Garden club flourishing at rest home
The residents of Radius Peppertree Rest Home are excited their gardening club is receiving a helping hand from local businesses.
The Palmerston North gardening club has been running for almost four years and was started when the rest home ran its save-the-bees campaign, buying two beehives.
They set up the hives to increase the bee population and started the gardening club in the hopes it would help attract more bees. Member Gwen Pawson said the plan had worked. ‘‘There was an increase, so I think they are doing pretty well now.’’
She joined the garden club for something to do and to help the bees. Pawson said they meet once a month to pot the plants and then the gardeners put them in the garden.
Radius Peppertree facility manager Jill Job said they had been buying everything for the club themselves, so a recent donation of plants from Awapuni Nurseries was great.
It was the first time a donation had been made to the club and it included 30 bundles of herbs and vegetables. Job said residents had really got involved in the garden club and the beehives.
‘‘They were really on board. They were really keen to have the beehive and keen to be able to produce our own honey, and it’s beautiful honey.’’
Irene Ramsay said she joined the club when it first started.
‘‘When you see the flowers, it’s lovely. It’s worth doing it.’’
Melanie Rossouw, from Awapuni Nurseries, said they decided to make the donation to the club as they wanted to give back to the community and thought it was a good cause.