Glasgow Guerrilla Gardening

Hi All,

Townhead site: 11:00 – Sunday 11th July

Yes, Sunday, not Saturday!

Map link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=parson+street+glasgow&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=51.621706,79.804688&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Parson+St,+Glasgow,+Lanarkshire+G4,+United+Kingdom&ll=55.864764,-4.237633&spn=0.002255,0.004871&t=h&z=18

What to bring along, best go here to see what to bring: ‘What to Bring’. I’ve noticed in my local B+Q/Lidl/ALDI that they may not have all these plants but please bring along what you can.

I’d defiantly suggest bring gardening gloves, a bin bag (for any rubbish) and maybe a bottle of water as the site is a bit dry despite the rain of the last few days.

I hope to see some of you along on Sunday morning.

Thanks,

Michael

Hi again,

Townhead site: 11:30
Saturday, 22nd May

This Saturday, the forecast says Sunshine, so if you are coming along to our Townhead site, be ready for any weather type
Those who know the Townhead site, or just pass it now and again will have seen the lovely display of Tulips that are still  out and about. We think it is lovely as well but we are not sitting back just letting it look pretty. Summer is approaching and there is ongoing work to be done on the site.

If you want to bring a plant along we’re after Columbines, Oriental Poppies, Hostas, Foxgloves, Hollyhocks, Mexican Fleabane,
Sweet Woodruff, Ferns, Solomons Seal, Scabious or Campanula or see ‘What to Bring’ here.

If you want to bring seeds Dwarf Sunflowers, Poppies, Forget me nots, Candytuft, Nigella and Nasturtiums are all much needed and more than
welcome.

If you don’t want to bring anything but would like to help there are tons of weeds and litter killing the collective buzz and any help
in shifting them is always welcome.

See you on Saturday, any questions please ask,

Thanks,

Michael

(yes some of this message is a copy n paste, but it says what we need and will be doing)

Late last year we had our 10,000 bulb challenge. Earlier in spring we had hundreds of daffodils, snowdrops and crocus flowering away. Right now, it is the turn of the Tulips to flower. It is a wonderful splash of colour. A big thank you again if you were involved in any way with the bulb planting.

A big thanks to everyone who came out to garden this morning. Despite the sporadic showers it wasn’t a bad day and we got lots done with a selection of perennials, crocosmia and seeds planted. The bulbs we planted over winter are still looking good. The crocuses are beginning to die down but are being rapidly replaced by Winter Aconites, Snowdrops and Daffodils.

Not much to report in the way of wildlife this week just one large Queen Bee, a Wood Pigeon and a gaggle of ordinary Pigeons.

We next meet on 10/04/2010 at 11:30am at Townhead to plant Crocosmia bulbs, continue removing leaves and sow nasturtium seeds.

I spent a very happy and productive morning up at Townhead planting Cardoon, Brook Thistle, Mexican Fleabane, English Mace and Wild Garlic. The site continues to look very colourful with yet more crocuses in bloom, the first daffodils flowering and a few snowdrops popping up here and there.

I also saw my first bees of 2010, always a welcome sight! There were three very large bumblebees rolling about the crocuses like drunks as I arrived at the site and a few of their friends flew in and out during the course of the morning.

We also had a visit from a Thrush collecting leaves and twigs for her nest as well as some wood pigeons, common pigeons and a less welcome visit from some vast seagulls.

Oh I must say a big thank-you to whoever has been up at the site and given our roses a much needed prune. I’m slightly embarrassed at not having got round to this task myself but very grateful at being able to score something else off my to do list.

We’ll be meeting up again at 11:30am on Saturday 27th March, to see what we’ll be doing and what to bring please refer to this post.

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

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.

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.