Before and Afters

This week, painting the perimeter railings was completed. Today, shrub planting was undertaken, with the help of 9 volunteers.

The only distraction during planting out was a photographer from the council's newspaper, anxious to get shots of a community project in progress.

We've put in low maintenance shrubs that will be refreshed with bulbs and perennials seasonally. The main island bed at the entrance to the park has been planted with purple phormiums and 'Persian Carpet' wallflowers for spring colour and perfume.

The £500 grant hasn't gone far. £330 on compost and the rest on plants.

However, Nigel Gibson at Coblands Designer Plants Nursery has been incredibly supportive, allowing me to scramble over their dumping grounds for the last couple of weeks in search of unwanted shrubs (it's been a gold mine!). My local parks department have also been helpful, providing me with fertiliser, grass seed and a small quantity of shrubs.

I've managed to blag a couple of sacks of daffodil bulbs from our local Homebase, and will be approaching local garden centres for further 'end of season' leftovers.

All in all I think it's a great improvement. I can't wait to see how it develops over the next year

Dickie

Salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue'

Late to flower, but worth the wait - deep blue flowers with black calyces, on eight feet stems - no staking required.

The flowers look great against a blue sky or as here, in front of Cotinus 'Royal Purple'

Dickie

Libertia peregrinans

Libertia peregrinans, a New Zealand native with stiff grass like leaves and orange midribs that get brighter as the weather cools, contrasting with the leaf shape of Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'.

Dickie

Progress - Catherine Grove Park

During the week the new benches and litter bin arrived and were bolted into place. It took just 2 days for one of the benches to be 'tagged' with silver spray paint.

Yesterday morning, volunteers cut back the hedge line around the perimeter of the park, in readiness for the railings to be painted black to match the colour of the benches.

The long border was dug and weeded (it is plagued with bindweed), and the island bed stripped of turf.

An overgrown area of the park (a fly-tippers paradise) was cleared, and the existing privet and lonicera nitida shrubs cut back. We hope to develop this area into a shady topiary garden, under existing Field Maples.

Six tonnes of spent mushroom compost will arrive this week, to improve the condition of the soil (which surprisingly is a good loam). We hope to incorporate this into the soil next weekend, before starting the shrub and bulb planting.

Dickie

Last Floral Fling

I'd hoped to have a rare species of exotica to show, painstakingly raised from seed, cosseted through the hot summer and finally in bloom at the end of the season.

Sadly, this is the best I can do, but I'm quite happy - Helianthus 'Tranquility' a towering nine feet tall, looking completely incongruous above its more polite neighbours.

Dickie

Late Summer Border

Border still looking ok.

The recent rain and warm weather has perked everything up.

Miscanthus in full flower along with Rubeckia. Cannas are still putting on growth and new flower spikes are appearing. The Dahlias took a real battering in the high winds last week and have been removed (must remember not to plant them next year - they take up too much space and always require staking). Sedums colouring nicely. Sunflowers (a variety called 'Tranquility') are so tall they are out of shot, just about to bloom. Melianthus major foliage coming into it's own and matching the leaf colour of the Euphorbias and the end of the bed. Flower spikes beginning to be produced by Salvia guaranitica. Still no sign of the Gladioli flowers (I can't seem to grow them)

The runner beans at the far end have only just started producing crops (the beans don't 'set' in high temperatures).

Dickie

Catherine Grove Park

I'm pleased to report that Greenwich Pride Award Schemes have granted an award of £500 towards the cost of new plants and soil improvement for the small park opposite my house.

Work has now started. The 'Long Border' has been cleared of weeds, and new paving has been laid adjacent to it. Five benches are to be fitted shortly.

I've also been in contact with Greenwich Park who are willing to supply free plants and a lorry load of mulch.

Dickie