Gardener’s Talk in the Ballroom

The May edition of ‘In the Ballroom’, the monthly informal social club in the Jury Street Court House, was treated to a talk by Sandra Jebb who has been the Gardener at the Lord Leycester Hospital for 25 years.

Sandra explained the history of the Lord Leycester Garden, with its fruits, flowers, knot garden, and an area of lawn which reminds visitors that the Brethren who lived there in Robert Dudley’s time would play bowls because other pursuits such as card-playing or hawking were not allowed. 

She pointed out that residents can purchase  a one-year pass for just £15 which allows them to enjoy the garden anytime it’s open – 10am to 5pm except Mondays, unless it’s a bank holiday. 

She also answered questions about gardening – such as how to make sure blackcurrant bushes have fruit every year, and how to remove persistent weeds.

Then the guests enjoyed tea, coffee and cakes served by Unlocking Warwick volunteers, and they grappled with a 20-question quiz about gardens, with an extra brainteaser of cryptic clues. Here’s a sample of the clues for the names of flowers:  Mrs. Bucket; Overworked Girl; Sugary Prince; Remember Me. 

The next ‘In the Ballroom’ will be on June 22nd from 2pm, and weather permitting it will be a Cream Tea in the Pageant Garden, part of a national commemoration for the murdered MP Jo Cox, called The Great Get Together Tea Party.