Beautify Balham

I often wonder what people think about their front gardens. They are a valuable bit of real estate, but are often overlooked in the rush to get to the front door. Invariably they are just a place to put the dustbin or from which to collect the Amazon parcel.

Home owners value the front of their house for various reasons. Some will spend a lot of money paving over the frontage to make it easy to sweep and clean. I have seen some impressive marble tiling akin to an exotic palace courtyard but do feel this is out of keeping with a South London street. On a positive note, it is lovely to see residents bring their front paths back to Victorian glory with the traditional black and white tiles and metal railings.

Others look upon the front space as a very valuable place to park the car. This saves them money in paying annual parking charges but needs an application and payment for a pavement crossover. I can’t help thinking this is not what was originally envisaged when the house was built. The front of the property becomes sterile and unless paved in an ecological way causes water run-off and overflowing gullies.

As basements have become more ubiquitous for growing families, the front garden has been eaten into to accommodate the light-well. In some cases front gardens have a strengthened metal grill so you can have light to the basement and a car parked on top. The front garden is sacrificed for more space for busy families.

In my opinion the best front gardens are those that introduce a bit of greenery and nature to our city streets. Little lawns and flowerbeds need attention but not only are a real pleasure to the householder but also perk up the neighbourhood. When passers-by see gardeners tending pots, window boxes or hanging baskets, it is not unusual for them to stop and chat – so rare in the hustle-bustle of city life. I have had some very interesting discussions on varieties of carrots, the risk of frost, what sort of grow-bags to purchase and the best plants for shade/sun – all over my garden gate. Front gardens are a precious resource for us city dwellers. Let’s make the most of them to bring the local community together and green up our urban living.

Don’t forget to enter Balham in Bloom!

– Sarah McDermott

The vast majority of London homes have front gardens and they used to be the pride and joy of residents. Often they featured a mixture of hedgerows and rose bushes but also flowers and lawns. Sadly, today, owners want minimal effort gardens or a place to park their car. Consequently front gardens are being paved over at an unprecedented rate. Every year London loses the equivalent in size of two and a half Hyde Parks due to this growing trend.

The consequence of this loss of green space has mounting repercussions. With less bare earth, rain water can no longer penetrate the ground and feed water tables. Instead the water washes down drains in large volumes and inevitably this creates flooding. In direct contrast, in the summer, the paving stones, concrete or impermeable surfaces retain heat. This accentuates temperature rises in urban areas and with global temperatures due to increase this will only worsen the situation. 

Encouraging people to plant hedges in front gardens means pollution levels are reduced as the plants sequester co2 from the air and improve air quality close to houses. 

A greener front garden is also beneficial for wildlife and increases biodiversity. We need to encourage birds to nest and insects to feed off berries from hedges and flowers. Without this we will lose the precious wildlife left in our urban environments.

There is also scientific evidence that clearly shows that time spent in a green environment and engaging in gardening, even on a sporadic basis, will improve our wellbeing. Humans feel happier when they are surrounded by vegetation and trees. We inherently respond to green spaces and benefit from them, mentally and physically.

All these points should hopefully encourage you to plant in your front garden either straight in the earth or in pots and whilst you’re at it, do sign up to our wonderful competition “Balham in Bloom”. To encourage the beautification of Balham front gardens, hanging baskets and window boxes can enter the competition and the winner will be revealed on the 26th of June.

By working together we can protect our biodiversity and combat climate change. 

– Justine McNeil from Balham Street Gardeners