First Barnwood Waterlily
Dear Readers, I’ve written about Barnwood before – it’s a tiny, tiny community orchard/garden just off East Finchley High Road, which punches way above its two-thirds of an acre size in terms of what it provides, both in terms of biodiversity and as a resource for the local community. I popped in today to say hello to my pal Leo, and to meet some of the Earthwatch team and volunteers who were holding an event there, especially the lovely Divya. And while I was there, I took a few photos to give you a taste of the place. Leo says that it’s probably the earliest he’s ever seen some of the plants fruit: the sloes are already bending the branches of the blackthorn.
The rowan is full of berries…
And there are blackberries everywhere.
It’s been a good year for field bindweed, the smaller, daintier species with the candy-striped flowers…
The teasel has already gone over, but hopefully the goldfinches will soon discover the seeds…
And the hawthorn is heavily-laden too.
Speckled Wood butterflies flitter about…
and I’m not one hundred percent sure who made this web, which completely encloses some nice ripe blackberries. Shame baby spiders don’t eat fruit! My guess would be that the web is from a nursery web spider, but I shall make enquiry.
And there’s a lot of this plant about at the moment, too: bristly oxtongue is definitely having a good time.
Although this is such a tiny space, the pathways take you into all sorts of hidden retreats and provide surprises around every corner.
I love Barnwood. It’s a tiny miracle, tucked away and yet beloved by those who live close by – many local residents have no garden, and this is a rare quiet haven. You can read more about Barnwood here.
This is a delightful selection of photographs.
The garden of our new place is, apparently, 0.84 of an acre so, based on the above, you can parhaps imagine the size (it’s more or less a right angled triangle). We’ve inherited a wonderful mix of plants, trees and shrubs, which were lovingly placed about the place. There’s also quite a wild corner and our neighbour has allowed us to use another patch which straddles the stream at the bottom of the garden. I’m sure you’d love it. The only drawback is the effort involved in cutting the grass between all the beds. 😕
I didn’t remember that you’d moved, Mike – where are you now?
We’re now on the east side of Wales, near the English border, in a town called Llanfyllin or, more accurately, about half a mile north of it. Very rural and only about 30 minutes drive away from Jude’s mum (who lives in Oswestry) and 50 minutes from her younger sister, (in Shrewsbury).
I’ve stuck with the Royal St David’s Golf Club in Harlech though which is about 1h 20m drive away. 🏌️♂️👍😊
What a lovely place, idea, and gift Barnwood is. I confess the video on their web site made me cry. Thank you for sharing it. I plan to visit it next time I am in London.