Jobs in January

There are lots of jobs for January, and Gals have started clearing ground for new plants. It's a good time to move shrubs as well as plant new ones.

The Town Council have granted Gals £300 towards new planting, and we've stretched this to include a small supply of chicken pellets to feed them and help them establish.

Happy New Year

Just to let you know that Gals will be back next week.  It's unseasonably warm so far this winter, (2nd warmest on record) and there are lots of small jobs to be done at this time of year whilst the weather is good.

(left) This time last year we were under a thick covering of snow and ice and temperatures dropped to minus 20!

Happy New Year to everyone!

Clearing ground, and 2011 draw to a close.

The new pathway is finished and Gals have been clearing the ground between it and the gabions.

We've weeded and turned the soil over and, hopefully, next year will be able to help the Friends, by planting a fragrance walkway, with herbs and sweet smelling shrubs.  There is the remains of an old cinder-type path under this soil, but it shouldn't be too difficult to sort out.




Gals decided to finish this morning for Christmas. We will begin again in mid-January.  We've been gardening at the Dell now since October 2006, so have just started our 6th year!  We're still going strong, and intend to do so for quite a while yet.

Have a lovely Christmas and New Year, and best wishes to everyone from Gill, Annabel, Lyn and Honor.

Thanks again for donations, and Thank You Leamington Spa Town Council

Thanks again this week for donations. The lady who left these plants regularly donates to the Dell. We were delighted to have such a well grown pyracantha and choisa. We also had another bag of grape hyacinths from a local resident.










Our thanks also go this week to The Town Council of Royal Leamington Spa who have given Gals £300 under their Community Grant Fund, for planting in the Dell. We've lost plants this year because of the very cold winter followed by a very dry summer and autumn. We've done our best to water of course, but some losses have been inevitable.

The grant will help to replace those plants, and provide blank areas with new planting, so a huge thank you for their help as always.

I ought to just say at this point, that the Lottery Funding for the Dell covers new equipment and alterations and is being dealt with by the Friends. The money given is not available for the work Gals do, and we rely as much as ever on plant donations. Please keep us in mind if you have any spare plants this year. Thank you!

Donations

 Above the new pathway is going in just in front of the gabions. There will be an information board in the rectangular space you can see by the pathway. It will tell everyone about the history of the Dell, The Friends and The Gals.

Thank you to the kind local resident who left 6 carrier bags of plants for us this week. (cranesbill, grape hyacinth, day lillies and iris) They all have new homes now and will help fill some of the gaps on both slopes.

September in the Dell

Leamington won a gold in the Heart of England Awards, and the Dell featured in their comments.

Well done to Leamington and it's In Bloom committee.

Here's a little autumn colour for you.

If you are busy dividing plants in your own gardens and have any to spare, please think of the Dell as a good alternative home!  You can either contact us through the blog or simply deliver plants to the Dell whenever it suits you. Gals work there on Thursday mornings from about 9.30 until about 12.30. If we're not there, simply tuck the plants behind the hedges at one of the entrances.  Thank you!

Barbecue in the Dell -11th September 2011

Friends of the Dell invite you to a

Barbecue in the Dell

on

Sunday 11^th September

4 till 7 p.m.

with the music of

The Swaps   and     PAS Trio

      

Entrance is free but bring a contribution of food and your own barbecue, if you wish.

www.dellpark.demon.co.uk

Stone walls

This week there's been some repairs to the old stone walls in the Dell.

Lyn spent a happy half hour shovelling the soil from underneath this bench and giving the flags a good sweep, and it looks marvellous. The repaired wall looks great and it's now an inviting place to sit and watch the world.

 The stones on this wall are still loose as it's probably not finished yet,  but doesn't it look better too.

Sadly, a lot of damaged plants to report this week, but we'll do our best to save what we can.

Identify please!

Heart of England in Bloom Judging, and carved stones

Gals and Friends of the Dell had a beautiful day in which to welcome the judges for the Heart Of England In Bloom competition.

Everyone had worked hard to get the Dell looking at it's best for the morning visit, and there were no problems. Here's a few photos of what they saw.

Above: the north slope

Left: the east slope

Below is a photo of one of the stones in the wall on the north side. Gill was intrigued by it's markings. We know these stones came from the Pepperpot Church, which was very near by, so assume it was part of a doorway or other decorative section.

Heart of England Judging - 14th July - All welcome!

NB: REVISED JUDGING TIME FOR THURSDAY: JUDGES DUE AT ABOUT 10.30 AND WILL LEAVE AT ABOUT 10.45.

Potting up some Honesty seedlings for the Dell. We've learned that no matter how hardy the plant is supposed to be, nothing but weeds grow from seeds in the Dell!  Much better to give them a head start with some tlc.


On Thursday 14th July, the Judges from the Heart Of England In Bloom, will be in the Dell as part of their tour of the town. The Friends of the Dell and Gals will be there to welcome them, so if you have time and would like to come and say hello, you'd be most welcome. They usually get to us at about 11.30ish, but it's difficult to be exact.





A copy of the booklet, which will be given to the Judges explaining the Gals involvement in the Dell. The Friends of the Dell will also be giving them a potted history of all their news too.

THE GALS IN THE DELL

UPDATE  FOR 2011

www.downinthedell.blogspot.com

 

  

Bee Heaven by the GALS, North Slope, The Dell April 2011

(To be read in conjunction with the 2006/7 booklet and update for 2007/2008)

FUNDRAISING

The GALS have done no major fundraising since 2009 when a grant of £300 was received from Royal Leamington Spa Town Council, £50 from The Friends of the Dell, and another £100 private donation from a local resident, for plants on the east slope.  

 

However, most of the subsequent planting has come from seed or from plants donated by local residents from their gardens, or by  people who have read about the Dell in the press.

The Regency Round Table have donated 500 purple crocus bulbs as part of their Eradicating Polio scheme.

Warwick District Council have donated plants in lieu of and in recognition of the hours Gals have been gardening. They have also been very supportive and delivered a mass of spent bedding (hyacinth bulbs and polyanthus) from the Jephson Gardens, as well as finding the odd applemint plant or two.

The Friends donated 3 beautiful acer shrubs which the Gals were delighted choose and plant, and which have added some glorious red colour to the north slope.

An acer donated by Friends of the Dell

 

Hill Close gardens are still very supportive and kindly allow us their spent material, and Gals raid skips and compost heaps and nurse plants back to health before giving them a new home in the park. 

Gals outgoings are small, as planting is not done on masse but, as well as donations, relies on good gardening practices such as division and cuttings, and proper maintenance.

 

WHO ARE THE GALS AND WHY ARE THEY GARDENING IN THE DELL

Gals aims to identify, tidy, clear, replant and reclaim neglected public spaces in their town. They aim to make them accessible, safe, and attractive for residents and visitors.

They are a hardworking enthusiastic group of 4 lady volunteers who love gardening, and whose aim is simply to enhance the local environment for people and local wildlife.

 

Gals only seek to make the environment cleaner and more enjoyable for all who use the town and had been involved in several projects in the town, including the Station Terraces, Packington Place, and York Walk. In October 2006, they began work at the Dell following a suggestion from a local Councillor, and after talking to WDC and Friends of the Dell.

The Dell is a quiet oasis in the middle of a busy town, but was not used as much as it is today. It was overgrown with bindweed, brambles and was rather neglected, and intimidating. WDC’s resources are limited, and they were not able to provide extra help to clear and replant. Gals, by hard work, and by raising funds from local business and obtaining grants from Royal Leamington Spa Town Council, were able to make a contribution.

They’ve tried to raise the profile and reputation of the park in a way which includes the whole of the local community and its needs. The area around the Dell has some social housing and a high number of council and privately owned flats some without gardens. There are a number of schools and nurseries nearby, and several residential care and nursing homes. 

The work Gals have done has been reported in the local press at various times, and through such schemes as the Heart of England In Bloom. There is a blog which is updated regularly and which keeps everyone informed and involved with achievements. The feedback from the community has been wonderful, and Gals are overwhelmed by the positive response to their efforts.

The Dell is no longer a neglected, and under used space, but is a small thriving oasis in the middle of the town.

 

 ACHIEVEMENTS

In 2008, Gals were honoured with an Outstanding Achievement in the Heart of England In Bloom competition.

They were also lucky enough to visit Houses of Parliament in October 2008, to promote The Dell to MP's, Peers, and various invited guests. They were 1 of the 10 groups selected from the recipients of the 02 It’s Your Community Grant, as an example of excellence.

Hopefully the publicity surrounding both these achievements will help put the Dell firmly on the map and mark it out as a place to visit, be looked after - not only by WDC, but by all who use it.

In 2009 Gals were nominated for a Civic Award (Environment Award) from Warwick District Council, and during July 2010 and again in 2011, photographs of GALS were also to be seen at the BBC Gardeners World Live Show at the NEC, supporting the RHS Neighbourhood Award scheme.

In May 2011 they were chosen by The Daily Telegraph, to highlight their competition, Gardening Against The Odds Awards.

It’s hard to satisfy the needs and demands of the increasing number of people who now use the park, and also Warwick District Council, who have necessarily strict guidelines on what can and can’t be done in a public open space. Children, naturally, love to play on the slopes and the council initially asked Gals to plant in such a way as might discourage them. This rule has now relaxed, but there is always the challenge of maintaining a garden in such a popular play area, and renewing planting is a continuous process.

2011 has also seen problems with the weather, being the coldest and longest winter for over 100 years, and with temperatures dropping to minus 20; the spring has been warm but very dry, and as a result a lot of plants were lost this year.  WDC have contributed a large number of plants for difficult areas, and residents plant donations have helped fill the gaps.

And finally,

Gals have been in the Dell for 5 years, and love doing what they do, but couldn’t continue without the support and help of wonderful people like The Friends of the Dell, Warwick District Council, Royal Leamington Spa Town Council, Glendale, and all the lovely people who live around the Dell and who visit it whilst in the town.

June 2011 in the Dell

Thanks go this week to Jim Dean of Friends of the Dell, and the Heart of England in Bloom team who donated 150 spare geranium plants to the slopes. Jim kindly delivered them for us this afternoon. They were left over from the geranium trains, that the In Bloom committee arrange every year. They are filled with plants which local school children have grown on from plugs. Hopefully they will provide a splash of summer colour.

This is one of our difficult to grow areas. It's in full sun under large trees, and is mostly clay so bakes hard in the summer. It's also a bit of a run for those children who want to get down from the fence at the top and onto the grass as quickly as possible!

We think that geraniums should be able to cope with this. After all, you often see them left, un-watered, in terracotta pots for long periods and they seem to survive.

 This acer has provided beautiful colour since the spring.  The New Zealand flax next to it, is beginning to show signs of life again after a very long, cold winter and several weeks looking like a compost heap.

The Rambling Rector rose is winning!  The gabions are slowly being covered by it and the neighbouring honeysuckle.

This has been done to soften the look of the gabions, because cheap and practical as they are, not everyone loves them.

Found in the Dell

Ok, so maybe not buried treasure! However we found this badge buried on the slopes and Gill took it home and cleaned it. We were wondering if anyone knew what SPGS stood for (St Pauls/St Peters Girls School?) and whether there was a history of archery practice in the Dell. Archery was a very popular Victorian pastime and the grassed area outside what was the bird/pet cages in the Jephsons Gardens was used as a practice area.

We'd love to hear from you, if you have any clues.

Hyacinths and Polyanthus

Glendale obo Warwick District Council, have delivered about 15 large bin bags full of both hyacinth bulbs and polyanthus. They are the spent bedding from the Jephsons Gardens, and a huge thank you to both the Council and Glendale for being so helpful and for remembering us.

Gals will do their best to plant them in the next couple of weeks, but please help yourself if you would like some either at home or for your own community project.

Gals make it into the Daily Telegraph (Sunday 29th May 2011)

The Daily Telegraph are running a competition called Gardening Against the Odds and wanted to use a photo and details of GALS to promote the idea amongst groups and individuals in the UK.

A copy of the article appears below, and can be read in the paper or online here. A photo of a shed comes up, and you need to click the arrow to get the image for GALS. 

Gardening Against the Odds awards 2011

With the Gardening Against the Odds awards 2011, the Sunday Telegraph honours ordinary gardeners whose efforts inspire us and who revitalise communities, writes Anne Cuthbertson

Image 2 of 2

Community spirit: the GALS (Girls About Leamington Spa) transformed Leamington Spa's Dell  

• 

  ArticleGardening Against the Odds awards 2010
• 
  

By Anne Cuthbertson
9:30AM BST 31 May 2011

A world away from the perfectly straight stems and gold medals of the Chelsea Flower Show, gardeners tend scrubby allotments, tiny plots or community wastelands. They are ordinary gardeners, facing difficult circumstances, yet they show as much dedication and effort as the professionals. They battle the odds, be it physical handicaps, mental obstacles, or an inhospitable environment. And they deserve an award of their own.

Last year, The Sunday Telegraph launched the Gardening Against the Odds awards in memory of the much-loved writer Elspeth Thompson, above, who died in March 2010 after battling depression. Elspeth had always championed the small gardener, the unsung heroes of communities. Following a wonderful response to last year’s awards, we are delighted to join forces with The Conservation Foundation again to bring you the Gardening Against the Odds awards 2011.

This year there will be an overall winner and runners-up in individual and group categories. Nominate yourself, a friend or neighbour or a deserving local group – such as the GALS (Girls About Leamington Spa, below) who transformed the neglected Dell area, making it a safer, greener park for the community.

Joining the judging panel this year is the Duchess of Northumberland, who has revived the fortunes of the historic gardens at Alnwick Castle. “I love the concept of the Gardening Against the Odds awards,” she says, “it embraces everything we strive to achieve in the Alnwick Garden. My interest in gardens and gardening lies principally in how they can be used to enhance life for local communities.”

Gardening as therapy is a theme we will be exploring this year. To illustrate the power of gardening to heal, Barney Bardsley describes how an overgrown allotment in Leeds helped her through the grief of losing her husband.

Donated plants

Thank you to Jan and Peter who came along on Thursday afternoon to deliver 8 heathers which had passed their sell by date at home.  They are now in a clump at the Beauchamp Road entrance.

Gals are so grateful to people who donate their left over plants as they try to garden without any grants or funds, preferring to rely on recycling plant material and the good gardening principles of saving seeds and division etc; they've even been known to raid skips and compost heaps to give plants and forgotten places another life. This week we've been able to pass on some plants to WDC who are going to propogate them professionally and plant them elsewhere in the town. (symphytum...either Ibericum, or Hidcote Blue; no one can decide what it is, but the bees truly love it)

The dry weather continues and the park is really full with people enjoying this green oasis in the middle of town. The Friends of the Dell are having a party this weekend to which all are invited. There's bands and a bouncy castle and much else. Do come along and perhaps bring your barbeque or a picnic.

The dry weather is making life a little hard at the moment for the GALS, especially with all the new planting that needs looking after but we're hanging in there!

Robin Stott, a well known local historian, has kindly agreed to write a bit for this blog on the history of the Dell. It will appear at the top of the page under the title.

New plants for the Dell from Warwick District Council

The second lot of plants have arrived from Warwick District Council, for planting in the Dell's difficult to grow areas (under trees etc)

100 epimedium rubrum, unpacked, watered, and awaiting planting.

Many thanks WDC!

Easter highlights-a spot of purple

Just into flower this week.

The last two weeks have been spent weeding and watering. It's been a very dry April following on from a very cold winter, and lots of plants are under stress. Fortunately the Dell is looking ok! (fingers crossed please everyone)

Gals were intrigued to find Easter eggs under some of the flowers this week. The Easter Bunny?? 

Spring in the Dell

 A small update on plants at the Dell.

Some new planting of Euphorbia. Warwick District Council bought these for Gals to put in.

We also planted some applemint courtesy of WDC.

From the top of the north slope looking south.

 Hellebores and comfrey

 Acers, now established provide a lovely splash of red in the spring.

Broom and forget me nots.  All our forget me nots come from one plant, put in by Gill 4 1/2 years ago. We've divided and sown and they now cover huge areas. The bees absolutely love them, and the buzzing this afternoon was incredible!

An acer chosen and planted by Gals obo The Friends of the Dell who donated money for 3 trees.

Just a spot of new planting.

A few new bits and bobs have gone in to replace a largish shrub which succumbed to the cold this winter.

Brilliant news. WDC have ordered 130 plants for gals to plant in the tricky to grow areas on the east slope. These areas are shaded by large trees and are clay, which is subject to baking in the summer and flooding in the winter.

The start of February 2011

The Gals have made a start at clearing and cutting back. Next week we want to move some things and divide up others to help fill in the gaps left by tender plants dying in  the really cold weather.

Hard landscaping always becomes more obvious in winter and today we had a bit of a clear up; a litter pick, removing stones from the grassed area, and rewinding the wire on the gabions.

As always, after a long break, there are always a few problems.

Very sadly this bench and tree have been set on fire. The ground surrounding the bench is blackened and the shrubs and tree have been scorched.

The holes in the wooden palings that we try and block off to prevent shortcuts down the east slope to the bottom have re-opened. The hedging seems a bit sparse here too. We don't remember seeing it like this last  year, but maybe it's just the cold weather and it will spring back into life in a few weeks.

Why walk round a park when it's so much more fun to dive through?!!


(Footnote: this was apparently done by the fireman in a hasty attempt to reach the bench which was on fire!)

January 2011 and a very chilly start.

It's been a really cold December. These are the Jephson Gardens on Boxing Day. The lumpy white things are the fountains at either end of the lake.

Just after our last visit to the Dell in mid December, the weather worsened with heavy snow and deep frosts. In Pershore, which is not too far away, the temperature fell to over -20C, and it has been the coldest December here for over 100 years.

Not surprizingly then, a few of the New Zealand flax are looking the worse for wear. The snow flattened, and the cold penetrated the centres. It's too early to tell if they have died or will spring back to life over the coming weeks.

However, there are signs of new life everywhere. You can just see snowdrops poking their heads above the leaf litter.

and the trees are full of catkins.

Skimmias have the start of pink flower buds....

...and the polyanthus that were donated by WDC from the finished bedding schemes at the Jephsons, are beginning to flower too.

Spring is just around the corner.


Gals will begin work again on Thursday 10th February, tidying up and pruning/transplanting shrubs etc.