From January 2019, a small group of Woodchurch in Bloom volunteers spent weekday mornings working on the Woodchurch Village Life Museum gardens and general maintenance.
Our aim was to encourage more visitors to the museum with a striking exterior to match the inside interest and to provide a pleasant environment to sit and relax outside; to create a sustainable, more easily managed, water-efficient garden. Activities included hedge-cutting, clearing brambles and debris on each side of the entrance gates and establishing new planting beds. The very overgrown rear garden was reduced to a more manageable size and this heavy clay area needed intensive rotovating and digging before seeding with a fine turf mixture. Shrubs in the rest of rear garden were pruned and re-established and the benches and litter bins refurbished.
The planting beds at the entrance are a traditional, low maintenance shrub-style border, comprising mainly woody plants for seasonal interest – as much from foliage as flowers. The plants are mostly slow growing, but will occasionally need some pruning. We chose Spiraea, Berberis, Sambucus nigra, Sedums, Pittosporum, Choisya, Caryopteris, Miscanthus and Abelias. A large Buddleia, Hydrangea, Philadelphus, Euonymus and a traditional hop were all retained in the rear garden, the latter because of its connection with Kent’s hop-growing heritage. Three barrels have been rejuvenated and a new donated stone planter added, with annuals and perennials such as marigolds, Petunia, Lobelia, Alyssum and Geraniums and pansies.
Museum volunteers now maintain the areas.
The planting beds at the entrance are a traditional, low maintenance shrub-style border, comprising mainly woody plants for seasonal interest – as much from foliage as flowers. The plants are mostly slow growing, but will occasionally need some pruning. We chose Spiraea, Berberis, Sambucus nigra, Sedums, Pittosporum, Choisya, Caryopteris, Miscanthus and Abelias. A large Buddleia, Hydrangea, Philadelphus, Euonymus and a traditional hop were all retained in the rear garden, the latter because of its connection with Kent’s hop-growing heritage. Three barrels have been rejuvenated and a new donated stone planter added, with annuals and perennials such as marigolds, Petunia, Lobelia, Alyssum and Geraniums and pansies.
Woodchurch in Bloom 