HERM has a new assistant gardener.

Roseanne Wheeler (pictured) recently joined the team from the UK. She has a BSc (Hons) degree from Writtle Agricultural College in Essex – coincidently, her predecessor, James Cordingley, graduated from the same college with the same qualification before coming to Herm in 2006.

‘It was a three-year course and I went there straight from school,’ said Roseanne, who also worked in a garden centre called Van Hage, in Hertfordshire.

She maintained three gardens part-time, two in Hertfordshire and one in Essex. ‘I have always had an interest in gardening and art, so the design side of things just links those together.’

Roseanne is the first female gardener we have had in recent years and no doubt she will bring a woman’s touch to the otherwise male-dominated outdoor team.

Arriving at the end of the summer season has given her the opportunity to have a taste of the busy period before settling down to the hard winter work.

This is an ideal time to integrate into the community, with lots of island events coming up over the next few months.

It is also a very busy time for the outdoor team, with a chance to get on with some big projects.

‘Over the winter we’ll be tidying up the chapel garden and redesigning and planting most of it.

‘Another project is the High-Five sensory garden for the preschool children.

‘We’re going to build a new garden by the village hall that they can use and learn how to look after and grow plants in. The garden will make you use all your senses.

‘Other than that, we will be preparing for Britain in Bloom and working with the community on Herm doing tree planting and planting a wild flower meadow and generally making sure we win.’