Students give a dig-out at 1798 Street garden
A GROUP of Transition Year students from St Peter’s College swapped their pens and paper for shovels and trowels recently as they tended to the foliage at the 1798 Street Community Gardens.
The group, under the supervision of teacher Orla Kennedy, marched from the college down to the 1798 Street garden with the sole aim being to bring order to the weed-strewn flowerbeds.
The garden was created in 2013 and boasts an impressive central feature in the large ‘Tree of Life’ which is made from sandstone cobbles, set into the ground.
Horticulturist and garden designer Betsy Hickey, who was involved in the original design, was on hand to provide guidance to the eager volunteers.
The boys rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in. Wielding hoes, forks and spades, they dug out the weeds with gusto. Over the coming weeks, they will return to put down an array of indigenous perennial plants, carefully chosen by Betsy.
Her aim is to have year-round activity and colour in the garden, and to use shrubs and plants that require the minimum of maintenance.