Wildflower Planting

Wildflowers are becoming more and more popular as a way to brighten up urban areas and support their wildlife, and planting them is something which we at FoMBL have embarked on recently. They're beautiful, more interesting than traditional flowerbeds, and can be low-maintenance. By planting a wide variety of native species, rather than blocks of single ornamental species, they can also provide food and habitat for a broad range of native species, particularly invertebrates. However, they're often portrayed as an ideal end-point for urban biodiversity, which is a pretty one-dimensional view to take, and ultimately doesn't quite cut it.

Aesthetically, I think that the value of wildflowers is huge, and much greater than cultivated varieties. This is clearly not the kind of point on which everyone can agree, but here's why I think it's the case, I'd love to hear your arguments for either side. Compared to another stretch of grass, I'd always rather look at a wildflower patch or flowerbed, even out of bloom. Breaking up the monotony of many urban green spaces is something I think most of us can get behind. The real debate comes when we look at wildflowers in opposition to domesticated varieties. Comparing, for example, an established meadow to a rose garden, there are a whole host of differences between the two. The key one for me is the variety in species of plants and insects, as well as smells and colours, seen in the meadow. Side-by-side, the cultivated gardens seem boring and full of identical, bloated caricatures. There's simply less to look at, and while one is a feat of engineering, the other represents what I really want to see in a park: something which gives me the impression of not being in the city.

Of course, wildflowers require some kind of management (typically annual mowing) but this is less intensive than the pruning and treatment needed to maintain traditional gardens. There's also a perspective, which I share, from which the management of domesticated flowers can be impressive, as anyone who's been to a well-run tulip garden in full bloom would surely agree. But, the comparison which this brings to my mind is between a dog show and wildlife-watching: the fruits of human intervention can be interesting, but they lack the context of place and the sense of humility that comes from interactions with anything wild.

This variety and sense of wilderness has more than aesthetic benefit: they support greater numbers of a wider range of wildlife. This is particularly true if the plants are native to the region, and other organisms have co-evolved alongside them. This enriched biodiversity in urban areas supports wilder spaces, as well as enhancing productivity of our green spaces by helping pollinators and decomposers.

However, wildflowers alone are not a complete solution. In our efforts to restore habitats we need to acknowledge more than just meadows and live trees. There are wetland areas, dead wood, and shrubby habitats, among others, which are often forgotten or seen as inconvenient in human-dominated spaces. If we're to take our cities' biodiversity seriously, we need a more complete idea of which habitats are needed, and what's missing from our parks and gardens.
 
Wildflowers are gorgeous, varied, and ultimately necessary for many other species. Planting them in urban areas can solve some of the problems that human encroachment poses for wildlife. But, while they enrich our lives, and the lives of the organisms in our cities, it's vital that we remember the other habitats which are part of the ecosystem. Ponds, mini-marshes, and bug hotels are among the ways we can supplement the sexier habitats, such as wildflower meadows, to create a working imitation of a wild system. If we're to mitigate the issues that urbanisation creates for wildlife, we have to be creative, dedicated, and all-encompassing in our approach.

FoMBL Work Party Report 25.02.17

Volunteers: Andy, Kay, MA. 

Hello everyone, and thanks to those who could make it to the work party. This was a bit of an unusual work party in that we weren’t working on the Meadows themselves, but in the basement of Edinburgh Student Housing Co-op. 

We were building bird boxes from reclaimed material, and got a good workflow going. We ended up with five bird boxes, which are yet to be allocated to any particular park or garden. The weather seems to have affected the turnout, but hopefully this becomes less of a factor as we head into spring.

I’m happy with how our boxes turned out, and the idea of building more is very appealing, particularly for the summertime. Unfortunately, the session could have been more child-friendly, and this will be incorporated into future plans.

Our next work party is on the 12^th of March, and I hope to see you all there! There will be another March party on the 25^th.

Joe Boyle

Bug Hotels

Often overlooked in urban landscapes, insects and other invertebrates are vital for our green spaces—they’re the invisible workers who pollinate plants, feed animals, and clean up whatever’s left. However, our bugs are under threat as the green spaces which provide them with food and shelter are engulfed by growing cities. To protect our beasties—and the viability of our parks, gardens, and farms—we need to fill part of the gap that's left when their habitat is ruined.

Planting pollinator-friendly plants, as carried out locally by Edinburgh Student Housing Co-operative and Greening Our Street, is a popular solution to feed some species, but doesn’t address the whole problem. While most of us appreciate the flowers that support many insects, the dead wood and leaf litter which other animals rely on is less charismatic. The sad fact is that what many of us consider unsightly green waste is a haven for our wildlife.

One solution is to designate areas of suitable habitat to support local invertebrates. This can be as simple as letting grass grow a bit longer, or as elaborate as the beautifully designed 'bug hotels’ used in some gardens. Bug hotels are man-made structures which copy the natural habitat of insects and other invertebrates. They normally use natural materials but are neater and less likely to be disturbed by passersby than wild habitats. They can easily be created from recycled kitchen or garden waste, and make wonderful projects for children and adults of all ages.

Making a bug hotel has two main steps: first you make or find a hollow structure, then you fill it with some kind of bug bedding. The structure and its filling can be varied to target different invertebrates depending on where you are, what’s endangered in your area, and who you want buzzing, crawling, or sliding round your garden.

For the structure, you want anything which will hold your filling in place, not fill with rainwater, and allow bugs in and out. Stacks of old shipping pallets or wooden boxes make fantastic frames for bug hotels, and can provide a huge variety of habitats in a small area. Flowerpots make a great base for smaller hotels, and can even be left upside-down and unfilled to house bumblebees. Plastic drinks bottles or tin cans can also be a simple way to start, though make sure they’re placed or cut in a way that lets rainwater drain away. Cardboard boxes can also make a good temporary solution, particularly under shelter or in drier weather. The type of structure you choose can limit the size and placement of your habitat, all of which helps select the species you’ll find inside it.

The filling of your hotel is what mostly decides who comes to stay, your goal is to provide something similar to their natural habitat. Wood is a great material as there are many species of beetle and fungi who depend on it, but it is routinely cleared from almost all urban areas. Small holes (2–8 mm) can also be drilled into, but not through, the wood to provide burrows for solitary bees, who pollinate many of our plants but can’t live in hives like their famous cousins. Bundles of bamboo or reeds can also work for solitary bees and other burrowers, keep an eye out for plugs of mud or leaves over the holes as this means your hotel has some residents. Dead leaves, including straw and hay, offer burrowing and feeding opportunities for hundreds of species, including butterflies and aphid-controlling ladybirds. Bark, egg boxes, and cardboard also make useful habitat for many species, particularly lacewings, which eat loads of common pests.

Hotels are best placed near flowerbeds and other food sources, and in warm parts of the garden, such as south-facing walls. A simple way to start out is with bamboo or reeds tied or stuffed in a can or cut bottle and hung from tree, or a drinks bottle full of dead grass, leaves, and twigs. Either of these can really help support your local bugs, and keep our urban green spaces healthy.

FoMBL Work Party Report 28.01.17

Volunteers: 13 overall including Andy, Alec of the regulars.

Hello everyone, and thanks to those who could make it to the work party. 

This month's was a relatively nondescript work party of leaf raking and litter picking, but a heroic effort in spite of some chilly weather. We ended up with bins full of leaves, and plenty of rubbish out of the park, particularly around the bowling greens.

We had a few passersby stop to say hello and ask what we were doing, which is always nice, and hopefully expands our reach a little for future projects.

Our next work party is on the 25^th of February, where we'll be making bird boxes from reclaimed material at the Edinburgh Student Housing Co-operative. I hope to see you all there

Joe Boyle

FoMBL Work Party Report 26.11.16

Volunteers:  26 including Jimmy the Ranger, some regulars, some ESHC people, and an enormous group of Evolve volunteers (10-15). 

Hello everyone, and thanks to those who could make it to the work party. Our main task for the day was planting a row of Crocus and Narcissus bulbs on the bank outside Wright’s Houses. Being this year’s last major work party, it was also a nice rounding-off on a personal level, as planting bulbs on this strip is the reason I first got involved with FoMBL back in March. Alongside this, we had a sweep of some of the leaves by the croquet greens to give the grass a chance to breathe.

We had a solid day’s planting along the bank, with some litter-picking and weeding as we went. In the end, we planted all the bulbs we had and have now got something nice to look forward to in the spring.

A small offshoot of our eVOLve volunteers sorted out the leaves at the croquet green and did an excellent job. We hope to see them again as their positivity had a great impact on what can be a dull morning’s work.

Though we only had two jobs on and there’s not too much to say about either, we had an excellent session overall, and hopefully our attendance stays as high in future.

Heather’s running a small work party on the 31^st of December, but the rest of us haven’t the mettle and have taken New Year’s Eve off. We’ll be back on the 28^th of January, I hope to see you all there!

Joe Boyle

FoMBL Work Party Report 29.10.16

Volunteers: 21

On such a beautiful, sunny Autumn day we started as a small group and decided to work together on the wildflower plot in the West Meadows. Under Sarah’s watchful eye, Tammy, Joe, Aurelie and Alec planted some new seeds with help from Bob and …. clearing the patches. Sarah was kept busy advising the rest of us on what to do and identifying plants with Ann and her 2 sons. 

The seeds were quickly planted with all hands on deck and we finished up the morning clearing the wildflower plot of overgrown grasses, ready for the new wildflowers to sprout up. We managed to collect over 7 full bags of overgrown grass and vetch with the help of Thomas who came to assist us.

While most of the group worked in the wildflower plot, Heather and Tanya (joined by Jimmy the Park Ranger and Mike) cleaned up the Helen Acquroff fountain around the base, extracting a lot of weeds and grass, which we recycled on bare patches.  They then did a lot more path edging, again using the grass to make good the bare ground: result much more tidy.

Neil was happy to take on the sole job of taking down the fence and stakes for a small tree that was ready to stand on its own, along in Bruntsfield Links.

Felicity and Iva, from Wrights House joined us for a coffee break at 11.15am and into the afternoon. Thanks as always to Amanda and the team at the Pavilion Café for our £1 coffees. Coffee was made extra delightful with a big box of chocolates that Heather had kindly brought along and forced us all to finish – it didn’t take too much force.

With the wildflower plot replanted and cleaned up, we lost a couple of volunteers at the lunch break. 

Tammy, Alec and the Wrights Houses group headed to the Croquet Club to pick up a LOT of fallen leaves. As you can see 
by the photos, this was a big job, but we managed to have some fun with it too. While we managed to clear about 20 bags full of leaves, we run out of time to clear the entire area – a job that no doubt will be ongoing.

One particular passer-by must have thought we were doing a great job, as he took several photos of us when he thought we weren’t looking. Hopefully we managed to get the FoMBL logo into one or two of his shots.

Heather and Tanya continued working near the Café with Jimmy and Neil and were joined by a small boy called Spiky (apparently according to his Dad named after Spike Milligan).  He was very helpful in stamping on the recycled grass to make sure it was well grounded.  Two little girls joined in, finding a beautiful long worm, which they made sure was rescued and put safely under the recycled grass.  Their Dad was coaching junior football, so Heather gave him a leaflet and a newsletter, drawing attention to the lost football cup.

As always, we had a great time and luckily had a lovely day to spend outdoors.

The next FoMBL Working Party (and likely the last one for 2016) will be on Saturday 26 November when we will be planting a couple of thousand bulbs near the Wrights Houses.

Tammy Rudduck

FoMBL Work Party Report 24.09.16

Volunteers:  Around 25(!) including Peter the Ranger, some regulars, some ESHC people, and an enormous group of Evolve volunteers (10-15).
 

Hello everyone, and thanks to those who could make it to the work party. We were a little slow to start, as we were waiting for an external group before the brief for the morning. With no sign of them, we decided to get going anyway, splitting into three groups: litter-pickers, path-edgers, and wildflower-patchers.

The litter-pickers were the biggest task force (we stole all the Evolve members) and made good use of the excellent bins which found their way into our shed. We swept over to the tennis courts, and came back with bags of rubbish. Another solid day of nondescript litter-picking, though I did find an entire, unopened tin of baked beans.

The path-edgers were an elite squad made up of more experienced Fomblers than I, and their steady flow of turf was evidence enough of their stellar work. This turf was used by a splinter group of the litter-pickers to cover bare patches outside the pavilion café.

Sarah was in charge of the wildflower-patchers, and described it as “great fun”. This has been echoed by the volunteers themselves, and it looks like we’ll be sending more volunteers over this month, and again in the spring to help plant bulbs.

In the end, we did hear from the volunteer group (Youth Zone) who were also supposed to be joining us, but they’d decided to go home, possibly to return another day.

Overall, we had an excellent session, and hopefully our attendance stays as high in future.

Our next work party is on the 29^th of October, and I hope to see you all there!

Joe Boyle

PS from Heather: after refreshments at mid-session a small elite group of three attended to the noticeboards in North Meadow Walk that needed cleaning.  One of the Perspex windows has now had its scratched surface replaced by Mike Shields with a beautiful new one: hooray!