Notes from the Gardening Group meeting 21/07/09

(Sorry I have been slow in posting these)
Notes from the Wilmington Square Gardening Meeting Notes - 21/07/09

Present:
A W
A M
B H
J S
O E
L E
M H C

We would like to set up a meeting with Chris I and Dave B
from Islington Greenspace in late September to discuss the following
points. All of us need clarity about our goals, and communication is
important so that any efforts we make to work on the square are negotiated
and understood by Greenspace and the subcontractors.

Before this there will be a further meeting of the gardening group in
early September in the Square to discuss ideas in situ - we will
circulate the date so anyone else is welcome to join in.


Proposals:

- General Aim.
The central idea is to make the garden healthier and more wildlife
friendly, using sustainable and natural processes where possible. A
longer term aim is to plant sustainable perennials to replace some of
the annual bedding.

- Mulch.
The area just within the fencing is hard clay soil, depleted of
nutrients because the leaves have been consistently removed. The
fallen leaves should be left in place. The soil needs rotating.

- Compost.
Can Greenspace deliver some compost to the Square from the North
London composting project? This could also be used to add nutrients to
the border areas.

- Trees.
a. The two conifers in the Southern patch should be removed. This
should be done as soon as possible because they grow fast; are thirsty
and suck nutrients from that section of the garden; create too much
shade and acidic soil which prevent other plants from growing.
b. The dead cherry tree in the Southern patch should be replaced. The
cherry tree which is missing from the Eastern patch should be
replanted. This will bring back the intended balance to these spaces.
c. The ailanthus saplings along the easter border should be uprooted
and removed. They are invasive and continue to spawn unless removed
completely. It will not be possible to plant more appropriate native
plants in this area until the saplings are removed.

- Dead wood.
The dead cherry tree logs should be kept and a further dead wood pile
could be created.

- Roses & Lavender.
The roses in the central bed could be underplanted with lavender. This
would create a fuller looking flower bed, would provide attractive
flowers for bees and counteract the aphids which like the roses.

- Hut & Water.
The gutter on the hut needs to be fixed. We would like a water butt to
collect rainwater from the Hut roof. This will provide a source of
sustainable water within the garden to feed young plants.

- Community gardening.
We would like to start actively gardening a section of the garden. We
will arrange some days when we will encourage neighbours to come and
join in. We propose to fence off along the temporary pathway on the NW
corner and to work on the section up to the concrete steps on the
Northern side. We could use a similar system to the wild flower
planting in Spa Fields where a section was fenced off with information
attached about the aims and timeframe.

- Bird Feeder.
The bird feeder has not been used by the birds yet. We would like to
expand the holes further to see if easier access could persuade the
birds to enter.