The first encounter with the ASHA Centre is to have your senses enchanted by the sight and the scent of over a thousand old English roses.
As you may have guessed, such an amazing display of David Austen roses has been cultivated using special techniques, which is of interest to the world famous rose growers whose roses are normally sprayed with chemicals to protect them against disease.
As you may have guessed, such an amazing display of David Austen roses has been cultivated using special techniques, which is of interest to the world famous rose growers whose roses are normally sprayed with chemicals to protect them against disease.
The Rose Garden was gifted to the ASHA Centre by the founding director, Zerbanoo Gifford, in memory of her late father, Bailey, who loved roses and always wore a rose in his lapel, and loved presenting guests with bouquets of roses. Bailey was the youngest President of the City of London’s Lions’ Club and also the Founder President of the World Zoroastrian Organisation.
As a designated World Peace Garden, the Trustees of the ASHA Centre welcome gifts for the Gardens in memory of loved ones, including the planting of fruit trees and the laying out of the wild flower meadow. The new ASHA Centre Herb Garden has been gifted in memory of a one hundred year old lady, one of the first feminists, by her daughter, Doctor Vadgama. The ASHA gardeners make their own feeds for the roses. They use nettles grown on site, as well as common horsetail as a tea to treat mildew, and cow manure and special herbal preparations to treat and look after the soil. These are applied at least once a week.
At the ASHA Centre, however, the David Austen roses, as well as the other fruit, vegetables, herbs and plants have been cultivated in the biodynamic tradition, in tune with the planets. The ASHA Centre works with a daily calendar, which sets out what has to be done each day; when to hoe, weed, feed and plant. Also this system saves water.
The ASHA Centre gardens have already trained two local apprentices in bio-dynamic horticulture. The first was Ted, a local teenager, who has now gone on to work as a gardener with a nursery in the region. The second, who now helps to oversee the gardens, is Rachael, who was originally a teacher, before deciding on a more environmentally friendly lifestyle and career.
In the middle of the garden is a font and Lutchen seats for people to sit in tranquillity, enabling them to meditate on the beauty of the most magnificent garden.
We welcome visits from schools as ASHA’s ethos is to inspire people, especially the young, to learn about the environment and engage in sustainable living.
