Tag Archives: gardening

Free Garden Museum and a Scary Gnome

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In our first instalment of fun things to do this weekend, over at the Garden Museum on Sunday (the 14th) they’re having a Neighbours Day and we think its something that you might just want to get your hands dirty for. There will be workshops on flower arranging and pressing, seed bomb making, face painting, and live music. There is no bar but this might be a good thing given that you’ll be surrounded by sharp gardening implements that could inflict life altering damage.

The best part of the day is that the museum itself will be open for free (usually £15, which we think is a bit steep) and there will be periodic tours of the exhibits and the beautiful decommissioned church in which it is set. For those who haven’t been, the museum encompasses bedding design, implements, seeds, old lawn mowers, FlyMos, and descriptions of how certain plants were brought to the UK. There is also a small art gallery and you can climb the medieval tower. The garden gnome collection is particularly impressive 

Neighbours Day is on Sunday from 11-4 and is totally free. And by ‘neighbours’ we think they’re liberal in their definition. And this will be your chance, and these chances don’t come by very often, to meet a scary garden gnome that looks JUST LIKE TONY BLAIR. 

Springtime Fun in Greater Kennington

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Our long Bank Holiday is now a thing of the past and we hope the elements that you actually remember were wonderful. With spring well and truly underway, we have three fun activities to tell you about and the first one takes place this Sunday (24 April) at the Gardening Museum. It’s time for their annual Spring Plant Fair, featuring expert plant growers from around the UK selling their wares for your allotment, windowsill, or garden. In addition to getting to pick their ample brains for advice and tips, the Museum is also laying on talks in areas such as planting in the shade and making your own compost (we might give that one a miss). Time slots are going fast and can be nabbed here. It also includes access to their museum, featuring a creepy gnome that’s a dead ringer for Tony Blair. 

If gardening is your thing, over at the wonderful Vauxhall City Farm on Friday (22 April) from 11 to 3 they are having an open day in their community garden. It is totally free and people will be on hand eager to tell you how their garden has changed over the years, their plans for the future, and how you can get involved as a volunteer. They will offer tips about maintaining a sustainable garden and how to grow your own food at home. 

Moving on to the parallel universe that is Cleaver Square….If your interest/fetish is not so much plant based but focussed squarely on older white men who throw kitchen towels in the air, then we have JUST the thing for you! A large display of Morris dancing will take place on Saturday (23 April) at noon to commemorate St. Georges Day by a group called Greensleeves. We don’t have a great deal of information about this happening but there are signs about it everywhere. Whether its men throwing things, a tipsy Vicar acting as MC, or a totally inappropriate Punch and Judy show, we can always rely on our friends in Cleaver Square for a laugh. 

If you want to discover more about Greensleeves then look no further than their extremely comprehensive and *coughs* handy website.

Apple Day at Roots and Shoots

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The Roots and Shoots HQ is one of the best modern buildings in South London. Designed by Paul Notley and finished in 2005 on the site of a former Meccano warehouse, it’s the kind of building that will make you think “Come back Tony Blair, all is forgiven”. Momentarily.

Roots & Shoot building

Roots and Shoots is a charity providing agricultural training for young people from the surrounding area, a little like Kennington Flowers but on a much bigger scale. They have an eco-training centre, a plant nursery, a shop, a wildlife study centre and a wild garden. The garden is one element that can be visited all year round, but by appointment only.

If you’re not a 16 to 19 year old in need of education or training then the easiest way to visit is their annual Apple Day which takes place this Sunday October 6th. Learn about and sample the hundreds of varieties of apples that are all-but extinct nowadays, plus you can buy plants, local honey and second-hand books, and all that other good stuff one sees at these events. COMMUNITY.

Snap up the apple juice before Kennington’s own Prince Charles does – apparently he sends his butler down every year to buy most of what Roots and Shoots press.

Apple Day at Roots & Shoot - kenningtonrunoff.com

It’s open from 11am to 4pm and it’s £1 to get in, or free for children.

Roots and Shoot Apple Day 2013