Blog

26 June 2024

At last, the good weather has arrived. The endless weeks of rain and wind, together with the grey skies, are hopefully behind us, as we cling on to what now feels like summer. The Garden Department’s busiest times are hopefully just over the horizon too.

It can be a relentless few weeks, preparing for garden parties, May Ball preparations (and repairs) and graduations. Yes, the work is hard and the hours long. It is a time, however, to showcase the gardens to as many eyes as possible. I have received many fine comments about the beauty of the gardens this year. Of course, I am very grateful, but this is a team effort made up of many pairs of hands, both past and present. It has been a challenging growing season because of the weather but, I must admit, the gardens look splendid.

I was working on this last Sunday, watering our plants (the sides that most people don’t see behind the scenes), and the peaceful nature of the site was at its best. Many students had gone home, and the gardens were still vibrant. The birds were my company and my morning’s soundtrack was enough to keep me enthused as I worked the weekend. This is the time I enjoy most in the gardens at Emmanuel. It almost feels like it’s my own garden at times like this. Just me, nature and the gardens. For those that are left here on site for the summer, please do enjoy the gardens in these quieter times. It is so good for one’s own mental health.

Mental health and gardening are always at the forefront of my thinking. Last week we had a soft launch of the new Emmanuel College Community Gardens. Although the project is not quite complete, it was nice to get together to celebrate our achievements so far. This will be a good stress reliever when the project reaches its final stages. It will give students, staff and Fellows a space within the college grounds that they can take ownership of. A place that they can nurture. A place that they can decide what to grow (and keep). A place that is non-hierarchical and a place to come together. A place to learn (through successes or failures). A place to contemplate. A place to share.

The community gardens will continue to be built over the remainder of the summer and will be fully functional from next academic year. There will be more correspondence over the next few weeks and months but please do get in contact with me with any questions you may have.

The rest of the summer will be made up of garden tours, continued maintenance and, later in the summer, we will turn our attention to recruiting the next cohort of training vacancies in the Garden Department. Emily will finish her one-year placement in September, and we are busy prepping Izzie for her end point assessments of the Cambridge University Apprenticeship in July. Izzie will remain with the Garden Department until December, drawing and ending her two-year placement. We also continue to support Danny Dudd with his work experience whilst studying his T Levels in Horticulture at Shuttleworth College.

Investing in the future of the next generation of gardeners is essential, giving career builders the next step in a fruitful (no pun intended!) career.

Best wishes.

Brendon Sims, Head Gardener

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