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Community Grow

Bringing community groups together in the heart of Bridgewater

Interesting facts...

  • Design Inspired by the structure of honeycomb and Manchester's symbolic connection with the worker bee
  • Ethos Helping people grow together and share their skills  
Hexagonal beds reflect the structure of honeycomb

Creating places to grow

Many of the gardens in the outer walled garden have a strong community focus, none more so than the Community Grow garden. The BALI award-winning garden was designed by RHS Horticulturist Katie Irwin. It takes the interconnectivity and sociability of the cells within honeycomb and the symbolism of the Manchester bee as inspiration for the garden’s design. The intention is that this garden should bring local people together in a ‘hive-like’ setting to work communally in developing their food-growing skills.
A space for communities to grow their gardening skills

Bringing people together

The garden’s hexagonal beds are made from timber in different sizes and depths – some are raised to make gardening easier for people who need accessible spaces to garden. Different sections of the ‘honeycomb’ are looked after by community groups and organisations from Greater Manchester with assistance from the RHS Community Gardener and volunteers.

Up to 100 people a year will participate and include nursery age children, ex-homeless adults, children with specific learning needs and young people not in education or employment. A communal seating area in the centre of the garden provides a place where people can gather, share knowledge and make friends beneath striking umbrella-shaped mulberry trees providing dappled shade and creating a focal point in the garden. Hedging provides a sense of enclosure around the garden.
Crops will be grown to support local food banks

Community hub

Four larger central plots will be used by horticulture students in the future, but in the meanwhile flowers and food for the groups are grown here. Other shared features include a store and polytunnel in The Old Frameyard where groups can sow seeds and grow tender crops. We hope to develop the southern side of Community Grow soon to include more areas for propagation, fruit growing, composting, wormeries and socialising. In the nearby Community Coppice, shrubs and trees have been planted from which groups can harvest supports for their plants as well as weave willow edging for their garden beds.

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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.