The grass is high, there’s elderflower in the air and the swallows are
swooping – the hallmarks of a classic Oxfordshire summer. In the nature
garden one villager has noted a good display of ox-eye daisies, viper’s
bugloss, campion and purple loosestrife. The roses, irises and honeysuckle
are blooming too. Also spotted: cherries on the tree Caroline planted for
Kit.
We’ve been asked by the PC to say whether the garden ‘is where it should
be in terms of appearance and plant development’. Interesting question.
We planted according to a design drawn up by a professional
horticulturalist, using plans and some computer renderings of what the
garden might look like in a few years. You can see them on the nature
garden website (www.nature-garden.co.uk). You can also see a fab bit of
tech magic courtesy of Brian, showing how the site looked before we began
the transformation and how it looks now. I think that’s a fair reflection of
where we are. But it’d be great to hear from you, especially if you’d had
different expectations of the nature garden, so we can feed back views
from everyone.
And while we’re talking about the garden’s genesis, it’s worth remembering
that every penny spent on the garden [£6,700], including all materials,
plants, trees and equipment has been covered by grants or donations.
Creating and maintaining the space has been entirely down to our excellent
and enthusiastic volunteers. Thank you.
Which brings me to:
Working party on Saturday 1 July, 10am
Please join if you can for a maintenance session – plenty of light tasks
available or heavier jobs if you fancy a workout.
All ages and abilities welcome. Cake and drinks.
We look forward to seeing you if you have any time to spare.
Kieron Humphrey