Episode 133: Horatio’s Gardens

This week’s guest is Stephen Hackett, head gardener at Horatio’s Garden South West. We talk about this amazing garden which was designed by Cleve West and is managed by Stephen, with the help of and for the benefit of the staff and patients at the adjacent spinal injuries unit.  Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Brimstone Butterflies This episode is brought to you The Seed Sistas, who have been community herbalists for over 20 years. Their work took a turn last March and they converted their passion for plants, people and the planet into an online course called the Pathway to Peace. It is an engaging Seven-day immersive journey with lots of wonderful content. If you suffer from stress or anxiety this course may well be able to offer you connection to herbs and tools for stress management, better sleep and nourishment for your nervous system. The next course starts again on April 28th.  What we talk about: About the charity Horatio’s Garden and the South West How the gardens help people with spinal injuries  Managing a garden from a therapy as well as a horticultural perspective The features of the garden which make it useful to patients and staff The most rewarding part of the job Visiting the Horatio’s Garden sites  About Stephen Hackett Stephen Hackett grew up in Lancashire, before studying at Oxford and Nottingham. He spent several years teaching Cultural Studies in Southampton before joining the Arts Council in 2000. Subsequently he worked in in adult education, and was Principal of a residential adult college in Oxfordshire. Always a keen gardener, Stephen trained in Horticulture at Sparsholt College in 2010 and established a gardening business in the Salisbury area. Stephen joined Horatio’s Garden South West in 2016 as Head Gardener. He lives in Salisbury with his family, and has written gardening columns for magazines including Wiltshire Life and The English Garden. Links horatiosgarden.org.uk Online Spring Raffle running from 29th March - 3rd May  Horatio's Garden Summer Art Auction which opens on 15th May for two weeks until 30th. Pathway to Peace Course - starts 28th April. Sign up now. Episode 67 with Karen Lawton of Sensory Solutions