The OCSC Dublin office has established a gardening club. The program was initiated, not only as an opportunity for staff to learn a new skill, but to help enhance the office’s indoor and outdoor spaces. We have enlisted help from Dympna Kyne a renowned horticulturist who has agreed to share her valuable insight and ideas with staff members over the next couple of weeks. The first gardening club gathering took place on Wednesday 20th July. The turnout was great, with some attendees having a fair knowledge of gardening, and others, like myself, not having a clue where to start.
Everyone was welcomed with a light snack and quick chat then headed outside to begin the lesson.

Dympna first introduced us to transplantation. We began with transplanting seedlings from trays into pots then moved onto indoor plants. The indoor plants were a little tricker as they were bigger and more established. As these plants were older, some of them had roots that had grown through the holes at the bottom of the pots, but after a bit of coaxing and gentle persuasion we officially ruled the transplanting successful. After a short break it was back to work…. This part of the lesson was a bit more physical as we decided to tackle the weeds in the back garden. It was amazing to see everyone working together and transformation took place rather quickly.

With some time left over, Dympna brought out some seeds for us to plant. It is quite easy to underestimate the power of one seed. In this case dynamite does come in a small package, so it’s very important to read the planting instructions.
It is safe to say that lots of fun and learning took place. A big thank you Dympna and to all who were able to attend, we look forward to seeing many more of you in the following weeks.