Community efforts get Planters ready for Spring!

Volunteers came out on Sunday to get the Ladywell Village planters ready for Spring.  Many seem to think these are a Council responsibility, but they're not - these eight planters are stocked and maintained by you and I, the local community.  Yesterday the planter outside the tattoo shop - which was vandalised in February - was repaired, refilled and restocked.  The other planters were tidied up and a few other plants added.  Over the next few months the plants should thicken up and more will bloom.   Looking after the planters takes ongoing effort, however, and the lack of any easily accessible water supply is a problem, so our Ward Councillors have been enlisted to see if the Council might help find a solution.  In the meantime please do feel free to wander along with a watering can!
Robert Sheppard 

Next LVIG Public Meeting and Planting Day

The next LVIG public meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Weds 16 March, probably at the St.Mary's Centre as usual.  We'll have two interesting speakers - one, James Jennings, a trustee of the newly constituted Playtower Building Preservation Trust, and the other Nick Long, the Council's Empty Homes Officer.  Full details and meeting agenda will be published on this blogspot shortly.

A volunteer planting day will take place on Sunday 27 March (again details to follow) so get the date in your diary if you're able to help replace the soil/compost in the Ladywell planters and plant-up.  Horticultural advice welcomed in advance of this!  Last year the planters really suffered during the hot summer despite quite regular watering in most cases.  We hope to do better this year by finding easier access to a water source.

Ladywell's Big Bulb Plant - Sunday 11th October

LVIG has signed up to the Big Bulb Plant, a nationwide campaign launched by The Eden Project and The Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Centre, which aims to brighten up communities through the planting of spring bulbs. As we were one of the first 100 community groups to apply, we’ve been given a donation of 250 tulip bulbs!

We now need to get these bulbs, along with new plants and flowers, into our planters to continue the displays throughout autumn, winter and into next spring. To keep Ladywell flourishing, join us for the next community planting day on Sunday 11th October to help refresh the planters and baskets with winter-flowering plants and spring bulbs.

Meet at 2pm outside Coral on Ladywell Road/Algernon Road and please bring any small gardening tools you have with you.