Image Credit - Richard and Sandra Pilborough
2020/21 have been strange years for everyone in the country due to Covid, but the Wild About Gardens volunteers have adapted well and been doing a variety of interesting things.
As we did during 2020, we have maintained contact with each other and improved our knowledge and skills by using Zoom meetings for training workshops and planning for 2022. Our topics have been varied and included wilder lawns, dealing with pesticides, creating and maintaining ponds and creating a wildflower meadow.
Visiting gardens in our usual way has not been possible again this year. In order to maintain our contact with the public we have run our own Open Gardens scheme. A new venture for us. As the rules have become a bit more relaxed some of our volunteers have opened up their own gardens to the public. Visitors booked a timed slot via the KWT website so we were able to comply with Covid regulations to keep our team and the public safe. People said “More days like this” and “A lovely garden with plenty of KWT’s enthusiastic volunteers available. The weather hasn’t always been kind but we soldiered on.
Another way we have been able to reach out is by attending Village fetes. Organisers have been kind enough to offer us a space for displays. Volunteers have been on hand to answer questions and give advice. These have often been attended by families and so the opportunity to speak to the younger generation has not been wasted! This has been a great success – we’ve already been asked to return next year!
Our advice to the public has continued using our new found Zoom skills, by offering workshops on a variety of topics. We have had good feedback and also been asked to continue with this during the winter period of 2021. These talks have been tailored and have included a Wilder Gardens Question Time, pollinator friendly gardening, building and maintaining a wildlife pond and Wilder Lawns.
We will end our Open Gardens scheme with a visit to East Farleigh on 23rd October. Please book to support our events.
Watch what we got up to at one of our Open Garden events here: