Whether spurred on by Prince Charles’ rallying cry or not, Upton came out in force to plant up the nature garden on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 January.
There was a brilliant atmosphere as everyone got stuck into digging, barrowing and tucking in our new shrubs, trees and hedges. It might take a little imagination to picture the results of our labours just yet, but we completed the plan to:
- restore the hedge at the top of the bank by the road
- create an edible hedge of berry- and nut-bearing species to separate the meadow from the glade
- establish a tiny orchard with apple, pear, mulberry, crab apple, cherry and wild service
- populate the woodland with shrubs
- install a new native hedge between the nature garden and rec
No mean feat! (but some very muddy boots.) Have a look at Kathryn’s pics in the gallery to see the results.
Volunteers, take a bough
Thanks to our 30+ volunteers (including plenty of doughties who gave up time on both Saturday and Sunday) we exceeded expectations – about 500 plants are now settling into their new home. See the roll of honour for the full list of volunteers.
This follows work done on previous volunteer weekends when we prepared the site, erected fencing and planted bulbs. Thanks to all who pitched in on those occasions.
We also had some kind donations to help establish the nature garden as a des-res for wildlife:
- a deluxe hedgehog house from William Lott
- a birdbox from Frances Telling
Your next volunteering opportunity
We’re hoping to place an order for perennials in the coming weeks. If you’d like to join in planting foxgloves, honeysuckle, ferns, hellebores and more, please join the mailing list.