Herb garden opened to educate youngsters

FRIDAY, JUNE 29: A new herb garden to encourage youngsters to use them in cooking and as natural remedies has been opened at the Botanical Gardens.

The brainchild of the Young Progressives, the garden will feature a range of herbs like parsley, sage, fennel and Shepherd’s Needle.

The Young Progressive’s Gershwyn “Shiloh” Smith said the garden was made possible with support from Bermudian Michael Markham.

The garden is named after his 19th century ancestor Sir Arthur Markham and Sir Joseph Paxton and his daughter Rosa Markham, who were part of the flowering of landscape gardening in Victorian England.

Mr Smith said: “It’s an educational tool for young people so they can learn to use locally-grown herbs for cooking and as medicine.

“A lot of people don’t know the benefits of using herbs for things from eye washes to easing cramps. They are all seasonal, so the garden will be changing all the time.”

The garden was dedicated on Monday, with Mr Markham and Mr Smith handing over care of the new to Botanical Gardens curator Neville Richardson.