In the strange land of lockdown we are sharing some of our member’s images and stories.
Lynn’s Tulip Festival in de Beauvoir
In April 2019 our friends, Islington Gardeners, ran a trip to Pashley Manor in East Sussex to see a spectacular tulip festival displaying of over 35,000 bulbs. One of our members, Lynn, got just a bit carried away and brought home quite a few varieties. Who could have known then how much joy these tulips would bring in this time of lockdown. Many are still blooming so if you want to seek them out on your daily exercise route – they are in Ufton Grove.
Irene’s Mini Nature Reserve
Committee member Irene is writing weekly wildlife posts for the DBA newsletter. This is the first one for those of you who don’t get the email version:
‘Like almost every one else reading this newsletter my world has shrunk to a small patch. My house where everyone is working and studying and my garden, a small retreat I am so grateful for.
Instead of looking around in the big world, I have decided to look close-up at everything small in what I call my “mini nature reserve”.
Nothing is better at keeping my attention than my pond. Early springtime and the pond turned into a cauldron bubbling with frogs and spawn. The flogs had emerged from hibernation from under logs and even paving stones to mate in the warmth of the first sunny days. Soon mountains of transparent jelly appeared in the shallows around the Flag Iris roots almost spilling over the edge of the pond. This woke up the newts, who started to gorge themselves at the outer edges of the jelly “pudding”.
While watching this going on I prepared a second, even smaller pond for the garden’s resident toads who spawn a month later and don’t like to do it in the same ponds as frogs. The two ponds extended the water surface to attract damselflies and, with luck, even a dragonfly.
There are many websites that can explain how to set up a pond and turn your garden into a mini nature reserve. Even the smallest ponds, created from a large bucket or discarded kitchen sink, will attract wildlife.
And for gardeners who already have a pond: freshwater habitats is again running a “spawn survey”.
https://freshwaterhabitats.org.uk/projects/pondnet/spawnsurvey2020/
A rainbow in Ufton garden
Cec has been working hard in Ufton Gardens and wins our community planting prize of £25. In the spirit of the moment she has created a space full of hope with a wonderful rainbow painted on the fence, all created with safe distancing and much love.
De Beauvoir Gardeners 