gardening

Friday Tidy update…

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Yesterday, we were very pleased to see that the pollinator bed has not only survived, it appears to be thriving. A little bit of weeding, some dead-heading, and a good watering was all it needed. We will add bulbs and other plants as we go into late summer and Autumn to fill all the empty spaces.

Can you spot the butterfly?

The edible bed needed a bit more tlc. So, we’ve trimmed back the rosemary and lavender, got rid of the weeds and grass that had sprung up in between the main plants, and added a few bits and bobs, including marigolds, for colour.

Looking good, don’t you think?

It can be thirsty work, so a big thank you to the lovely folks at the Kingfisher for bringing us a much needed drink!

Friday Tidy in August!

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It’s August already! We have had extreme heat and torrential downpours, but hopefully our newly planted pollinator bed at the Kingfisher has survived all that nature has thrown at it in the last couple of weeks.

This Friday we will visit the Kingfisher to check on the pollinator bed and to tackle the edible bed just around the corner – a bit of weeding, a bit of cutting back, and some planting.

Join us if you can – we’ll be there 10:00-12:00.

Cigarette butts in soil hamper plant growth…

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Whenever we are weeding or watering at the Kingfisher beds, we invariably find quite a bit of litter hidden among the plants – parking tickets, broken bottles, empty cans and, most noticeably, a lot of cigarette butts.

There is an interesting article on the BBC news site today about a study, “led by Anglia Ruskin University, [which] found the presence of butts in soil reduced the germination success and shoot length of clover by 27% and 28% respectively.

Lead author Dr Dannielle Green said while dropping butts seemed to be “socially acceptable”, they had the ability to “cause serious damage to the environment”.

“Ryegrass and white clover, the two species we tested, are important forage crops for livestock as well as being commonly found in urban green spaces.

“These plants support a wealth of biodiversity, even in city parks, and white clover is ecologically important for pollinators and nitrogen fixation.”

She said that the filters can take years, if not decades, to break down.”

Read the full article here on the BBC website.

…and another thing!

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Three posts in one day? Only because we wanted to share the pictures taken today by another of our team when she was down at the Quay doing her own Friday Tidy there.

Apparently there are very few sunflowers this year, but lots of poppies and alpine strawberries, as well as the fruit trees and bushes. All of the rain we’ve had has not stopped the soil turning to dust now that the sun is out, but it’s all still looking good.

Ta dah!

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Well, if we do say so ourselves, even a last minute Friday Tidy can achieve a lot. Our new ‘pollinator’ bed (previously a wildflower bed) had been cleared ready for planting – but all the rain, and now the sunshine, meant that when we went along today we had to clear it all again!

Once cleared we added in some fresh compost, and started planting up. First one in…!

So far, we have planted sedums, marigolds, pasque flowers, verbena bonariensus, wallflowers, cerinthe, nicotiana and more. We will add more plants later to fill the space and try to ensure colour, interest (and nectar) year round.

Even as we were planting, the pollinators were buzzing around.

A particular thank you to John, who came along at such short notice – we’d have struggled to get quite as much done without you!

Friday Tidy in July!

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Apologies for the last minute reminder – the sunshine has clearly frazzled my brain!

Today’s Friday Tidy, at the Kingfisher, is all about weeding the pollinator bed, and then doing some planting. If you can come along, please do – we’ll be there 10:00 – 12:00.

Welcome!

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Thank you to everyone who managed to tear themselves away from the buzz at St Peter’s and came over to say hello at the Town Hall –  and a very warm welcome to all those who picked up a card, and are visiting our blog for the first time.

St Peter’s 2 March 2019

We are a small group who aim to make Sudbury greener, using sustainable planting in areas that have been slightly neglected in the past. If you scroll down (or perhaps go to the beginning of the blog and work your way forwards) you will see a little bit more about the sorts of things we’ve been doing over the past five years. You will also find information there about other groups and individuals around town who are trying to make a difference by planting up forgotten corners or picking up litter.

Town Hall

We meet on the first Friday of the month at one of our sites in town. By clicking on the ‘follow’ button (near the bottom on the right) you will receive the blog post by email, letting you know where to meet, and about any other events we think might interest you. We will not bombard you with emails (usually only one a month) and we never share your information with anyone else. Of course, you can also just check in every so often to see what we’re doing.

Quay Theatre tidy-up

At our last Friday Tidy we were heartened to see that the buds are coming out on the fruit bushes and trees at the Quay car park garden – they have all survived!

Buds!

Our next task is to  clear the wildflower bed at the Kingfisher car park, and refill with even more nectar-rich plants – pollinators need our help!

Pollinators: decline in numbers

There is evidence that bees and other pollinator populations are less healthy and abundant than they have been. If action is not taken, pollinator declines will have serious implications for food production and the ornamental garden, since many plants rely on bees and other insects, such as hoverflies to transfer pollen from one flower to another in order to set fruits and seeds.

You can read the rest of this RHS article by clicking here.

If you can use a trowel, secateurs, a fork or a spade, do join us! You need not ‘sign up’, just turn up for half an hour or a couple of hours – we would be delighted to see you!

How do trees get online…?

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…they just log in.*

This morning was spent putting the last few log ‘steps’ in at the Quay, to make a path through the garden. The earth is as dry as dust, but we’re still trying to do only essential watering.

Lovely to see the Towpath Team (who work on the Quay seating area) this morning, having tea and Jaffa cakes in the sunshine – they’d already been there for an hour or two when we arrived, trying to avoid the intense heat of the day.

Enjoy the weather this weekend – but we won’t tell anyone if you decide that you want to join us in a tiny little rain dance at some point or other!

*Apologies for the joke. It was a bit wooden. I blame the internet.