School Visit

St Bridget Nurseries in Exeter has been working closely with the children of Lady Seaward's School in Clyst St George. The school's garden has been unused and neglected for years but thanks to one inspired parent, Cheryl McGauley, that is all set to change. Cheryl has started a garden project involving the children and the local community. In February a garden working party involving many of the parents helped clear the area while the children were tasked with designing the garden. The winning design involves a new pagoda to act as an outdoor classroom, a sensory garden, a wildlife garden, a vegetable patch and a recycling area.

St Bridget Nurseries first helped the project back in March when the first new additions went into the garden. St Bridget Nurseries donated a Yew Hedge. Yew is actually quite poisonous and not a usual choice for a school garden but the children have learnt that it also has some benefits! Not only is the hedge a great evergreen screen for privacy and a shelter for birds but it is also going to be used in medicine. Once a year the yews will be cut by professionals and taken away to be used in cancer research as a cancer fighting medicine.

Today, Friday 25th April 2008, the project continued with year 2 and 3 visiting St Bridget Nurseries in Old Rydon Lane, Exeter. The group of 7-9 year olds were taken through the garden centre and into the production nursery greenhouses and poly-tunnels. Nursery Manager, Jason Moore then showed them all the young bedding plants and taught them what plants need to grow well. They then all had a go themselves and planted some sunflower seeds which they are going to grow at school and see who can grow the tallest. The tour ended in St Bridget Nurseries' Wildlife Garden where the children where fascinated by the 'Bug Hotel' a structure that has been built using waste materials like broken pots, straw, bamboo canes, wood, twigs and bricks to attract and protect wildlife like bees, hedgehogs, butterflies and ladybirds!

If you would like to see the bug hotel for yourself, visit St Bridget Nurseries Garden Centre in Old Rydon Lane, Exeter, EX2 7JY as it is just outside the garden centre shop entrance.