2020 has been nominated as Year of the Garden by Bracknell Forest Council. They are encouraging Bracknell residents and community groups to garden in a way that is good for nature.
In recent months, Binfield Environment Group have been planting wild-flowers and native trees in Wicks Green and, with the help of FoBS, in the grounds of Binfield Primary School. There will be some planting of native spring flowering plants on the boundary of Foxley Field in memory of a former village resident. With the help of Binfield Parish Council, we will also be repeating our popular guerrilla planting event and providing residents with bulbs to plant in particular areas around the village.
The Year of the Garden initiative is also intended to encourage us to take action for the three priority species in Bracknell Forest Council’s Biodiversity Action Plan: swifts, hedgehogs, and cowslips.
As far as we know, swifts don’t currently nest in Binfield but they do nest in Priestwood, so we will be surveying the known colonies to determine where in Binfield we can site swift nest boxes to encourage these incredible summer visitors to nest here.
Bracknell Horticulture Association are hosting a website linked to the Year of the Garden that gives you more information on what you can do to help hedgehogs. One of the best things you can do is cut holes in your fence to create hedgehog highways. Have a look at the website to see what else you can do - http://www.digforbracknell.org.uk/helpahog.html.
By the time the next Beacon comes out cowslips should be in bloom. This pretty yellow flower was once common in hay meadows, woods and hedgerows. As the picture shows, each stem holds a number of down-facing flowers, which distinguishes it from the earlier flowering upward-facing primrose. The cowslip’s name is supposed to derive from cow-slop or cowpat because it was often found in the meadows into which cattle were moved in spring. As meadows, woods and hedges succumb to development, or even our penchant for “tidying” so cowslip numbers have declined. Unfortunately, this appears to have happened along Harvest Ride where the north verge, which used to host a spectacular number of cowslips, has been turned into a manicured lawn fronting the new development. We can do our bit for cowslips by asking landowners not to cut the areas where they are known to grow until later in the year, when they have flowered and set seed. You can also plant your own in your garden or grass using plug plants.
Bracknell Forest Council will be announcing various ways that we can all improve our own gardens, and community gardens, for nature. The Year of the Garden will be launched at the Jocks Lane Spring Day on April 5th.