Beautify Balham

Striving for a greener, cleaner and more beautiful Balham.

beautifybalham

Balham in Bloom 2023

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Our third Balham in Bloom competition was yet another wonderful celebration of the beautiful gardens of Balham and the gardening skill of our residents.

A new category was added – Best Balham Street – to the traditional list of Best Front Garden and Best Hanging Basket & Window Box, and we may add another in 2024.
Watch this space!

This year we were joined by Balham Climate Action, who are a newly formed local action group of Friends of the Earth. There was of course the traditional planting of
flowers for all ages and then the Beautify Balham team practised some standing up yoga, guided by the talented Anh, founder of Music Yoga Flow.

We were very grateful to our judges – professional gardeners Cheryle Morison, Wayne Amiel and Gareth James – for selecting the winners amidst a record number of entries.

The winners and runner ups were celebrated and received their much-deserved prizes from Helen Egan, our Balham resident and world-renowned Irish dancer. She was the former lead dancer in Lord of The Dance, the Irish musical and dance show and alongside Michael Flatley danced to sold out crowds around the world. Helen was the original dancer to play the character, the Little Spirit, who is at the centre of a story that sees good ultimately overcome evil. A massive thank you to her for participating in our event!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the local businesses who kindly donated the prizes:

We look forward to our 4th Balham in Bloom on Saturday the 15th of June 2024. If you are interested in participating in a future Balham in Bloom, you can register today!
If you want to help Beautify Balham on one of our litter picks or other events, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at hello@beautifybalham.org.

Autumn to Winter

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October has now ended, taking with it the last of the summer’s heat.
With the change of seasons comes a different set of needs for our gardens.
Autumn is the perfect time to tidy up before the really cold weather sets in. As plants and grass begin to slow their growth, it’s a good time to have a clear up in the garden.

Mulch and Mush

Cut back plants that have turned brown and mushy, but maybe leave some of the more interesting seed heads for the birds and to add interest to the borders architecturally.
If you have a lawn, it’s better to avoid cutting it. Aerate the lawn with a fork then rake up leaves as they fall and use them for mulch on your flower beds, or you can also gather up the leaves and place them in black plastic sacks. Tie up the bag and make holes with a fork before storing them behind a shed or out of sight. Wait until the Spring when they will have mulched down, ready to spread around trees and shrubs.

Indoor flowers

Prepare indoor bulbs for flowering at Christmas. Hyacinths and daffodils can be forced during the winter months. You can find bulbs on sale now in garden centres and nurseries. Prepare a pot with holes in the bottom and cover with a few crocks. Mix some compost with grit and fill the pot half way up. Place the bulbs on top then cover with more compost and water slightly. Place in a dark cupboard and check for new growth. Water if dry. Bring them out into the light onto a window sill when shoots are about 5 cm, then enjoy watching them grow and flower in your home.

More things to do this week…

  • Deadhead flowers that are continuing to bloom
  • Collect seeds and store in paper envelopes or bags and label. Store in a dry place until Spring
  • Prune branches on trees and shrubs that have died back or are in the way. Cut back to a healthy side branch
  • Divide deciduous shrubs by cutting back foliage, forking roots apart and replanting elsewhere
  • Plant bulbs: daffodils, crocus, iris reticulata, muscari (grape hyacinth) and scillas in window boxes and in the garden. Tulips can be planted now too or well into November or December.

Oh yes, and don’t forget to feed the birds! Seeds, berries and suet balls will be appreciated and a lovely way to light up a gloomy day watching from your window!

Enjoy your Autumn and Winter gardening! Please send your seasonal gardening tips to us at hello@beautifybalham.org or tag us in on social media through @BeautifyBalham!

Air Quality in Balham

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Beautify Balham has been working alongside Desirée Abrahams from Global Action Plan and Graham Peterson from Greener Jobs Alliance to monitor the air quality in Balham and Tooting. 

We were loaned an air quality AM520 monitor in November 2022 and, after calibrating it, we set off in pursuit of hot spots where we thought high particle pollution might be found.

The accepted level of PM 2.5 particulates per cubic square metre is 15mgm (averaged over 24 hours), set by the WHO (World Health Organisation). Action for Clean Air gives a very good definition of what we are measuring and why. They also have free resources for schools and businesses. 

Nitrogen Oxide tubes are placed on lampposts and are available free from the council. We have one sited on Bedford Hill near the junction with Hildreth Street Market, which has been installed by Imperial College, so we can access that data. 

Monitoring air quality near Hildreth Street

We started at Bedford Hill Place, where we meet for our monthly litter picks, and headed south going up Bedford Hill. We then cut through Elmfield Road, as we wanted to monitor school streets, and crossed over Balham High Road to Balham Park Road and outside Trinity St. Mary’s School. We then cut up Boundaries Road under the railway bridge towards Chestnut Grove outside the school there. We crossed Endelsham Road into Ramsden Road then crossed the High Road up Bedford Hill to complete our circuit. These are the readings from our findings.

Monitoring results:

  • 10:15 [back of Sainsburys] – 21mgm
  • 10:30 [Bedford Hill/Fernley Rd near Balham station] – 23/25mgm
  • 10:30 [Elmfield Rd/Ravenstone School] – 17mgm
  • 10:31 [Elmfield Rd/Ravenstone School] – 24mgm
  • 10:35 [Balham HS in front of restaurant] – 36- 43mgm
  • 10:40 Trinity St Mary’s Balham Park Rd] – 16/17mgm
  • 10:45 Access Storage /under RR bridge, Boundaries Rd] – 15 – 19mgm
  • 10:46 Access Storage/under RR bridge, Boundaries Rd – 36 – 16mgm
  • 10:50 [corner Boundaries Rd and Chestnut Grove] – 20mgm
  • 10:50 [skip/lorry passes] – 27mgm
  • 10:55 [ Endelsham Rd midway-end of road] – 22- 25mgm
  • 11:00 [corner Ramsden and Norgrove] – 19mgm
  • 11:05 [Balham Library]- 21mgm
  • 11:06 [ Waitrose] – 20/22/23/24mgm
  • 11:08 [corner Bedford Hill and Balham High Road] – 36- 55- 61- 70mgm
  • 11:09 [Bedford Hill Rd] in front of café] – 143-157-167-170mgm
  • **Levels of PM2.5 often went higher when we were passing food outlets**
  • ** Generally, higher PM2.5 level at junctions**

It would appear that on the whole the main streets around Balham are relatively safe, just a few points above the average, but there were hot spots outside food outlets cooking food, and buses idling at traffic lights or bus stops (even though that are deemed to be eco buses now!) 

We want to use this data to encourage the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Transport for London (TFL) to allow businesses in Balham High Road to have planters outside their premises, and for TfL to plant more trees to mitigate the effects of polluted air and flooding. 

We are in negotiation with the Mayor’s office and TFL to move this forward so hopefully with their support, we will see more greenery in Balham and Tooting in the near future. The Mayor’s office has a scheme ‘Trees for London’ giving £3.1million for tree planting in the capital this summer and they are aiming to plant 1000 new trees in priority areas ‘Trees for Streets’. 

The scheme is for residents or businesses to sponsor a tree then the Mayor will sponsor one further tree to match fund it.  (They have planted 430,000 trees since 2016 and aim to increase the number of trees in London by 10% by 2050.)

Wandsworth Council has not joined either of these schemes so we will put pressure on them to do so. 

This fits perfectly with Beautify Balham’s aims ‘to clean up and green up Balham’.

If you want to write to us and have your own blog post & thoughts placed on this website to help others, please reach out to us via our Contact Us page!

– Jean Millar and The Beautify Balham Team

Why you should install a water butt in your garden

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Have you ever considered all the rainwater that falls on your roof and gets funnelled away to the drains? No, I hadn’t either, until this summer. After last year’s heat wave it’s perhaps time to think about saving rainwater ready for potential more soaring temperatures during the summer months.

Here are several reasons why I think installing a water butt should be standard practice in our gardens:

Fresh water is a precious resource

Here in Britain we take our rainy days for granted, often wishing them away. Yet compare our green and fertile hills with those arid areas of the world where rain isn’t as plentiful, and we start to understand how this amazing supply of fresh water is actually one of our most precious resources.

A sprinkle of rainwater is similar to a light dose of fertiliser

Rainwater contains nitrates and organic matter, so it feeds and nourishes the plants as you’re watering them. Get ready for lush foliage!

Rainwater is 100% soft on plants

If you feel like you’ve always struggled to keep house plants happy, try watering them with rainwater! Rainwater is soft: free from the salts, minerals and chemicals found in treated tap water, natural ground water and surface water. The residues from these can be harsh on plants and will build up in the soil over time if you’re not careful. Rainwater is also slightly acidic, which helps create the soil conditions that the majority of plants prefer. 

Water butt harvesting saves money if you’re on a water meter

Outdoor water use accounts for around 7% of our total household water use on average, but on a hot summer day this can rise to over 50%! Don’t waste high quality metered drinking water on plants – use a watering can and saved rainwater to keep plants hydrated through the summer.

It mitigates flooding

If we all collected rainwater less water would run off the paved surfaces and flood the street drains. Unfortunately more and more front and back gardens get paved over, and water can no longer seep back into the ground. This precipitates flooding of streets and homes. Collecting water in water butts can be a wonderful way to mitigate this.

Councils now subsidise water butts by 60% or more

To encourage more residents to save rainwater, many councils have schemes providing subsidised water butts that can cut start-up costs to around £30 or less for a standard 200-litre water butt. Take a look at the council’s website to order yours. www.getcomposting.com

Water butts are quick and easy to install, and last for many years

Most water butts come with attachments that fit to your gutter’s down pipe. These divert the rainwater into the butt until it fills, allowing any excess water to flow away as normal. The instructions are clear and you need no great DIY skill. Even if there’s no access or room to attach a water butt to the main down pipe from your roof, you could still harvest nearly 640 litres of water a year from a 7ft by 5ft shed roof. That’s more than enough water to keep 50 tomato plants healthy for up to three months!

Water butts support the recycling industry

Most water butts are made from hardwearing recycled plastic, so your purchase helps to support Britain’s green industry and keep a chunk of useful material out of landfill.

If you want to write to us and have your own blog post & thoughts placed on this website to help others, please reach out to us via our Contact Us page!

– Justine McNeil and The Beautify Balham Team
Information sourced from https://blog.greenredeem.co.uk/

The Bees Knees

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When thinking about the word pollinator we tend to think of the fuzzy bumblebee, so it is amazing to realise that there are 1,500 species of insect pollinator in the UK including, not only the much loved bumblebee, but butterflies, moths, flies and beetles. Excitingly birds, bats and even monkeys are important pollinators in the rest of the world! But back to the streets of Balham…

We are lucky to live in a city that is almost 50% green space – nevertheless we can and should do more to support our threatened pollinators. Urban environments can even be seen as a refuge for biodiversity from intensively farmed agricultural landscapes.

If you want to make a difference, here are three easy steps to supporting local pollinators:

  1. Don’t use any pesticides;
  2. Grow plants with simple flower shapes;
  3. Aim for flowers all through the year.

Don’t use any pesticides

Insect populations have declined massively, and many put the blame on pollution through pesticide use. The best tactic is to not use them at all and garden organically.

Grow plants with simple flower shapes

Flower shapes evolved naturally to help encourage visits by pollinators. After all, the plants need pollinators to help them set seed. However, plant breeding by people has created more complex flower shapes, which are beautiful to the human eye but poorly adapted to pollinators. Avoid double and semi-double flowers to keep your pollinators happy.

Aim for flowers all through the year

The climate crisis is making our weather more unpredictable. We need to make sure that there is food available for pollinators at all times of the year in case unseasonable warmth brings hibernating insects out super early in the year, so we need to do a bit more planning for our planting schemes. Spring and summer are relatively easy seasons to keep the nectar flowing through lots of flowers, although there are some extra pollinator friendly plants I have listed below.

The plants listed here are great for nectar and pollen – but don’t forget that pollinators, just like humans, also need somewhere to live and raise their offspring.

Winter:

  • Hellebores
  • Snowdrops
  • Sweet box
  • Mahonia
  • Winter honeysuckle

Spring:

  • Catmint
  • Lungwort
  • Geranium species
  • Any of the flowering fruit trees like apple, plum and pear
  • Dandelion
  • Forget-me-not
  • Rosemary

Summer:
Oh my goodness – so many to choose from!
Just remember to keep flower shapes simple and avoid double and semi double. Some of the best are:

  • Lavender
  • Echium
  • Verbena bonariensis
  • Thyme
  • Oregano
  • Night scented stock (especially good for moths)

Autumn:

  • Asters
  • Japanese anemone
  • Simple (not double) dahlias
  • Common Ivy (also a great habitat provider)
  • Autumn flowering salvias
  • Ice plant (Sedum)

Following the three steps should bring a wealth of pollinators to your patch of space, no matter how small, and you will have made a difference. Happy pollinator spotting!

Hazel Norman – Chief Executive of the British Ecological Society – written in a personal capacity

If you want to write to us and have your own blog post & thoughts placed on this website to help others, please reach out to us via our Contact Us page!

The Triangle Garden at Chestnut Grove

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Armed with forks and trowels and wearing Beautify Balham hi-vis vests, together we are going to continue the wonderful work started by local residents Richard, Charlie and Brendan. This garden is on land that no one seems to own, but has been adopted for many years and admired by passers by.

Sadly Richard died, and Charlie and Brendan have hung up their gardening gloves, but they generously asked Beautify Balham to continue their good work.

Justine and Jean from Beautify Balham decided it would be a good idea for children to be involved so asked the local schools. Mark Peters, Deputy Head from Hornsby House School responded.

Each Thursday from 3.45-4.30pm until daylight diminishes, we are going to tidy up and replant this mature garden that just needs a little TLC and some more plants to fill the gaps.

If anyone has bulbs or plants to give to this worthy cause, or could support with a donation to make towards the upkeep, please contact us at hello@beautifybalham.org or donate via PayPal using the form here.

Watch this space & enjoy the cleaning up and greening up of another corner of Balham!

– Jean Millar and The Beautify Balham Team

If you want to write to us and have your own blog post & thoughts placed on this website to help others, please reach out to us via our Contact Us page!