Developing a small local paradise in Evington

As part of Evington in Bloom and Evington Community Nature Reserve, some volunteers from Friends of Evington have been working to develop the Garden of Hope on Davenport Road. With its south-facing seats and little walkways around the flower beds and woodland, this little garden provides a lovely place for people of the local community to meet and relax. The flower beds and wildflower grassy margins provide a diverse range of plants and flowers for bees, butterflies and other useful pollinators, but what of the small woodland behind? We’ve begun by fighting back nettles and brambles to establish a pathway through the woodland. Along the route, we’ve placed tree trunk sections for seating and, at the back, have established a compost heap and a wood pile. Other than that, we’re thinking about introducing features that would be interesting to look at and helpful to wildlife.

Here are some of our ideas:

* a blossom, fruit and nut thicket of crab apple, bird cherry, hazel, hawthorn and blackthorn;

* a fruits of the forest forage area where people can gather herbs, blackberries, sloes, wild strawberries and raspberries;

* a bog garden to provide a greater range of plants and a habitat for hoverflies, frogs and toads, damselflies and dragonflies;

* a birds winter larder in which shrubs, crops and climbers provide winter berries and seeds;

* islands of woodland bulbs, wildflowers, shrubs and ferns. So those are our ideas, but we’d love to have the community’s thoughts and involvement. Why not have a stroll through the woodland and let us know how you would like to see it developed and how you would like to be involved.

Email: contact@littlegreenshoots.uk Website for more information: http://www.littlegreenshoots.uk