Anyone with nothing better to do on a wednesday ?

[jevs]

Well come down to Preston Rock Garden, opposite Preston Park at 10am and help us clear the outer woodland area and turn it into a woodland walk and an area for wildlife and native plants.

We need some volunteers....from 10am on wednesdays to spare an hour or three and chop a few shrubs down, put some steps and paths in, clear areas and generally make it into an area that can be enjoyed by lots of people for many years.

In return, you will be part of a team that uses gardening to keep fit and active and hopefully, you will learn about woodland conservation and horticulture in general.

Volunteer groups (often called "friends of" groups) are becomming more and more popular within the City and are an integral part of creating some wonderful nature walks.

It's all above board, a City Parks ranger will be there as will myself (garden manager), all tools will be provided and hopefully an enjoyable few hours will be had.

So get your arses down to the Rockery tomorrow am at 10 (and every wednesday from now on) and start hacking some stuff down. if you have any queeries or want to know more, please feel free to pm me,

Andy

 

[Nibble]

Def be there. Have done some of this before and love it. Where exactly are you meeting ?

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Well come down to Preston Rock Garden, opposite Preston Park at 10am and help us clear the outer woodland area and turn it into a woodland walk and an area for wildlife and native plants.

We need some volunteers....from 10am on wednesdays to spare an hour or three and chop a few shrubs down, put some steps and paths in, clear areas and generally make it into an area that can be enjoyed by lots of people for many years.

In return, you will be part of a team that uses gardening to keep fit and active and hopefully, you will learn about woodland conservation and horticulture in general.

Volunteer groups (often called "friends of" groups) are becomming more and more popular within the City and are an integral part of creating some wonderful nature walks.

It's all above board, a City Parks ranger will be there as will myself (garden manager), all tools will be provided and hopefully an enjoyable few hours will be had.

So get your arses down to the Rockery tomorrow am at 10 (and every wednesday from now on) and start hacking some stuff down. if you have any queeries or want to know more, please feel free to pm me,

Andy

Pardon me, but is it not called The Rookery?

 

[SeagullTim]

Pardon me, but is it not called The Rookery?

The Rockery?

 

[jevs]

Pardon me, but is it not called The Rookery?

The "Rookery" is basically where the flats are now. The "Rockery" is the garden next to the flats which has lots of rocks in.

I do however, have a family of rooks that come down every day for a free feed....and very welcome they are too.

Nibble...look forward to meeting you fella I'll be there from 9.45 at the northern entrance (entrance closest to Withdean !!!!)

 

[jevs]

Just to say that Nibble turned up today as promised and a good morning was had. It was a pleasure meeting you mate and look forward to seeing you there next week.

If anyone else wants to turn up next wednesday at 10am, you'll be most welcome.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Hi jevs - as an ex gardener I would have happily rocked up (!) to help if I didn't live in Kent or have a full time job now. Good luck with this. Just trying to place the Rock Garden. Is it that lovely park near the petrol station - pond full of large carp, stepping stones and paths leading up and down the hillside? Has that now become a wildlife park? Back in the day when we used to meet my Dad after work near there we'd walk through that park. My recollection is of a very tidy and if anything "over-tended" park. Have you chnaged the emphasis? A little update would be interesting for those of us no longer in the BN area.

edit: here's a review - assume this is it:

On the opposite side of Preston Road from Preston Park proper is Britain’s largest municipal rock garden, built on a steep slope that runs up to the railway line. It’s an impressive creation, but is often overlooked by those using the park and I suspect is unknown to most of those driving past, to and from Brighton.

Laid out in 1935, it incorporates over 1,350 of imported Cheddar stone, and has lots of winding paths, steps, a cascade, and a large fish pond with stepping stones. The garden overall has a vaguely oriental theme, although the types of plant include more ordinary bedding plants as well as alpines.

It’s a great place for playing hide and seek, as the paths really do form a warren, but the paths and steps can be both slippery (especially when wet) and are very uneven, so have to be treated with great care. There are lots of benches to sit on, and there are good views from the upper levels - its over 100ft (30m) to the top of the garden from the road.

Only very limited areas adjacent to the road are accessible for push-chairs and wheelchair users. The pond has deep water, and some parts are very steep with lots of sheer drops, so small children must be supervised.

Unfortunately, some of the public don’t treat the park with the respect it deserves, so some parts suffer badly from litter - beer cans especially - which end up in the cascade. Some of the plants are also looking a little forlorn, so it drops a star for this.

 

[cw00]

Preston Park, Brighton, Brighton and Hove BN1 6, United Kingdom - Google Maps

isn't google streetview great!

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Preston Park, Brighton, Brighton and Hove BN1 6, United Kingdom - Google Maps

isn't google streetview great!

That's great cw00

 

[jevs]

TRHK. Thanks for that summery. The photo you show is a fairly recent one as the conifer at the bottom of the slope was set on fire recently.

With regards to the woodland area, this is the area that basically forms the outer area of the rockery...the bit between the path that runs up to the top and the railway line. This is largely untouched and really needs maintenance....so what would be better than a woodland walk and wildlife area.

The garden teems with wildlife as it is....some wonderful birdlife can be found as well as frogs, toads, newts, foxes and god knows what else.

Unfortunately, as in most areas, when you used to walk through the garden to meet your dad, there was probably in excess of 5 gardeners full time there. Now, there's only me.

many of the plants in there are looking tired now too. Lots of them are what can only be describes as "typical parks planting" where hardy and often prickly shrubs would be chucked in just to fill a gap. We are addressing this but it's a slow business and any new areas that we strip out and replant have to be left for a year to kill off any perennial weeds such as bindweed. When we do replant, the plants often take a few years to establish themselves....that is if they're not stolen or smashed to pieces by the yobs !!!!!

The pond will look a lot better this year, the water lillies went a bit mad recently and we've had to have a serious thin out. The fish are magnificent and love it in there although i did lose 5 seriously big Golden Orfe in there last summer due to oxygen depletion during the stormy, humid times we had.

The cascades represents a completely different kettle of fish. Unfortunately, a wino decided to take up residence in the pump house by the pond. When we kicked him out, he took objection to it and burnt the bloody place down. The pump is seriously expensive and the whole project is a fairly dangerous one but i've been assured that it will be sorted.

With any new planting i do ( I have total control on what i plant and where i plant it), i try to make the plants "multi-tasking" ie i try to get plants with many different atributes. Scented flowers or foliage, large colourful leaves, autumn colours and winter bark colour are all things i look for in the plants as well as shape and structure. One thing i did last autumn was to plant 4,000 spring flowering bulbs to compliment the existing collection. Presently, all the crocus and chinadoxa are in full flower. When they've finnished, the daffodils and narcissus will take over followed by the 1,200 new tulips and then the bluebells and woodland anemones. It'll look a picture in april and may.

So if anyone's passing, please pop in and say hello. I'm the bald fat one wearing a city parks uniform. I'll happily answer any questions you have (whether its rock garden related or not) and you never know, i might even show you round as there so much more than just a few plants and rocks.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Would be delighted to stop by next time I'm in Brighton with a spare half hour.

 

[jevs]

Would be delighted to stop by next time I'm in Brighton with a spare half hour.

PM me the day before if poss and i'll make sure im there.

 

[Jack Straw]

This sounds like fun.
I might give it a go next week!
I might pop in and have a look at the bulbs before that.
Seriously Jevs, it seems you've taken the bull by the horns now. which is exactly what you need to do.
Good luck to you sir.
Looking forwards to seeing the forthcoming transformation.

 

[PHCgull]

enjoyed some of the first furtive spliffs of my early teen life in that garden

 

[Beach Hut]

My Sister-in-law had her wedding photos taken there