Glasgow Guerrilla Gardening

For those who came along to the BBC News Interview and filming:

BBC News Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8550101.stm

Monday 15th March BBC Reporting Scotland either the lunchtime bulletin (1.30pm) or the evening bulletin (6.30pm). Monday 15th March BBC Radio Scotland Newsdrive (between 4pm and 6pm). The online text should also be on the website.

Thanks again,

Tags: 2010, bbc, dates for the diary, guerrilla gardening, townhead

With winter drawing to a close and spring beginning there’s lots to do up at Townhead. This Saturday we’ll be meeting up at our Townhead site -at the side entrance of St Mungo’s Primary on the lane that connects Stirling Rd and Parson St from 11:30am onwards.

If you’d like to do some planting, please bring either hellebores, primroses or crocosmia bulbs, a pair of gloves and a trowel or fork to dig with. Don’t be put off if you haven’t done any gardening before – someone will be on hand to show you how and where to plant your donation. As we do not receive any funding at all, everything we plant is funded out of volunteers own pockets and much as I’d like to I’m not rich enough to buy all the plants we need so if you can help out by bringing along one of the plants we’re looking for it will be much appreciated. Hellebores, Primroses and Crocosmia bulbs are available from some supermarkets, garden centres and online garden shops, if you’re having trouble locating a stockist please email and I’ll do my best to help out.

Some of you may be aware that 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity. We’re hoping to be able to use our emerging garden to play our part in that and would ask everyone who volunteers at the site to give serious consideration to bringing along at least one plant that encourages wildlife during the course of this year. During March the Hellebores and Primroses we plant are part of achieving that goal. Arguably they are the most important part because they bloom in late winter -early spring when little else does and are an important early source of necatar for bees. We’re now also starting to sow plants indoors for planting out in late April -May. This is a very cheap way of providing new plants for the site, if anyone would like to help out by growing a few plants at home please email for further details.

If you don’t fancy bringing along a plant you can still help out by picking up litter, all you need to bring is a pair of gloves to protect your hands and a bin liner to bag up the litter.

If neither of those options appeal we need assistance to dig in some very generously donated compost we’ve been given. If you’d like to help with this bring a spade or garden fork, gloves and plenty of energy.

Hi,
A massive thank-you to everyone who turned out on Saturday and also to those who sent their apologies and best wishes. It’s all very much appreciated.
As those of you who braved the cold on Saturday or received the last email will know the BBC will be along on Wednesday to film our activities. This is
a really great opportunity for us to attract some much needed practical support so it would be great if we can all ensure it goes well.

From my limited showbiz experience, I’m guessing that they’ll be looking for a before and after shot for their report. Whilst this isn’t the most realistic
representation of the work both we and nature put in, in trying to establish the garden, it is a neat way of showing visually the positive impact groups
like ours can have on the local environment.

The easiest and cheapest way open to us of making a big impact on the site in a short time is for us all to be planting similar stuff. So for that reason
we’re again asking anyone who is able to bring along primroses/primula or polyanthus on Wednesday. Morrisons supermarket are currently selling these
at £1 each or 4 for £2.29 or 6 for £3.29. They are also available from garden centres and other retailers. This tactic of planting from the same plan served
us well for our big 10,000 bulb challenge as you’ll see from the multitude of green shoots popping up all over the site and in this case will let us make a big
impact quickly.

This is not only a good thing for the TV cameras. Primroses are a natural woodland plant and even cultivated varieties provide a valuable source of
nectar for bees who will be back with us in the next few weeks. Food is really scarce for bees in early spring and with so many species of bee under threat
it is vital that we try our best to provide them with a meal.  As people who have been helping out for a while will be aware this is a planned and designed site
a major factor in designing the site was the hope that we could use the land to create an urban oasis for wildlife. So if you can come along with a primrose
or two on Wednesday you’ll be doing us and the bees a massive favour.

Beyond Wednesday we’ll next be meeting up at 11:30am on Saturday 13th March at our Townhead site and as ever you’re all more than welcome to come along.
We’ll be planting more primula, hellebores and crocosima bulbs as well as picking up litter and relocating a few already established plants to make way for some
new introductions and bring the layout of the site into line with the agreed design. If you’re intending to bring along different plants to those mentioned, can I ask
that you email ahead for advice on suitability and to discuss where on the site it should be located.

Hope to see you all soon

Tags: 2010, bulbs, dates for the diary, dear green place, glasgow, guerrilla gardening, help, planting, scotland, townhead

Tags: 2010, attacks, bbc, dates for the diary, fund raising, gardening, glasgow, guerrilla gardening, help, planting, scotland, townhead

This Saturday then, 11:30 am. The Townhead Site. Just outside St Mungo’s Primary School on the lane connecting Stirling Rd and Parson St. It is just down from the ‘A’ on this map:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=parson+street+glasgow&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=19.983648,38.979492&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Parson+St,+Glasgow,+Lanarkshire+G4,+United+Kingdom&t=h&z=16

Unsure what to bring, just ask,

Tags: dates for the diary, gardening, glasgow, guerrilla gardening, help, street planters, ten thousand bulb challenge, tenthousandbulbchallenge, townhead

Tags: 2010, bulbs, dates for the diary, dear green place, glasgow, guerrilla gardening, ten thousand bulb challenge, tenthousandbulbchallenge, townhead

A massive thank-you to everyone who came along last Saturday, your help is as ever very much appreciated. However there’s still tons to do we have daffodils, tulips, fritallaries, alliums anemones, grape hyacinths and hyacinths that urgently need planted before the New Year.

As things stand I’m pondering the very real possibility of having to spend the earlier part of Christmas Day planting to get everything in the ground before the end of the month. Much as I enjoy gardening I’d rather be in a position to take Christmas Day off!

We’ll be meeting up this Saturday 19th December to plant the above bulbs at the usual meeting place on the lane that connects Stirling Rd and Parson St outside St Mungos Primary in Townhead at 11:30am.

If we can get roughly twenty folk out for an hour this Saturday it’s very likely that we’ll get the planting finished ahead of deadline and it really would be a shame to have come this far and fall at the last hurdle.
So far four people have confirmed they’ll be attending, all we need is another sixteen folk and we’ll be done in no time. Provided everyone sticks to the planting plan and pitches in to help the site should be very impressive come next spring, not to mention highly attractive to both people and wildlife alike.

As you may be aware we are an unfunded group (though we hope this will change over the coming months). That means every bulb that has been bought and planted is down to the donations and hard work of everyone who has helped out this year. Everyone who has been involved can rightly feel proud of their amazing achievement so far, we just need one final big push to finish on schedule. If you haven’t been along so far it’s not too late to be part of this remarkable piece of community action.

We have plenty bulbs for you to plant so all you need bring are a pair of gardening gloves and a trowel, small fork or a bulb planter. If you haven’t been along before, lack of experience is not a problem as I’ll be on hand to explain the very simple planting plan and give a bit of guidance if you’re unsure of anything.

If you have any questions or would like to help out please do not hesitate to get in touch via email.

Tags: 2009, bulbs, dates for the diary, dear green place, glasgow, guerrilla gardening, ten thousand bulb challenge, tenthousandbulbchallenge, townhead

Morrisons are doing some very good deals on plants just now, including two of the plants we need for Townhead. We are desperately short of Primroses and Hellebores both of which are available at Morrisons at £3.29 for six Primroses and £1.79 for a single Hellebore. Please feel free to bring these along if you fancy planting something.

Tags: attacks, guerrilla gardening, plants, townhead

A big thanks to all who came along last Saturday to help get the bulbs planted. We’ve only a few weeks to go before the 31st December and are aiming to have all the bulbs planted by then. To do so we really, really need your help.

We are not looking for any further donations of bulbs! Whilst we haven’t managed to get 1000 bulbs of each of the ten varieties we asked for we have received over 10,000 bulbs all in and now urgently need to get these planted.

On average one person can plant plant roughly 300 bulbs in an hour. So even giving up just half an hour to an hour of your time would be a huge help to us. All you need to bring is a trowel or a bulb planter or a fork, a pair of gardening gloves and yourself. Bulbs will be provided for you to plant so there’s no need to worry about what varieties to bring.

We’ll be meeting up at Townhead on Saturday 12th December at 11:30am, Saturday 19th December at 11:30am and Saturday 26th December at 11:30am. If you’ve never been along before we meet in the lane that joins Parson St and Stirling Rd just outside St Mungo’s Primary School. You don’t need any previous gardening experience or knowledge at all and we’d be delighted to see you, even if it’s only for 10 minutes planting.

Our aim is to have about ten volunteers turn up each Saturday between now and the New Year so feel free to bring friends, family and next door neighbours.

Bulb shoots are already popping up all over the site, we’re already on the way to spring 2010 being a blaze of colour but there is still room for improvement, so if you can spare just 10 minutes please come along and help out.

Tags: 2009, attacks, bulbs, dates for the diary, glasgow, guerrilla gardening, scotland, ten thousand bulb challenge, tenthousandbulbchallenge, townhead

Some dates for the diary for the first three months of 2010.

January 9th 11:30am -Townhead

January 31st 11:30am -Townhead

February 13th 11:30am -Townhead

February 27th 11:30am -Townhead

March 13th 11:30am -Venue to be confirmed

March 27th 11:30am -Townhead

Hope to see you all there. In the meantime there’s still lot’s to do in 2009- meeting dates here.