Leabank Square gets growing

On Sunday, the green-fingered residents of Leabank Square got busy planting up hundreds of pots with wildflower and woodland seeds as part of the meadow's growing scheme.

Their amazing effort means we'll have loads of new plants to add in autumn, so there'll be a feast for the bees and birds in 2012. And the pots are completely biodegradable, so we can plant them straight into the grass later.

The group planted Betony, Agrimony and Cowslip (which our honey-making friends will enjoy), and teasels (which will attract lots of small birds).

A huge thank you to Leabank Square - and to The Hairy Pot Plant Company for the incredible pots!

Help spread the word!

Because there's so much great stuff happening on the meadow this year, we've made up a batch of flyers to tell everyone all about it.

All we need to do now is share them around the neighbourhood. So if you can drop a few off at your local cafe, pop some through your neighbours' doors, or just hand them out to your friends, that'd be great!

There'll be a stack of flyers at the free carving workshop on Saturday, so you can come and help yourself. But if you can't make it, just email mableymeadow@gmail.com and we can work out a way of getting some to you.

In the mean time, here's a quick preview...

Free all-ages carving workshop - 12pm, Saturday June 18

In August, the amazing Gary March will be sculpting a set of three unique benches for us. But before he gets started, he'll be teaching the carving basics in a free workshop on the meadow (or below the flyover if it's raining).

As we'll all be beginners, we'll be carving in soap rather than wood. And Gary's had loads of experience teaching sculpture newbies, so we'll all be in good (and very patient) hands.

Organised by muf art+architecture, the workshop will run from midday - for more details, take a look at their flyer below.

Picnic pics

Our picnic in June was blessed with spectacular weather. So it was the perfect opportunity to eat, chat and sunbathe the day away surrounded by the newly flowering meadow. Look out for the next one on August 20th!

Meadow picnic - Saturdy 4th June!

Now that the meadow slowly but surely bursting into bloom, it's time to celebrate with a picnic among our amazing wildflowers!

So bring something to eat, a blanket, and everyone you know to the meadow from 11am-3pm on Saturday 4th June.

As well as eating til we pop, there'll be plenty things we can do on the meadow too - like building beetle habitats and planting woodland flowers. So if you think you'd like to get stuck in, bring some sturdy shoes along as well.

See you on the 4th!

Tree waterers wanted!

Last year, we were lucky to have artist Pedro Reyes come to Mabley Green to plant a healthy, young walnut tree with us. But to make sure it grows into a healthy old tree, it'll need some extra watering until it's roots get properly established. This is especially important with the super-dry weather we're having.

So if you're a dog walker, a jogger or a regular Mabley Green user, next time you're heading to the park, why not take a bottle of water with you for our lovely new tree?

Our young walnut is next to the flyover on the Mabley Green side, near one of the benches by the path. Here's a slightly wider picture...

Looking at the bigger picture, the walnut is a bit of a test for Mabley Green. Because due to funding cuts, Hackney Council have disbanded the team that cared for young trees. And without them, the Council won't want any more planted on the Green...unless we can prove that together as a community, we can care for them ourselves. So if we work together and water this tree through the summer, Hackney Council will have no choice but to let us plant more!

Spring roundup

Despite the unseasonally dry spring we're having, our flowers have not only survived the drought, they're positively thriving! Here are the rewards of all the hard work we did a couple of months ago.