I think that my mention of good weather in the last edition of Fairfield Matters really did jinx it! The weather over the last couple weeks has not really been great for outdoor gardening. It hasn’t stopped me entirely though and it certainly hasn’t stopped the plants in our garden where there are lots of new shoots and spring flowers showing through.

 I mentioned in the last edition that we plan to enter Fairfield into the RHS It’s Your Neighbourhood scheme again this year and we held our It’s Your Neighbourhood team meeting at the start of the March. It was a very full agenda, reviewing the projects we are progressing this year. We are getting great support from the Fairfield associations and had representatives at our meeting from Fairfield Parish Council, Fairfield Hall Residents Association, Fairfield Park Residents Association and Fairfield Community Trust, together with the project leads from our Community Gardening projects.

Since my last update, a new lawnmower has been purchased for the Community Garden (between the Urban Park and the cricket pitch) and will be put to good use in the coming season. The community gardening team are always looking for new volunteers to help with planting and maintenance. If you are interested in helping out and would like to find out more why not visit on Friday morning when the team are there?

English bluebells and snowdrops have been planted by the orchards team in an area identified for wildflower planting in the West Orchard and Fairfield Hall have also planted the same types of bulbs in the woodland between the Fairfield Hall car park and the orchard. We are hoping that the bulbs will settle in and provide a good flower display in 2024.

The Fairfield Seeds and Cuttings Swap Club will re-start soon and Kate will be at the Urban Park on Friday lunchtimes between 12.30pm and 1.30pm. Please join the Fairfield Seeds and Cuttings Swap club Facebook page for news on when the club will re-start and bring along your surplus seeds, seedlings or cuttings for swapping.

It’s a good time to start planning your scheme for our Fairfield hanging basket and container competition, and perhaps you could pick up a few free seeds from the Swap Club to grow on for your creation. One of the key themes for the competition will be wildlife-friendly planting so think about using plants that attract bees and other pollinators in your scheme. There are many options to choose from, but for a few suggestions:

  • petunia and calibrachoa flowers attract moths
  • verbena, lobelia and heliotrope are appealing to butterflies
  • Lobularia maritima (Sweet Alyssum), diascias and bidens are bee friendly.

All will look great in your hanging baskets and provide some summer colour, so get planning! I’ll provide further suggestions in next month’s edition. Details of how to enter the hanging basket competition will also be provided in the May edition of Fairfield Matters.

If you would like to suggest a new community gardening project or get involved in one that is already running, please contact me at gardening@ fairfieldorganisations.org.uk

Sara Chick, It’s Your Neighbourhood Coordinator

The orchards team have been planting bluebells and snowdrops in the West Orchard, which should provide a good flower display in 2024