preserve the mycorrhizal network and the soil quality we will adopt the ‘no-dig’ method.
What are the stages?
Phase 1 : May 2022 - Lay a groundcover of mypex and wood-chip to kill off the grass and weeds. This 'No dig' method keeps the mycorrhizal network intact, maintains soil quality and does not disturb the dormant weed seed bank. This will ensure less weeding in the garden in the future, and provide an intact soil ecosystem for the new plants to thrive. COMPLETED
Phase 2: Spring 2023 - Infrastructure preparation including making the gate, arches, and rabbit-proof fence. Sourcing and ordering plants. COMPLETED
Phase 3: Autumn 2023 - Remove the wood-chip and mypex, lay the paths and sanctuary areas, install the gate, arches and rabbit-proof fence, add new soil to the existing soil to curate the best conditions for a range of biodiverse planting. Return all the wood-chip on top of the new beds, and plant shrubs & dwarf blossom trees. IN PROGRESS
Phase 4: Spring 2024 - Plant the perennials.
Phase 5- Enjoy the new garden! Ongoing care and maintenance. Workshops for people to learn about the medicinal plants, how to use and grow them.
Funding
The garden creation fundraising campaign has resulted in over 100 individual donations totalling £3920, a grant from the National Gardening Scheme for £2600 and a National Lottery Award for £10,000.
Watch our Crowdfunding video to find out more about us, the Garden and what we are planning.