Gardening is the healthiest of all recreations, as it calls into healthy activity every faculty of body and mind, and is therefore of especial importance to artisans, persons employed in sedentary occupations, and those who live in thickly populated districts, and their families. You would be forgiven if you believed that this statement was made…
For those of you who’ve experienced a tour of St Ann’s Allotments, you may recall that the principles of Victorian gardens, such as our allotments, were ‘Privacy, Pleasure and Peace’. The three P’s. The plots were used for growing flowers, relaxing, entertaining, and enjoying afternoon tea on the lawn. Those Victorian principles are still enjoyed…
Paul has been supporting our nature conservation project ‘Urban Nature’ for 14 years, bringing with him a wealth of experience and expertise from his career. This is his story of how he came to volunteer with us, and his thoughts on nature conservation now – “In 1962, two years before I began work with the…
Written to celebrate National Tree Week, November 26th – December 5th 2022 I have often thought, if I was a bird flying over St Ann’s Allotments, I would see a woodland. Though when you get down into it the mix of trees is something quite different. The trees all feel like they tell a story…
November brings a change in seasons, a further turning of the Earth’s axis. From blue skies to golden sunlight and stretched shadows. From lush foliage to berry studded hedgerows and forest fungi. As the nights draw in and the air is crisp, it can feel comforting to curl up at home. But November, and Winter,…
In mid-July, we experienced two days of record high temperatures. Although cooler weather soon followed it was too late to save many plants that had been scorched by the sun. The science shows that an increase in the frequency of severe weather is occurring, over and above the occasional freezing winter or dry summer when…