If you missed our recent Open Day here is a short film that sums up the fun, made by one of our Garden Club volunteers Alan Hodgson:
We're planning to create a little 'Bee World' of wildlfowers in Ransom's Rec meadow this autumn, but to start things off, we're conducting a little experiment with sunflowers ...
On April's activity Sunday, volunteers spent the morning planting unusual edibles in our Forest Garden. These included a couple of Apricots - one Tomcot which is a late-blossoming variety and one Orange Summer, which fruits later than most apricots. The beauty of these later-flowering varieties is that they come out after the early frosts and therefore have a better chance of being pollinated and producing actual fruit!
A large group of parents and children enjoyed a morning exploring the Triangle Community Garden; unearthing mini beasts and creepy crawlies in the garden itself and using sweep nets to capture and study aquatic life in our pond. Although the cool temperature meant that not much pond life was on show, families found LOTS of mini beasts hidden under rocks and old railway sleepers, sheltering under leaves, on the bark of trees and in the flower beds themselves.
Last month members of our Garden Club took a break from caring for the Triangle Garden, to do a little planting in Hitchin town centre. Having seen the effect our green fingers have had on the Church House Courtyard Garden, Hitchin Initiative commissioned us to design and install a planting scheme in the two sad old brick planters outside Next on the High Street.
On Saturday 2nd April the Triangle Garden was represented at the launch event of the 'Grow it Yourself Organically' initiative, held at the Free Church in Letchworth. Project Leader Liz McElroy and volunteer Yolanda Warrell set up our stand and explained to visitors what we do.
These were some of the fascinating questions asked of us by ecologist Dominic Coath on our recent Dawn Chorus Walk. It was a grey drizzly morning as we wandered along the River Purwell towards Ickleford, listening out for birdsong and pondering on the secret life of birds. Not all birds sing after all - ducks don't for example - but woodland birds (which we now think of as our garden birds) have territories to assert which represent their larder.
On the last Sunday of every month we hold a volunteer activity morning at the Triangle Garden. This February was a planting day and the volunteers who came along, helped to planted some trees in our new extended Forest Garden. We planted three hazels, which will be coppiced in rotation to give us long sturdy poles to support climbing beans, and shorter pea sticks for our allotment. Have a look at our video of the morning:
Volunteers spent Sunday 20th March working on our living willow maze, with great results. Every year it needs 'gapping up' but this year more than ever, as last year our efforts were concentrated elsewhere. Here's a little film Alan Hodgson made of our exploits:
January 31st was Hedge Laying Day at the Triangle Garden and we've made a film about it! With help from David Cannon of the Countryside Management Service, and a bunch of willing volunteers, we spent the day laying the westerly section of our native mixed hedge.
