Category: Green Spaces

It’s spring….
…….and Ruislip woods is full of wood anemones and bluebells.
The woods anemones arrive first, beautiful and delicate white, star like, flowers that open wide in the sun and off a sweet-smelling scent. Large sections of the forest floor are covered with them; which is amazing given that this plant is very slow to grow – six feet in a hundred years!
The wood anemone is also the county flower of Middlesex – when the suburbs were built, woods, such as Ruislip woods, were by-passed and preserved allowing the wood anemone and other plants to continue to bloom.
Don’t touch this flower though, it may be beautiful, but it is also poisonous to humans.
The bluebells create their own carpets, but can also be seen amidst the wood anemones – an artistic and joyous splattering of white and deep blue. Nearly half the world’s bluebells are found in the UK, and conservation organisations have worked hard to protect the English bluebell from the Spanish bluebell. The Spanish bluebell, which is lighter in colour with flowers on both sides of the stem, grows more quickly and therefore can out-compete the more delicate English bluebell. It takes 5 to 7 years for a bluebell colony to establish and, akin to the wood anemone, please don’t pick them – they are not poisonous, but it is illegal to do so.

Outdoors Activity

What Spring flowers have you noticed growing in your area? See if you can find some of the attached spring flowers

Which is your favourite? You can paint or photograph it and email to webteam@eastcotera.co.uk and we will put them up on our website.

Alternatively you can use the photo of wood anemones and bluebells to create your own picture. Try using different media to create your own style.

Indoors Activity

Try making some of the flowers you see using materials such as tissue paper/card/paper and wire.

If you need help with this there are plenty of tutorials on the internet such as: https://www.firstpalette.com/craft/folding-paper-flowers-8petal.html

Diana Williams, local resident who helps with ‘Classroon in the Woods’

Yes, Eastcote House Gardens is still open including the Walled Garden.

However when the Council Green Spaces team are working in the Walled Garden they lock the entrance gate to ensure social distancing whilst they work. Generally they plan to work, at various times, in the Walled Garden, on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.

This picture was taken on 25th March (during a permitted outdoor walk),

it is great pity that by the time this health emergency is over most of the radiant colours will have faded.

I have thanked LBH Green Spaces and FEHG for producing such an uplifting display.

Stay safe.

Jeff Duley
Eastcote Royal British Legion

From time to time, here is some planning content that provides a design and a critical appraisal framework.
The now archived document ‘Shopfronts’ from London Borough of Hillingdon has some good guidance on Shopfront Design.
In section 8.5 Advertisements Advertisements are defined as the fascia, lettering, any signage within the ‘signable area’ and above this in the upper floors of buildings, and posters and advertising materials affixed to windows.

Fig 1 Shows Acceptable Examples of corporate lettering
adapted to suit its position.

The latest Colne Valley Park newsletter is available here

The London Green Belt Council  is a grouping of more than 100 organisations with a concern for the Green Belt around London.

They have asked us to encourage you to sign a petition asking Government to cease all new developments on Greenbelt and Greenfield sites across the country:

Government housing policy is forcing councils to meet aggressive house building targets. This directly causes new developments on Greenbelt & Greenfield. Many councils believe the targets are unrealistic. According to CPRE 460,000 homes are currently planned for greenbelt & greenfield sites.

Loss of greenbelt & greenfield sites for housing negatively affects the environment, releasing carbon from the land & losing that land’s ability to capture new carbon. Wildlife and plant life already under stress, are displaced & loss of green spaces has a negative effect on communities.

The petition is here

ERA is a member of LGBC and one of our committee members kindly attends meetings on behalf of local residents.

The latest newsletter can be seen here: LGBC NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2019

At the end of March ERA arranged for the planting of 6 trees funded by the Mayor of London through the Faiths Forum for London.

These were 3 Prunus maackii ‘Amber Beauty’, small white flowers followed by yellow leaves in autumn, in the grass verge to the south of the War Memorial Garden and 3 Zelkova serrata, smooth bark peeling with age and red/bronze leaves for autumn colour, in Bessingby Park near the Pine Gardens Entrance.

To be in with a chance to receive two free trees, simply fill out the form. The Woodland Trust and Mayor of London have 24,000 trees to give away to 12,000 Londoners. They come in packs of two so you can keep one for yourself, and pass the other on to a friend or family member. Every pack contains one birch and one field maple tree, perfect for London gardens, and wildlife will love it too.

You’ll be entered into a ballot and if your name is drawn, your trees will be sent out in late November. They will arrive in time for you to be part of London’s biggest ever planting weekend on 1 and 2 December 2018.

You’ll be helping the Woodland Trust and London’s Mayor to make London greener, and helping to create a UK rich in native woods and trees for people and wildlife, all whilst making your garden and neighbourhood look beautiful too.

These trees are being given out in support of The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy. This is an initiative to mark The Queen’s lifetime of service to the Commonwealth and conserve indigenous forests across the Commonwealth’s 53 countries for future generations.

All applicants must be 18 years or over with a London borough residential address. Only applications submitted between 6am on 2 October and 12pm 5 November will be included.

Complete the form to be in with a chance

London in Bloom is an annual competition that has been running for more than 40 years. The competition is designed to promote gardening and horticulture across London.
Hillingdon won not only gold in the “large city” category but was also judged overall winner in that category for the second year in a row. We are very fortunate to live in the capital’s greenest borough.

The following Green Spaces local to Eastcote won awards:

Gold
• Eastcote House Gardens – won gold for the “park of the year” category
• Friends of Eastcote House Gardens won in the “our community” category
• Friends of Eastcote House Gardens won in the “walled garden” category
• Polish War Memorial and Garden won in the “park of the year” category
• Ruislip Lido won in the “large park of the year” category
• Poors Field won in the “common of the year” category
• Long Meadow won in the “large conservation area” category
• Breakspear Cemetery won in the “large cemetery” category

Silver
• Highgrove Woods won silver in the “small conservation area” category
• Pinn Meadows won silver in the “large conservation area” category
• Manor Farm won silver in the “heritage park and garden of the year” category
• Friends of Pinn Meadows won in the “our community” category

Other awards
• Friends of Eastcote House Gardens, marked as outstanding in the “it’s your neighbourhood” category
• Friends of Pinn Meadows judged to be “thriving” in the “it’s your neighbourhood” category