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Money for more raised beds
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Lambeth Council has agreed to give Eden £4,200 for four new raised beds to go at the top of the garden; they are to be built by the end of May. The money is in response to the demand for more space for community gardening.
Philippa Gould, chair of Eden’s committee, said, “This is fantastic news, and we welcome Lambeth’s support for this new development.”
“New raised beds mean that more people can get involved which is great,” said Charlotte Hollinshead, who looks after one of the existing beds. Charlotte was also an organiser of last autumn’s party for friends and family of the raised beds’ gardeners. Some 40 people shared food, including soup – made from pumpkins grown in the garden. There was a glowing fire, with sparklers and marshmallows; and while the children played, the adults drank wine.
The lively raised beds group has begun to meet on Monday afternoons after school. Azra Kayani comes with her three children. “Last summer we grew parsnips, carrots and beetroot. It’s a natural way of learning for the children,” she said. Tim Harborne, who has no garden at home, also uses his raised bed to grow a variety of herbs and vegetables.
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Above: Late summer produce. Below: pumpkin still life; child with sparkler at autumn party; blazing fire. photos: C.Hollinshead
  
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Potted Up
Ourexcellent new neighbours, Clapham Pottery, opened its doors in the former chapel at the top of Matrimony Place in September. Classes for adults and children are up and running, and co-ordinator Naine Woodrow is committed to supporting Eden and incorporating the garden as a resource for students. Naine is also planning to launch a monthly supper club, to be held initially above the North Street shop. This “secret
restaurant” will give all its profits to Eden.
The potters are also planning a “raku” event, a Japanese technique of open firing. This will take place at the back of the churchyard in the summer. Adults only.
Flattened
Planning permission for six flats bordering Matrimony Place and the bottom of the churchyard was refused in early February. St Paul’s
churchyard is a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) within the RectoryGrove conservation area.
Signing on
An elegant new sign will shortly be in place at the lower gate to the garden. Thanks to funding from Lambeth Council, the noticeboard will provide a history of the garden, and also give details of forthcoming Eden events.
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Snow Stopper
On the winter solstice, snow came falling snow on snow. And more. There was horizontal sleet and rain but also, according to a dozen doughty celebrants, a bonfire, umbrellas, mince pies, plumwine. Children refused to come out to play but a hard core of adults were (more or less) willing, and community cheer was in evidence.
Path finder
More thanks to Lambeth Council for funding the new path – from top to bottom of the garden. It was one of the recommendations listed by the great and the good of the Green Flag inspectors, in order to provide full wheelchair access. Eden hopes to gain its third Green Flag award this summer.
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Letter
Sir – March is here – what I call a boisterous month when all those perky chappies (sorry, ladies, I know that nowadays you like to be
included) get going in the garden, and that’s just plants.
So may I suggest that whoever is in charge of Eden could plant up a decent show of colour this spring. These days people go for what I
understand is the modern rage for drab greys and greens and I detect a similar trend in the Eden garden. To stop this rot, my suggestion for this summer would be a splendid display of red, white and blue: so how about blue lobelia, red snapdragons and white alyssum? Perhaps it would not be too much to ask that it be planted to represent the Union Jack flag. Mr Ross Blight, SW4
PS I do not expect you to publish my letter – it will surely be put on some wretched organic compost heap alongside new-fangled foreign herbs.
The editor writes: Stephen, our gardener, would welcome a contribution of plants of any hue from Mr Blight. “We
can decide together where to plant them,” says Stephen.
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Kate Hoey opens Eden's pond
| Kate Hoey, MP for Vauxhall Central, opened the new pool at Eden on June 13, the day of St Paul’s summer fete. She was welcomed to Eden by the vicar, Debbie Matthews, and then "cut the ribbon" with Eden’s gardener Stephen Barney. Ms Hoey said, "I have
been Vauxhall’s MP for 20 years but I have never been asked to open a pond before."
She stressed the importance of green spaces for urban areas and welcomed the number of volunteers
who contribute to the wellbeing of Eden. Also present was Lambeth councillor Helen O’Malley.
Among the vibrant pond visitors are frogs, dragonflies and damson flies. |
Pondering a sustainable future. Above: Kate Hoey MP and gardener Stephen Barney, celebrate the opening of Eden’s pond (left) in June
Photos: Ailis Kane
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Eden wins prestigious Green Pennant award
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The Civic Trust (now part of the Keep Britain Tidy campaign) has awarded Eden garden its prestigious Green Pennant award for 2009- 2010, for the fourth year.
Eden’s chair, Philippa Gould, said: "We’re absolutely delighted. It puts Eden on the map and recognises everyone’s hard work." Eden is the only communnity garden in Clapham and only one of six in Lambeth to |
win the award. The Green Pennant is awarded to gardens managed by voluntary and community groups who promote recycling, the promotion of native species and organic gardening. Eden certainly fits the bill on those counts.The judges, who visited the
garden in June, said that in terms of innovation and creativity, Eden showed a "highly
creative use of a small space
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to pack in maximum amenity use, food growing and nature conservation value." They also commented that, given its size, Eden was "well managed and very rich", and had
excellent links with the community. As part of St Paul’s churchyard, Eden also boasts a Green Flag. This is the national standard for parks and green spaces to create "a benchmark of excellence."
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Pottery plans
Clapham Pottery is moving
into 4A Rectory Grove - the
old chapel at the top end of
Eden Garden – in September.
Co-ordinator Naine
Woodrow said the Pottery,
which has full charitable
status, hopes to work closely
with Eden. “We are really
pleased to being a close
neighbour of Eden,” said Naine.
“We are keen to liaise on
our community projects, and
want to use the garden for
our more vulnerable students
in particular.”
The Pottery’s first project is
to glaze the tiles made by
children and families at the
church fete and then attach
them to the wooden raised
beds in the garden. This will
be an excellent contribution;
and a way of lengthening the
life of the beds.
Naine believes that the Pottery
– which will have up to
150 students a week (half of
whom are children) – can
only be beneficial to the garden.
She hopes it will contribute
sculptural pieces and
ground murals. There will
also be outdoor firing in the
warmer months in the back
of the churchyard – with opportunities
for all the community
to join in.
Contact us:
Philippa Gould, Eden’s chair, is
on 07803608375 and email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Work with us:
Eden belongs to the community.
Come when you can...and bring
your ideas, money, labour, and
anything else that can help us. |
Well bedded
The raised beds are thriving,
and have been full of vegetables,
herbs, flowers - and of
course a few desirable weeds
– over the summer (let no
one say that Clapham will
not be able to “dig for victory”
if the time comes).
And there are plans to build
more, in the top part of the garden, says Stephen, who
would also like to welcome
more raised bed enthusiasts,
especially wheelchair users,
to work as a team. •A water butt has been installed
at the back of the
church to collect water from
the roof. A pipe from the butt
under the path feeds a tank
next to the pond. This is to
ensure the pond remains at a
correct level.
• The summer solstice was
celebrated on Sunday 21st
June at Eden with the garden
in full bloom.
•Clapham Montessori, the
pre-school based in the
church hall, wants to develop
a “scramble” area up by the
bay trees. Stephen is hoping
to build it alongside a “bug
tower” to attract insects, such
as ladybirds, lacewings and
bumblebees, and so make it
another wildlife friendly zone
to increase our biodiversity |
•Anyone for netting? Stephen
is looking for some netting
to drape tastefully over
the pond to stop the leaves
clogging up the water this
autumn. Please contact
Philippa (see contact details
below) if you can help.
•Also...bulbs wanted. If you
have ordered 69 varieties of
tulips but only have space for
50, please can Eden have
your unwanted bulbs - and
that includes crocuses.
•Passing comments....On a
sunny morning in early September,
a father and two
young sons were enjoying
the peace of Eden. Dougie
and sons John and Derek are
regular visitors to the garden.
They like what Dougie calls
“the oasis” of Eden. “We
love the peace and quiet,”
says Dougie, who lives off
Larkhall Rise. “We have time
talk to each other here. It’s
just a lovely spot. There’s no
aggravation.” (And Derek
says he would like to turn his
hand to growing tomatoes.)
• And finally...fennel, and,
in the background, Stephen. |
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Eden Garden 
