Beautify Balham

Striving for a greener, cleaner and more beautiful Balham.

Beautify Balham

Hedge Fun

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So many of the lovely Victorian houses in Balham are being returned to a modern-day version of their former glory, undergoing a whole host of restorations and improvements.

We are usually asked to restore the downtrodden (and often dug up) front gardens, something we do with great enthusiasm, skill and pride: new mosaic paths, Yorkstone porch steps, low brick walls, railings and gates – all beautifully proportioned and a fitting welcome
into the lovely living space beyond. Perhaps the biggest concession to modern times, though, is the paving that usually goes in front of the bay window. ‘Low maintenance, please’ is the main reason here, coupled with today’s added hassles of dustbins, wheelie bins and ‘somewhere to put the bikes’.

This all looks great but often, in my view, lacks a softness that is easily remedied with some planting. Furthermore all paving is proven to exacerbate flooding in urban environments. There are many, many options here including pots, shrubs, ‘lollipop’ bay trees, formal parterres (if you’ve got the space), specimen trees and loads more.

My top recommendation, though, is the much maligned and massively underrated hedge. Don’t be put off by the woody and overbearing privet relics of the past. A new evergreen hedge, like Yew, Bay, Privet or Lonicera will serve you in so many ways. Situated in the traditional strip just behind the low front wall, they bring softening greenery to your front garden combined with a high degree of privacy from passers-by.

But hedges are so much more than just a lush screen. They soak up excess surface water after rainfall and masses of greenhouse carbon dioxide at night-time. Better still, research has shown that they absorb traffic noise and traffic pollution, filtering many of the harmful particulates from exhaust fumes. More hedges make for much cleaner air at home and in
the wider community.

And the low maintenance? Well, a haircut once a year, two at the most, is all they need. And if that doesn’t represent a great investment, I don’t know what does.

Chris Martin, of The London Front Garden Company Ltd

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The Bin Bag Challenge

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May I ask you a delicate question?
How many bin bags do you put out your front door each week?

The Bin Bag Challenge

A walk around the neighbourhood on collection day suggests an average of 4 bags per
household. That amounts to 1.1kg of household waste … per person in the UK … per day!
Our waste is palpable evidence of our consumption: food leftovers, food waste, plastic bags and wraps, food containers, cleaning product packaging, single-use wipes and pads, broken toys, old clothes or simply unused clothes, etc.

Behind this visible part of the iceberg also lies the less visible waste generated during the production and transportation of all these items. We’ve all read about how our consumption has sky-rocketed over the past 5 decades and how it is impacting our planet. Time to act!

Yes, of course, time to act. But it is also time to send a report to the boss, to take the kids to school, the keep the house in order, and place food on the table. If there is time left, we would rather spend it on some fun and relaxing time.

This is where the Bin Bag Challenge comes in handy. It is about having a drink with friends who also want to reduce their waste, exchanging tips and celebrating smaller bin bags. There are no costs involved, just help and support.

How does it work exactly?

You join a group of friendly people and receive weekly challenges through WhatsApp on topics like ‘Cleaning’, ‘Beauty’ and ‘Food’. Group members share their experience, ideas and tips to meet the challenge. They support each other and meet to celebrate.
No shaming, no judging – just support.
A user-friendly website also provides information, DIY recipes and addresses of Wandsworth-based and online shops to help with the challenge & to drive down waste.

We tested the solutions ourselves, so can guarantee that it is for “normal” people – there is no need to be a zero-waste guru! Previous groups have reported impressive results – such as going from 4 to 2 bags a week, over 9 weeks. Several participants even went on to create their own group straight after their first iteration of the program, to keep cutting down their waste and to help others do so. You can see how this scheme can make a huge difference!

Make friends. Be proud. Take action against climate change.
Join the Bin Bag Challenge today!

You can find more information here – www.binbagchallenge.com – and you can get in touch through the Contact Us page.

To get you started: you can see our blog post on The Benefits of Composting here to reduce your bags of waste before they start adding up (and smelling foul)!

Are you interested in joining in? Have you just started the Bin Bag Challenge yourself? Let us know how you get on using social media with the hashtag: #BeautifyBalham.
Good luck!

Alice & Catherine, 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!

Feed the Birds

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A wren spotted locally

Barbara is one of the guides who leads bird-walks on Wandsworth Common. For more details see the Friends of Wandsworth Common website.

Gardens are an important habitat for wildlife and even a small urban garden can attract a variety of birds and give hours of pleasure as you get to know your regular visitors. Engaging with nature is good for mental well-being and you can even contribute to citizen science by reporting your sightings to BTO’s Garden Bird Watch and RSPB’s Big Garden Bird Watch on the last weekend of January.

Providing feeders helps supplement the natural food supply. Sunflower Hearts and Fat Balls are favourites with a range of birds. I regularly see House Sparrows, Starlings, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits and Goldfinches on my feeders, with Robins, Dunnocks, Blackbirds, Magpies and Wood Pigeons foraging for the food dropped onto the ground underneath. Even if you don’t have a garden you can try a window feeder and watch the birds from the comfort of your armchair.

Wren

Position feeders in the open, but close to a shrub or tree where birds can perch to wait their turn and retreat to safety if they feel threatened. Feeders with a cage surround can help deter squirrels and larger birds, although the Wood Pigeons and Magpies have become adept at balancing on my window feeder! To reduce the spread of disease, feeders should be washed regularly, and mouldy food discarded. Equally important is water – both for drinking and bathing – but ensure you add a few stones so that any insects or small mammals which fall in can escape. Birds can take a little while to get used to change so be patient: sit back and wait for them to come.

Article by Barbara Littlechild, Wandsworth Common Bird Walk Guide and a Friend of Wandsworth Common

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!

Artificial Grass or Real Grass? Don’t Fake It!

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Kirsten Botting, amateur gardener, local community champion, and Beautify Balham committee member discusses her pet hate – artificial grass.

Over the past decade the urban trend for artificial has been growing. Gardens have been dug up, ripped of their natural vegetation and replaced with plastic grass. Roof tops and balconies have been carpeted with it. Schools and nurseries, as well as sports pitches are using artificial grass.

I get it. Modern artificial grass has come a long way. It looks like real grass. It’s cheaper than having your garden turfed. In shady gardens you have a green lawn all year round. If you have dogs or kids, you don’t get the mud in the house. If you are unable or don’t have the time to maintain your garden, it would appear to be the perfect solution.

You don’t have to water it which some might say helps when we have a water shortage. But you still have to clear it of leaves and moss, so it isn’t exactly maintenance free. Fake grass doesn’t require feeding so arguably isn’t pouring chemicals into the soil.

Companies market their artificial grass as environmentally friendly because it’s recyclable or single use plastic! Fake grass might have the look and feel of natural turf, but it’s not grass – it’s fake.

Fake grass is not an eco-friendly alternative to natural grass. It blocks access to the biodiversity above and below the ground. Bees and birds can’t feed from it, and worms and bugs below the ground will be starved of food. Fake grass does nothing for the animals in our gardens.

Furthermore, it has no climate benefits at all. In fact, the processing of the plastic emits carbon and uses fossil fuels. And what about the micro plastics from the finished product?

On the other hand, real grass has real environmental benefits such as soaking up moisture, providing homes for insects and bugs, and food for birds. If maintaining it is a problem, let it grow into a meadow and mow a path through it! And what is more delightful than smelling a newly mown lawn, walking bare footed and feeling the coolness from the blades and the warmth from the soil?

So, I say, don’t fake it! Go natural!

Which side are you on in the turf war? Have you got a beautiful natural lawn to show off? Has your garden made others green with envy? Share your grassy feats on social media with the hashtag: #BeautifyBalham.

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 Benefits of Composting

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What is composting?
Composting is the conversion of biodegradable, organic matter into compost.

Raw vegetable or fruit waste, garden waste, and shredded paper make up some of the “raw materials” used for composting, resulting in nutrient-rich fertiliser. Composting is an entirely natural process, and can be done in a compost bin or in a corner of your garden.
In Wandsworth the council subsidizes compost bins, and you can purchase one for a reduced price. You can go to the Get Composting website for more information to start composting in Balham: https://www.getcomposting.com

Composting can be done in most gardens – though smaller gardens may benefit from a wormery instead – a system of converting organic matter into compost with the help of earthworms. The Urban Worm Community Interest Company recently featured in The Guardian with their mission to #wormup the country – giving worms to people & organisations across the country for use in their own DIY worm farms. They provide guides on how to build DIY worm farms on their website: https://theurbanworm.co.uk/wormup/#Videos

Another cheap and cheerful way to recycle and add goodness to the soil is to collect fallen leaves! Bagging up leaves in black bin bags, tying them up then making holes in the bags allowing the leaves to rot down into a mulch can also help your soil. This mulch can be stored behind a shed or at the bottom of the garden until use the following year with the compost, or on its own.

What are the benefits of composting?

  1. You reduce your household waste and, by extension, landfill waste.
  2. In reducing household waste you also reduce the costs and carbon emissions it takes to transport and process the waste.
  3. You benefit from free compost full of nutrients that can be used as an excellent soil improver for your garden and pots.
  4. It reduces the need for chemical fertilisers.
  5. You actively participate in reducing your carbon footprint.

My composting experience

I started composting in August 2019 and although I find the worms, small bugs and tiny flies which sometimes appear in the summer rather disturbing, the process of composting never ceases to astound me. We are a family of 5. I add all the suitable waste we produce to the compost bin on a daily basis, and every day the waste gets absorbed and decomposes overnight. The composting magically occurs and results in beautiful, dark, nutrient-rich soil that I then add to my garden. What is there not to admire?

However, there are a few things I’ve picked up that I’d like to share with anyone who may start composting for themselves:

  • Avocado stones and skin take forever to decompose.
  • Mango stones are also very slow to decompose.
  • Egg shells should be crushed before they go in the compost bin or they make perfect little homes for worms.
  • The tiny stickers on apples should not be added as they sadly do not decompose:

Do not hesitate to give composting a go – it has numerous benefits, is relatively easy to do and can really enrich your garden & plants!
Have you got any tips for composters? Have you recently started composting yourself? Let us know how you get on using social media with the hashtag: #BeautifyBalham.
Happy composting!

– Justine 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!

Planting in Autumn: Now is the Perfect Time for Bulbs

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Autumn is officially here and sadly the days are quickly getting shorter. With the recent downpour the ground is wet and perfect for bulb planting. Planting now is ideal as it will allow the bulbs to take root and establish themselves before the winter.

Plant now to make the most of the seasons

There are certain plants which thrive when planted during these months. You can grow daffodils, hyacinths and alliums, which are all due to be planted in September and October. Tulips should be planted from late October to early December, so hold off a little while longer for them. To ensure the bulbs grow back year after year, be sure to plant the bulbs deeply in the ground or pot – preferably twice the depth of the bulb.

Gardening in Balham over Autumn can produce great flowers. Here is what we’d recommend to get the most out of your bulbs:

  • Dig a hole or trench, and spread a thin layer of compost over the bottom
  • Push the bulbs in the base of the hole, pointy end up, and leave a gap of about 3 times the bulb’s width between each bulb
  • Cover them with compost (peat free of course!)
  • After planting, pat the soil down with your hand to avoid air pockets, and water them a little

If you’re worried about squirrels digging the bulbs up, you can always sprinkle some pepper or chilli flakes over the soil. It will deter the squirrels without harming them. Laying chicken wire over the pots or planted areas is also an option.

If you decide to plant your bulbs in pots, follow the same depth principles as when they are grown in the ground. It may be more of a challenge for bigger bulbs.

Be sure to plant alliums, hyacinths and tulips in full sun and in well drained soil. Daffodils are happy in the sun but will also thrive in partial shade.

Happy planting! Feel free to comment with your own planting experiences, or share your tips and photos with us on social media with the hashtag: #BeautifyBalham

– Justine 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!