Petersfield Physic Garden: Petersfield’s best-kept secret

Karen Neville

Volunteer gardener Melanie Oxley invites us to explore Petersfield Physic Garden on its 35th anniversary weekend

Petersfield Physic Garden will celebrate its 35th anniversary with a whole weekend of events marking the official opening in 1990. 

Events will start at 10.30am on Saturday, 21st June with an official opening by Pippa Greenwood, Gardener’s Question Time’s expert. There will be an exhibition about the creation of the garden, an exhibition of children’s art, and a fun butterfly quiz for all the family. Families can relax on rugs in the orchard and music from the period will be played. 

Our volunteer gardeners will be on hand to show you the plants, most of which have medicinal properties. On Sunday 22nd, from 10.30am, there will be an opportunity for residents to fill their own borders from a Grand Plant Sale. Both days finish at 4.30pm. 

The private garden is open to the public, re-created in the style of a medieval medicinal garden, that was bequeathed to Petersfield by Major John Bowen in 1988. It opened as Petersfield Physic Garden in 1990. Inspired by Chelsea Physic Garden, the newly formed Friends group decided to re-create a 17th Century style garden in three distinct sections and fulfil Major Bowen’s purpose, to provide a garden for education, enjoyment and conservation. 

Known locally, and variously, as The Psychic Garden, The Physics Garden, even a ‘cut-through to the car-park’, the garden is mainly known as Petersfield’s best-kept secret.  

Physic gardens owe their name to the plants grown in them which were considered to contain medicinal properties. The plants were laid out in a formal pattern of herb beds. There is also a topiary walk, a knot garden, and an informal orchard with wild flowers and rose arches. Plants were introduced from the New World in the C17th and included in the borders are shrubs, roses and herbaceous plants from that period. 

Although it has charitable status, Petersfield Physic Garden is funded entirely by donation and is run by volunteers. In order to keep the garden open and in good repair there is a need for more help. We have half-day vacancies for stewards who greet visitors, look after sales and provide information. We could also do with a few more gardeners! On site there is a small office, a meeting room, a kitchen and washroom facilities. You would be very comfortable in this role! 

Find out more about the celebrations & to volunteer visit petersfieldphysicgarden.org.uk