MAY BULLETIN

I am very pleased to share with you all that the summer bedding planting will be under way this month, writes Head Gardener Tom Brown.
You may notice that the winter bedding is being removed and carted away. Over the last few years, we have been focusing on how to waste as little as possible. Perennials have been removed and potted in our nursery for next year, bulbs have been lifted and replanted into permanent positions and even the flower stems still looking good have gone into vases around the yard.
We will also be enriching the soil with our home-made compost, which in part has been made using the plants that cannot be saved or reused elsewhere.
You may notice that a few beds have been removed; this is to reduce bedding in general to adapt the Flower Garden features to be more in line with sustainability best practice. We also understand that the pressures on the Flower Garden and its use are only increasing. By swapping out bedding to ornamental flowering trees and naturalising grass bulbs we can maintain a good display but create a more robust landscape.
Across the Park the Herb Garden replanting project will be finished this week. Go and check out the new collection of common herbs in all the rarest forms they can take. A current favourite of mine being Houttuynia cordata.
We will interplant the herbs with ornamental poppies which should make quite a show. I am also very pleased to let you know that the new cherry trees have settled well. With soil preparation, smaller and younger specimens and good aftercare they have put on a fantastic amount of healthy growth and we may learn a lot from this project for future plantings.
As we will all be focusing on getting the bedding in, May will be generally a quieter month but if you are passing the gardens and the bedding team they would love to hear your praise and support - planting more than fifteen thousand plants is no small thing.
I wish you all the best coming into summer.

Line of beauty: A stunning image of the Rose Garden at sunset
Picture: Vida Cody, FoGP Photography Group

The Rose Garden - some enchanted evening

The Friends have a very special treat to offer our members. Head Gardener Tom Brown will give two in-person talks about the Rose Garden renovation on June 16 and 18. The talks will start at 4.30pm and will last around an hour - including a question and answer session. Numbers are limited to thirty per session. The talks are free but members will need to reserve a place. Tickets will be available here on May 22 at 10am.

Friends in need…

The Friends are growing, and the range of benefits we offer our members is also growing. Consequently, we need your help. If you have some time, expertise and commitment to offer we would love to hear from you.

We need:

An editor to take over the monthly e-bulletin and biannual newsletter - this one is stepping down from duties;
Someone with social media experience to run our Facebook and Instagram pages;
A willing website organiser to take that on from our overworked treasurer;
Help with wildlife events - and with organisation;
Help with running our hugely popular bandstand concerts, which take place every Sunday through July and August.

We’re a small, friendly committee dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the Park - you’ll find it’s a rewarding organisation to be part of. If you’re able to help, please email us at info@friendsofgreenwichpark.org.uk, citing ‘Volunteer’.

Bees are good news at our AGM

Greenwich Park is to become a flagship centre for bees, Park Manager Clare Lanes told the Friends’ AGM last week.

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BBCT) is a charity dedicated to monitoring and protecting bumblebees. Last month it ran a training day for members and Park staff and Clare is delighted that the Park will now benefit from some lottery funding to enhance habitats for bees. As a result of the training we have a pool of volunteers and the results of their surveying will be used to assess the number of bees in the Park.
Clare also told the AGM, held at West Greenwich Library on Tuesday, May 12, about the success of the Queen’s Orchard Open Day the previous weekend, with around 400 adults and children attending. The issues of safety and security in the Park were also discussed.
Our Patron Stephen Howlett introduced himself to the group, and the Chair’s report and the accounts were received. The poetry competition was highlighted aa well as the donation of the Friends to the restoration of the bandstand.

Peas and peonies: The Queen’s Orchard is bursting into life.

Picture: Gwen Tew, FoGP Photography Group

May, and the asparagus is sprouting

You know it’s May when the grey wagtails come to play, writes Emma Paley, Kitchen Engagement Gardener.
When the blue and red damselflies dart amongst the rushes and reeds and the peonies burst into bloom. The red cabbages are getting plump, well a few of them are, the rest of their friends got excited by the April sun and bolted, unleashing pretty, yellow flowers to attract pollinators.
’Tis the season for one of my favourite crops, asparagus, which springs up succulent spears throughout spring. Although you won’t get a crop for the first couple of years, after that you’ll have a reliable harvest for up to twenty years. And I’ll tell you something... it’s worth the wait. Pick a warm, sunny, sheltered spot with free draining soil and pop in some bare-root crowns and see how you get on!
This year we used the space between the asparagus to interplant Lollo Rossa lettuce which enjoys sitting in the cool shade from the shelter of the wall. The sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are happily in the ground, we look forward to an autumn harvest of beautiful white, yellow and purple delights.
This week we have started fruit thinning. Many healthy trees drop fruit naturally in what is known as the ‘June drop’. Where a heavy crop has set, too many fruitlets may remain on the branches, resulting in a final crop of disappointingly small fruits. Deliberate thinning of the fruitlets produces better-sized, ripe and healthy fruits, albeit in smaller numbers.
We hosted a glorious event last Saturday. A total of four hundred and three people came and enjoyed the space. Seeds were taken home to nurture and grow and many a question was answered by Head Gardener Tom Brown at his ‘Gardener’s Question Time’ table. Thank you to all the volunteers for creating such a positive environment and helping with the smooth running of the day.
Until next time, Emma.

Rushes, reeds and damselflies: One of the wonderful ponds in the Queen’s Orchard Picture: Gwen Tew, FoGP Photography Group

Time and tide… a stroll along the river

Join us for a deep dive into the tidal ecology of the Thames as we stroll from Greenwich Park to the Greenwich Peninsular Ecology Park.
Along the way we will discuss just what is left of the intertidal habitat, how the Thames used to be a tributary of the Rhine, and encounter some migrant bird species still making the journey from sub-Saharan Africa. The walk, on June 17, will start at 10.30am and will take around two hours. Adults only. Book your place here. Dogs allowed (but not in the Ecology Park).

Come and join the Bird Walk

The next Bird Walk - led by Julia Holland - will take place on Sunday, May 31.
Meet at the Blackheath Gate at 8:30 am. Binoculars and cameras are recommended if you have them. The bird walk lasts for approximately two hours. You don’t have to be a Friend of Greenwich Park to attend the walk, but we always welcome new members and there are many benefits of being a Friend.

Midsummer Jazz - don’t miss out

Tickets are selling fast for the Friends’ Midsummer Jazz in the Park, which will take place in the Royal Observatory Gardens on Sunday, June 14.

The concert, featuring the Phoenix Dixieland Jazz Band, starts at 12.30, ends at 3pm, and the garden opens at noon. As well as a bar, food and ice cream, there will be some cracking raffle prizes. Tickets are £10 for adults (£12 on the gate, if still available), under 16s free. Buy your tickets here