By Tim Hewitt, St Mary’s Head Gardener/ Community Gardener
This week (23/8 – 29/8) remodelling of the railings’ bed continues, with the emphasis on creating a low-maintenance and ground-nesting-insect-friendly site. Recycled building materials will be imported and used. There will be a lot of material to shift, so if anyone has the time and inclination to barrow, that would be very useful in the next few weeks. If you’d like to help with this, let me know by emailing me at tim@stmaryswalthamstow.org.
Meanwhile, continued warm, wet weather promotes lush growth in grass and borders. We are a bit tired of strimming and mowing. Florally, Crocosmia, Japanese anemone, Verbena, Sweet pea, Hesperantha and Helianthemum lead the way. However, the Rheum palmatum is having a very strong late burst of striking foliage too.
Quote of the Week
“What sort of insects do you rejoice in, where you come from?” the gnat inquired.
“I don’t rejoice in insects at all,” Alice explained.
-Lewis Carroll, ‘Through the Looking-glass’
Upcoming Workshops at St Mary’s
I am planning a series of two-hour paid workshops, bookable on Eventbrite, costing £35. There will be 10 spaces for each workshop. While many of our offerings will be free over the next several years as part of our National Lottery-funded ‘Creative Church’ regeneration project and activities, these will not be part of my Lottery-funded sessions, but might be of interest to the congregation and local community. They will all take place in the churchyards and the St Mary’s Welcome Centre.
Paid workshops confirmed so far:
- Container and Window Box Planting: 16 October from 10.30am-12.30pm
- Low-Maintenance Gardening: 6 November from 10.30am-12.30pm
- Bulb Planting: 20 November from 10.30am-12.30pm
- Rose Pruning & Care: 8 January 2022 from 10.30am-12.30pm
Volunteer Times
St Mary’s offers weekly supervised volunteering in the churchyard at these times:
Tuesdays: 1pm to 3.30pm
Wednesdays: 9am to 12pm
Thursdays: 1pm to 4pm
Fridays: 1pm to 4pm
There’s no need to book; just turn up, preferably with your own gloves. Tools and expert instruction will be provided!
Burials in Bloom 2021
Dozens of local people have adopted a grave to plant around and care for; if you would like to adopt a grave that’s currently not visited or looked after, contact me at tim@stmaryswalthamstow.org.
