http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/ en-us Nucleus CMS v3.32 � Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new//nucleus/nucleus2.gif http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/ http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=303
The full text of Robin's case can be read in the website library (Robin Hull - Urban Tree Campaign 2012). Islington Gardeners is aware that views can differ on the matter of neighbouring big trees and we do not take sides on this particular issue!
]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=303 Thu, 17 May 2012 17:34:51 -0500 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=300 www.islingtontribune.com/news/2012/mar/civic-awards-salute-islingtons-unsung-heroes" Joy's is the face peeping round behing the Mayor!]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=300 Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:01:09 -0500 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=299 Visitors to the Whittington Hospital (Magdala Avenue, N19) are now cheered by a developing vision of an English farm on the extensive hillside beside the new entrance. Whittington Fields has been designed by gardeners Andrew Smith and Laura Arison who saw the south-facing slope as an ideal place to present a plant-painting of old-time fields and lanes, complete with hedges, a gate, stiles, a barn, a telegraph post, and a fingerpost. Work is still in progress, but blocks of differently coloured plants have gone in – red heucheras, green campanulas with blue flowers to follow, purple sedums, pink geraniums, yellowy-green alchemilla mollis - to represent fields disappearing into the distance, with dividing hedges, and “lanes” with paler groundcover plants. There are also little copses of flowering shrubs, woodlandy areas, a patch of cornfield flowers, and a wildflower meadow.

Flowering right now are ladies’ smocks, primroses, cowslips, ragged robins, red campions, pink dead-nettles, snake’s head fritillaries, yellow medics, as well as various blossoms - and wild bees are enjoying the blooms.

The non-native flowers are generally open and insect-friendly, and there are lots of flowering native plants amongst the hedging mix. There is also an eclectic scattering of plants remaining from the former planting, and we can look forward to colours of all sorts throughout the year, all viewable from Magdala Avenue. Future thoughts include a kitchen garden up at the top.


Whittington Fields will be giving a boost to bird and insect biodiversity close to central Archway and a welcome breath of blooming countryside to this part of the inner city. Enjoy!]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=299 Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:08:24 -0500 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=297 www.highgatesociety.com

Pro tem, the Garden Centre remains open for business.


]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=297 Sun, 25 Mar 2012 17:40:23 -0500 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=296 www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/roadverges/"> Plantlife want people to complete their online form and send in details of verges they love, and those which are disappointingly mown short.

Unfortunately we do not have many grassy road verges in our inner city Borough, but we do have a few. One is IG Forgotten Corner The Campdale Road Hedge in Tufnell Park N7, where our ex-Chair Joy carefully lets the grass and wildflowers grow and flower and is slowly building up a more diverse plant population alongside her mixed hedge; another is the sloping bank of the Holly Park Estate N19 where the Council does not mow until June, the most exciting plant here being the bird's foot trefoil (bacon and eggs). Unfortunately this is threatened by the proposed building project, but hopefully the BFT can be moved in advance.

Flowering verges are so uplifting to the spirit and so important for pollinators and the survival of the wildflowers themselves in these days of so much development and industrial agriculture that we wish Plantlife every success in their campaign - if people know of closely mown verges in Islington (or elsewhere) which could be gorgeous with wildflowers, please complete the Plantlife form.

Back to Tuesday 20th: Caroline Washington will speak about Bumblebees, how to make your garden more attractive for them, and what plants they like. We will also have Freya Grummittt from Islington Greenspace introducing the Council's new tree warden scheme.

Non-IG members will be very welcome!]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=296 Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:18:58 -0500 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=295
Photographs will follow later in the season. Thank you, Islington Greenspace.]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=295 Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:21:01 -0600 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=294 www.pattuson.co.uk

Then please consider having a go at greening your own front garden, tree pit, or desolate local Forgotten Corner (more inspiration to be found on our Forgotten Corners page), every french bean, tomato plant, honeysuckle, hebe and so on, visible from the pavement makes London nicer and healthier for people and pollinators (see item below).]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=294 Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:18:46 -0600 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=293
Episode Two looks at the possibilities of more wildflowers in urban spaces, which we hope will have ideas we can take forward in Islington. Here is the link to the iplayer (first episode available until 29 Feb): http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0152fty/Bees_Butterflies_and_Blooms_Villages_Farms_and_Countryside/ ]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=293 Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:05:45 -0600 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=291
Islington Gardeners had a special role this year in that the Islington entry was put forward (and the entry fee paid) by us rather than by the Council. This community involvement resonated well with the London in Bloom judges, and contributed to a complimentary Judges' Report. The text is reproduced in the October 2011 IG Newsletter, now available in the website library.

The "greening" of Islington is the result of efforts over many years by many community groups and individual residents, as well as Islington Gardeners and our Forgotten Corners team, and of course the dedicated work of many individuals at Greenspace. We are very pleased that this contribution to Islington's environment and the well-being of our residents has been recognised again by London in Bloom, and we very much hope, despite the current straitened financial circumstances, that Islington Council's Greenspace capability will be preserved.]]> General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=291 Mon, 10 Oct 2011 07:45:06 -0500 http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=289 General http://www.islingtongardeners.org.uk/new/index.php?itemid=289 Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:26:20 -0500