Volunteers back for more.

Volunteers arrived yesterday to spend another day working on the garden. You would forgive the group for being less enthusiastic second time around but arriving in the rain and the wind they showed no signs of flaking or disengagement. Their keenness was inspiring and they portrayed admirable enthusiasm as they knuckled down to get the jobs done. The main objective of the day was to add more plants in the raised beds, the plants were carried into the garden and their suitable spot on the raised bed was found, then the planting begun. Vast numbers of plants added meant that before our very eyes appeared a rippled green sea of foliage with waves of purple, yellow and white. The progress was amazing and the whole team felt a huge sense of achievement as we left for lunch.

The trellis was still standing much to the relief of the volunteers who put it up! Time was spent planting Ivy next to the structure which looked really good. The plants are obviously small at the moment but with the support of the trellis and the care of the volunteers it wont be long until they act as a shield for the front garden and a safe getaway for the resident birds.

Last job on the list was to empty the bog, the next volunteers day involves planting in the pond and wet area so the water needed to be drained before doing this. It was the bog that needed emptying as it inevitably had gotten really wet during the rainy weather. It was the job of two members of the Wild in the Parks trio; Martyn and Rachel to do, not the nicest job in the world as I'm sure Martyn would agree. However it's done, so we're all ready for the next action packed day in the garden!

Garden enjoyed by hundreds of visitors

The Garden was put to the test on Saturday 17th during the Nest Box Challenge day held at Regents Park. The day was a great success partly because the visitors were able to use the Wildlife Garden and get a taste of what it’ll be like when it is all finished. The garden was home of the nature trial that made up part of the exciting day. Children and adults followed the trail that led them around the garden highlighting the fantastic things that will be on offer to them once the garden is complete. The garden looked great, being just a few days after the volunteers had given it a good tidy up, and the mild weather meant there was plenty of wildlife to see. The garden really did do us proud and possibly for the first time we realised the full potential of this wonderful space.

The event also gave people a chance to ask the team about the garden, we had crowds of people asking interesting questions, needing adivce and giving some imaginative ideas, it was great to gain such positive interest and feedback. Remember if you have any questions or ideas get in touch, we love hearing from you!

An army of volunteers

Thursday saw an army of fantastic volunteers (well 11 of them) decend on the wildlife garden to help with everything from building a new trellis to planting some of the larger plants in our flower beds. The trellis will provide a great vertical surface for wildlife friendly plants such as ivy and honeysuckle to grow up.

In London where space is always hard to come by (for both people and wildlife) it's good to look for clever ways to increase the area where you can grow plants that will attract and support wildlife. Planting up vertical surfaces and putting a green roof on our shed are just two of the methods we're trying in the wildlife garden. Please let us know if you have any other space saving ideas that have worked for you.