We plan to fit in an extra Friday Tidy at the end of this week, to sort out the raised wildflower bed at the Kingfisher Leisure Centre. This one is ideal if you aren’t too keen on kneeling!
New faces always welcome – just come along ready for some gardening!
It’s always interesting to look back at what’s been achieved over the previous year before preparing for the new one. We met before Christmas for a glass of wine, some home-made mince pies, and a very relaxed end of year celebration.
At the beginning of 2016 we lost our valued member, Jane Carter – but we remember her with great fondness. During the year we continued maintaining the beds she helped create at the Kingfisher Leisure Centre, as well as the tubs at the back of Roy’s and, in May, we began an ongoing project working on the grounds around the Quay Theatre.
We enjoyed a couple of walks in June to enjoy the wild flowers at Coppins Farm, visited The Apricot Centre in August to learn about permaculture and Tiger Hill in October for a Fungus Foray. We invited speakers Dan Wheals and Bob Flowerdew to talk at the Quay Theatre.
In November, the team returned to the bypass near the Homebase roundabout to do some planting, in the hope that the area will bloom for wildlife – and for people – in the summer!
At Siam Gardens, greenerSudbury worked with Orwell Housing residents, Sudbury Town Council community wardens, and Suffolk County Council Community Resilience team to tidy, cut back, sweep up and plant bulbs supplied through Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils. This initiated an exciting community horticulture project rolling out in Sudbury in the near future…
For your diary! The next Siam Garden work party will be on Wednesday 18th January from 9:30 – 11:30am.Here’s to a happier, healthier and greener Sudbury in 2017!
A couple of us did a very quick tidy up at the Kingfisher beds on Sunday morning – but there’s more to be done! The edible bed (the one closest to the Kingfisher entrance) is looking very healthy – in fact, we may have to do some cutting back soon before we are over-run with lavender, rosemary and sage. If you are passing, please feel free to dead-head the marigold flowers to encourage more blooms, as we could do with a bit more orange in the mix!
The bees, butterflies, ladybirds and moths kept us company as we worked.
This looks like a Mint Moth.
This, however, looks as if it might be a Harlequin ladybird (above) – an invasive ladybird which is not good news for our native ladybirds.
The wildflower bed is slightly over-run with various grasses, but there is colour to be had there as well – it needs a little bit of a sort out. Watch this space!
A lovely write-up from the Kingfisher Leisure folk on the aboutmyarea site, which you can read here. Thank you to everyone at Kingfisher!
On June 11, 2013, a small group of volunteers spent a few hours transforming two neglected raised beds – filling them with flowers, plants and edible goodness to entice the butterflies and bees, and delight the people of Sudbury!
Only five weeks later the local bees and butterflies were buzzing happily…
…and the flower beds were thriving.
In February 2014, having enjoyed the project so much, we resolved to spend less time talking and more time ‘doing’. In April 2014, as well as a tidy-up session at the Kingfisher Leisure Centre beds, we began clearing the tubs and beds behind Roy’s Department Store.
The end of May saw the Kingfisher wildflower bed looking spectacular – a real contrast to its former scrub, and dry earth – and drawing lots of compliments from passersby.
Since then, we have painted the tubs and benches behind Roy’s Department Store, pruned some of the shrubs behind the benches, planted a lilac, lily-of-the-valley, and other shrubs, and filled the tubs with bulbs and perennials.
After being included in the tour for the Sudbury in Bloom judges in June 2014, we have continued to maintain the beds, and have begun to make plans for 2015. Join us, if you’d like to come and help make Sudbury greener!
greenersudbury 