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Dulwich and its neighbourhood is a green oasis bejewelled by its gardens - many magnificent, all inspirational, and all backed by astonishing depths of gardening knowledge. Each Spring the Gardens sub-committee publishes a comprehensive “Dulwich Gardens open for charity” booklet, with details of the local gardens that are open to the public during the year.
The sub-committee also organises an annual garden talk and an annual coach tour to one or more gardens of national importance, as well as occasional local visits. Details of these events, which are open to all members of the Dulwich Society and their friends, are included in the Society’s quarterly Journal and its monthly eNewsletter.
We contribute articles to the Society’s Journal, and generally we support gardening and related activities in our area. The Dulwich Society is an affiliated society of the Royal Horticultural Society. The Gardens sub-committee normally meets four times a year. If you are interested in joining the committee, please contact Jeremy Prescott.
Gardens Group terms of reference (PDF)
Contact: Jeremy Prescott,
7.30pm, Tuesday 28 February 2023
Changing weather patterns – in 2022, a warmer wetter winter, a hot dry summer, a mild autumn – could be a taste of the future. In her illustrated talk, Sue Fisher will look at the major impacts of climate change on gardens and how to mitigate the effects, with a wealth of tips and practical advice.
Sue Fisher’s horticultural career spans over 40 years, starting with a decade in the garden centre and nursery industry before developing into an accomplished gardening writer, designer and speaker. Sue writes regularly for Gardener’s World and Garden Answers magazines. She has written 10 books on subjects including container gardening, organic gardening, edible crops, and plants for small gardens, as well as co-authoring other books with some of the biggest names in gardening. Sue lives in West Devon where she combines her passions for plants alongside sustainable and wildlife-friendly gardening in her own ¾ acre plot.
The talk is given in association with Bell House Dulwich, with any surplus going towards its garden activities. Tickets are £5 - book here.
Walking around Dulwich it is easy to miss the many allotment sites. Hidden from view from the main thoroughfares, lie over 920 of the UK’s 330,000 allotment plots, providing fresh fruit and vegetables - and a lot of enjoyment - to many local families, as well as valuable wildlife habitats and community resources.
These sites do not have continuous histories of cultivation, unlike some rural allotment sites. Gunsite Allotments in Grange Lane were founded in 1966 on the site of the WWII gun battery. Grove Park Allotments in Camberwell are part of what was once eighteenth century physician Dr John Lettsom’s gardens; this site was established when allotments in Camberwell had to be moved. And Grange Lane Allotments, below Dulwich Wood, was a barrage balloon emplacement during the Second World War, but according to Adrian Hill, chairman of the Camberwell & District Allotment Society, the fragments of clay churchwarden pipes that are unearthed when digging suggest that prior to that, the land was a staging post for cattle on their way to the slaughterhouses of the city; the drovers using the rest to take the opportunity to enjoy a pipe.
Sylvia Myers, senior site and projects officer with London Wildlife Trust at the Centre for Wildlife Gardening, shares her tips on successful wildlife gardening.
The question you might ask is why do you want to encourage wildlife into your garden? Firstly, a lot of declining wildlife lives (and can thrive) in our gardens - hedgehogs, house sparrows and the majestic stag beetle. Secondly and more selfishly, wildlife can help us - toads eat slugs, ladybirds eat aphids and worms make compost. Thirdly, wildlife is a wonder in our gardens that can bring so much colour and life - blackbirds’ sweet morning chorus, iridescent damselflies paired in a wheel and hummingbird hawkmoths hovering with exotic flair.
Making small changes and additions to help wildlife is easy, and a lot of the activities can be fun projects as well. Even one or two tiny additions can make a huge difference. London’s private gardens make up about a quarter of London by area. That’s a lot of London - and it’s even more in Dulwich. If we all do our bit to help wildlife we can create a giant nature reserve that is fantastic for both people and wildlife.
Here are some of the gardening and wildlife organisations in and around Dulwich which would be pleased to hear from you if you would like to spend time helping them. Please check that the volunteering sessions are on the days and times shown before turning up with your wellies and gardening gloves, since they can change from time to time.
Bell House
Bell House, a volunteer-led educational charity in the heart of Dulwich Village, is surrounded by beautiful and historic gardens. Volunteers are welcomed on Saturday and Thursday mornings from 9:30 - 11:30am, and Tuesday afternoon 2-4pm.
- Bell House Dulwich, 27 College Road, Dulwich, London SE21 7BG
- https://www.bellhouse.co.uk/garden-volunteers
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