Growing for Gold in Forest Hill

Following last year's "outstanding" RHS In Bloom rating we are celebrating this year by combining the Edible High Road scheme with the RHS's Golden anniversary by planting tubs of sunflowers, poppies and strawberries throughout the town.  So far we have 110 tubs on order in Forest Hill and Honor Oak Park - so, if you would like to help turn the centre of Forest Hill  gold and edible for the summer, you can help - no experience necessary, simply turn up with gardening gloves, a trowel and secateurs.  Key dates are:

Sunday April 13th 2.00pm - Forest Hill station forecourt to plant seeds and tidy up.
Sunday April 27th from 11.00am - Devonshire Road Nature Reserve to pot up and decorate tubs. Pizza lunch!
Saturday May 10th 2.00-4.00pm - Forest Hill station forecourt - Launch the Edible High Road with music and loads of giveaway free edible plants.

Join in and help make Forest Hill a brighter and more pleasant place to live.

Shall we fetch you water out of this rock?

It may have taken a long time, but we have finally managed to install a watering system for the main flower bed outside Forest Hill Station.

One of the recommendations from our entry into the "It's Your Neighbourhood" competition in 2011 was that we install a watering system for the main beds in front of the station. Although we have selected woodland plants, the trees' canopy prevents water from reaching the ground and it was proving too large a burden for our group of volunteers to carry the many watering cans of water from the platform, through the ticket gates to the car park several times a week; while it kept us fit, it took too long.

We initially bid for the funding from the local assembly in July 2011 and were awarded the funding in March 2012, but it has taken us over a year to deliver due to a number of delays including station upgrades, Network Rail red tape, the Olympics and our own scarce time. LOROL eventually put us in contact with one of their contractors who have been very helpful in getting this project completed a little later than we had hoped, but in time for this year's competition.

We are all looking forward to stunning blooms this summer and for many years to come.

An Evening of Gardening Fun

Thursday 6th June, 7.30pm
Upstairs at The Hob, opposite Forest Hill station.

Talk accompanied by video with musical comedy opener and closure.

Fiona Hull - local organic gardener and video editor promoting the benefits of growing organically and the medicinal and multiple other uses of plants.  

Also:  local musical comedy duo, Dan and Jo, with "Can you dig it?" - fresh from their appearance on Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time with their comedy songs about growing your own.

Free entry

"A chance to ask all the questions you've always wanted to ask but didn't know where to go"

RHS “In Bloom – It’s Your Neighbourhood”

It’s summer time – yes, it really is summer time – so it’s time for Forest Hill’s gardeners to come to the aid of the town centre flower beds. It is your neighbourhood, so please get involved in making Forest Hill look summertime lovely by helping out on Sunday June 9th at 2.00pm. Just turn up at the station forecourt with a trowel, secateurs, gardening gloves, and a spare plastic carrier bag. Or if you have none of the above, and not even green fingers, come along anyway and you will be able to lend a helping hand.

Judgement Day is on Tuesday 9th July and this time, with the success of the Edible High Road, we want Forest Hill town centre to look really outstanding.

The Forest Hill Society gardening group has been working hard this year. We’ve created vibrant large new planters at the entrance to the station, replaced and replenished the central beds under the trees in the forecourt, extended our planting to the boxes in front of Dartmouth Road’s Job Centre and have had a deal of success in encouraging local businesses to “green up” their frontages. And climbing roses and honeysuckle are now draping gracefully over the railings above the upgraded underpass. But with more volunteers we can go that extra half mile and put on a really great sh

ow for this year’s RHS judges.

So....Forest Hillers, help to make your neighbourhood bloom by volunteering a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon, 9th June. After all, it is your neighbourhood.

If you are interested in helping out or would like to be kept in touch with other opportunities to help make Forest Hill bloom, email volunteers@foresthillsociety.com

Tewkesbury Lodge Open Gardens - 15th & 16th June

A group of four very different gardens in Forest Hill will be open to the public under the National Garden Scheme on 15th June (5-8pm) and 16th June (2-6pm). Situated just behind the Horniman Museum, the gardens are within a few minutes walk of each other on a hill with spectacular views over London and the North Downs. Proceeds to cancer, caring, and gardening charities.

27 Horniman Drive

28 Horniman Drive

53 Ringmore Rise

Coach House, 3 The Hermitage, Westwood Park.

You will find a small SE-facing garden with richly coloured borders within formal outlines to complement a modern extension, plus a mini-meadow and a tranquil vegetable area with seating; a hilltop country garden in two sections, evolving from the owner's love of growing vegetables, with raised beds, a fruit cage, greenhouse, chicken run, and working and wildlife areas; a front garden inspired by Beth Chatto's dry garden, with stunning borders in soft mauves, yellows and white, interspersed with drifts of red and purple poppies; and a sculptor’s creative courtyard ‘container’ garden crammed with unusual plants and the artist’s sculptures and ceramics (for sale).

Combined admission: £6 (payable at 27 Horniman Drive). No charge for accompanied children.

Homemade cakes and tea on Sunday. Plants for sale on both days.

NB. Sorry, wheelchair access not possible. Well-trained dogs on leads welcome.

New planters installed at entrance to Forest Hill station

At the last Ward Assembly of 2012 the Forest Hill Society successfully bid for funds to replace the two collapsing barrel tubs which have stood outside the entrance to Forest Hill Station for many years.  Local workman Tony O’Toole of Renovations Unlimited was commissioned to build replacements and on Sunday 2nd December, with the help of some fourteen volunteers, two large square planters of seasoned cedar wood were installed. 

These new planters cover most of the top of the brick plinth on which they stand – one of the ideas being that this would reduce space for litter to accumulate - so far with a degree of success. The old barrel tubs were donated to a local community gardening group for rebuilding and reuse by them. 

A selection of plants which need little attention were chosen, along the lines of a spiky thing in the middle of each, ivy around the edges, spring bulbs, and bright coloured somethings for summer. With this in mind we chose a colour scheme of pinks to purples and various shades of green: mixed Heucheras, Alliums and trailing Ivy were planted with a pink edged Phormium standing tall in the centre.   Mixed daffodils and narcissi will enliven the arrangement come the Spring.

If you would like to join in our community gardening activities (no experience necessary) - please contact volunteers@foresthillsociety.com

Planting at Forest Hill and Honor Oak Park Stations - 20th October

Forest Hill Society are planning autumn bulb planting and general tidy-up for the areas we've planted in Forest Hill and Honor Oak Park on Saturday 20th October 2.00-4.00pm, meeting in the forecourt of Forest Hill Station and Honor Oak Park station for simultaneous planting at both stations!

Could you please let us know if you are likely to be available as it is very useful to have an idea how many people might be helping - email@foresthillsociety.com

We hope to see you on the 20th October, with gardening gloves, and if you can bring secateurs, trowel and a spare plastic bag. Many hands make light work - and it's fun!

Events

SPRING WOODLAND WALK, SUNDAY, 25 MARCH, 11.00am

Join us on our Woodland Walk. Starting from London Road, Horniman Gardens lower entrance, bottom of Sydenham Hill (not Sydenham Rise). A guided walk will take us through Sydenham Woods looking at the disused railway line and spring flowers. 'Pissarro's bridge' is shown to the right.

FOREST HILL PLANTING, 28 APRIL
Join us for Forest Hill in Bloom 2012!
Meet at 2.30pm, Sat 28 April, at the station forecourt. Bring gardening gloves, trowel and a plastic bag.
We will be holding a similar event in Honor Oak Park (timing to be confirmed)

FOREST HILL WINS COMMUNITY AWARD

Our exciting initiative of planting at the station and along London Road has been awarded a certificate in the ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ scheme.

We were assessed in the summer and awarded a 'thriving' status - one category (and only three points) down from 'outstanding'. An excellent first year attempt. The beds have also recently been planted with hundreds of spring bulbs, which will be an awesome display next year.

Well done and many thanks to Quetta Kaye and all the green fingered volunteers, and especially to those who laboured through the summer months hauling watering cans.

Thanks to Shannon's Garden Centre for donating plants, the Horniman Gardens for donating compost, Natures Gym for helping us break the back of the project by removing the old shrubs, Willmott Dixon for helping to repair some of the flowerbeds and LOROL for their encouragement and support in making this happen. Also thanks to Lewisham Council and the Forest Hill local assembly for providing funds.

Planting Spring Blubs

Bloomin' Marvellous

As you are hopefully aware, Forest Hill Society has entered the RHS "It's Your Neighbourhood" scheme and planted the beds outside the station. But now it is your chance.

The annual Lewisham in Bloom competition is here again.

The competition which is open to residents, schools and businesses, gives recognition to the best front gardens, residential planters, business premises, school grounds, wildlife gardens and community gardens in the borough.

There are prizes of £150, £100 and £75 for the winners and runners up.

There are six categories:

Category A: Residential front garden (small – under 20m squared)
Category B: Residential front garden (large – over 20m squared)
Category C: Residential planters (window boxes, hanging baskets, tubs etc)
Category D: Business premises
Category E: School grounds
Category F: Wildlife garden
Category G: Community garden

To enter, download and complete the application form, stating which category you are entering, and return it to Lewisham Council by Wednesday 29 June.

For more information call Katy on 020 8314 2277.

Tewkesbury Lodge Garden Group opening 2011

Saturday, June 11th and Sunday, June, 12th

A group of six very different gardens in Forest Hill SE23 will be open to the public under the National Gardens Scheme, raising money for cancer, caring and gardening charities. The gardens are within easy, if steep, walking distance of each other.

Opening times: Sat June 11th, 6-9pm. Sun June 12th, 2-6pm.

Combined admission on both days £7. Free for accompanied children.

Garden tickets & Plants for sale on the Green at the junction of Horniman Drive and Liphook Crescent.

Refreshments: Homemade tea and cakes on Sunday.

NB. Sorry, wheelchair access not possible, well-trained dogs on leads welcome.

The gardens include a sculptor’s courtyard, crammed full of unusual plants and the artist’s ceramics; there is artwork for sale. A garden designer’s own country style garden (featured in national magazines) delights the eye with lovely plant combinations. Other owners offer a front garden inspired by Beth Chatto’s dry garden; herbaceous planting that complements a modern house extension; and deep informal flower borders under mature trees. A love of vegetable growing is evident with green houses, raised beds, a fruit cage and chicken run. The new garden in the group is a peaceful organic haven with a gravelled beds, summerhouse and newly planted red garden. Wildlife flourishes too, with areas to encourage interest and diversity.

Forest Hill in Bloom

Many thanks to everybody involved in planting the flowers around Forest Hill station over the last couple of weeks. We hope everybody enjoys the improvements this will make to the station forecourt and the station platforms.

Forest Hill will Bloom in 2011

The Forest Hill Society plans to enter the ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ section of London in Bloom 2011. With a February deadline for submission, the inaugural ideas and volunteers planning meeting will be held on Sunday, January 16th 2011 at 3pm at the Devonshire Road Nature Reserve.

The geographical limit – what “our neighbourhood” will cover – will have to be defined, but we will probably start modestly in our first year, perhaps limited to a small central patch to see how things develop. We might just start with the green area in front of Forest Hill station. But all decisions have yet to be made on what and where to plant; what sponsorship or funding we might attract and generally how we are going to proceed with this new enterprise. So input from the wider community is essential: this is YOUR Forest Hill so we need to know what you think about sprucing it up with flowers.

If you have ideas, this is your chance to be involved in beautifying Forest Hill and greening up our town centre. If you have green fingers and would like to get dug in, would like to learn, or just have some thoughts about what you would like to see, please contact quetta@foresthillsociety.com. Better still, come along on the 16th to help shape our entry.

With a little bit of work, Forest Hill will bloom in 2011.