The residents of Oxfordshire care home Featherton House have begun a green-fingered project to rejuvenate an old greenhouse in its beautiful walled garden.
The home, in the village of Deddington, has a much-loved gardening club. One of the club’s most recent projects has involved clearing out the old greenhouse. For many years, this had only been used for garden storage, but residents were keen to turn it into a lovely place to grow plants and relax.
It is now brimming with plants grown from seed including courgettes, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, rocket, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, oregano, basil, thyme and ‘Love in a Mist’ flowers.
Jock Pirie, one of the Featherton House residents who takes part in the gardening club, used to grow bedding plants and sell them at a nursery in Leamington.
Jock said: “Gardening keeps you active and gives you something nice to think about. It’s also very rewarding when you start to see your seeds sprouting. We’ve recently purchased a propagator to speed things along.
“I hope we grow more produce for the home. It would be great to grow fruit and veg all year round for us to use in the kitchen here.”
Heather Starling is another resident of the Oxfordshire care home with a keen interest in gardening. Her interest in cultivating plants and vegetables was sparked by her dad, who was a gardener.
“My dad worked organising and tidying other people’s gardens. We had a greenhouse and a big garden ourselves. I grew up weeding, spreading manure and building bonfires. We also sold a lot of flowers and vegetables. In fact, we were renowned locally and people came to our house to buy them.”
She added: “What I love about gardening is the fresh air and sunshine. It gives you a good feeling when you see your work come to fruition.”
To see how the Featherton House gardening club’s efforts are progressing, simply head to the home’s Facebook page by clicking here.
Or to enquire about the outstanding care offered at Featherton House please click here.
