Welcome to our first Friends of Preston Park (FoPP) newsletter of the year. This is a roundup of recent news to keep you informed about what has been happening in the Park recently, and our upcoming events.
Bracing the cold weather in November, Sue Shepherd led her renowned History Walk of Preston Park and as ever it was a success. Sue’s expertise and knowledge is second to none and if you didn’t know the Romans were here before you in this neighbourhood, make sure you keep an eye on our website for the next History Walk so that you can sign up and learn all there is to know about the area from Sue. Sue will provide many exciting facts, with visuals and her delightful anecdotes will enthral you.
The Rose Garden volunteers got a treat when Richard Stubbs, from the internationally famous rose grower David Austin, came in January to deliver a workshop on how to prune the long, high and scraggy looking roses on the outer beds. Equipped with our brand-new knowledge, we have now trimmed and shaped the rose bushes so that the ensemble looks less dishevelled and more tamed. We are hoping this will also have a positive effect on the number of blooms we get this year.
You may also have noticed that the east and west herbaceous borders have been cleared of weeds and replanted since the spring. These areas have long been neglected as we haven’t had enough volunteers. However, having decided it was time to appraise the Rose Garden as a whole, meant reassessing the borders and working to make them look as good as the rose part of the area. Two very dedicated volunteers, Janet and Chris, took the mistreated borders in hand and are working relentlessly to bring them back to some former glory. Nick Delves, assistant head gardener and in charge of the summer borders at Nymans (National Trust), was invited to give his expert advice on how to design our borders and the choice of plants, bringing colours and pollinating insects to the area. We are extremely privileged to have had his invaluable input and have invited him to come back in June to see the borders fully in bloom.
In terms of the roses, the outer beds are getting a big make over. Thanks to the never-ending generosity of David Austin we received 200 new roses this spring to replace some very old and spent bushes. FoPP agreed to fund new soil (Buckingham Rose Soil from Hill Soil, Horsham) to give these new roses a good start. In February our Ranger, Neil Doyle, brought along a corporate team from Ibis Hotels who helped dug out the old soil and poured heavy wheelbarrows of new soil into the beds before the new roses were put in place. City Parks Rangers’ volunteer team and our amazing Preston Park groundsmen gave the Tuesday Rose Garden volunteers a helping hand in digging holes and planting roses. We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came to help with this. It was hard work, and every helping hand was greatly welcomed and appreciated. We couldn’t have got it all done without you!
We are so grateful to these guest volunteer teams who helped with the planting of the new roses as well as the maintenance of the Coronation Garden. It would not have been possible to undertake such major tasks without their input. Parks throughout the city are gradually losing their flower beds as there aren’t enough staff (or money to employ more staff) so if you would like to volunteer a couple of hours a week helping with the flower beds we would love to hear from you. No previous knowledge required. Just come and meet us on Tuesdays 10 to 1pm in the Rose Garden. Tea, coffee, biscuits and tools provided. Just bring a pair of gardening gloves and your own tools if you prefer. (You can sign up via the FoPP website).
You may have also noticed the beautiful crocus’ that are currently giving us such pleasure. Having donated to the British Polio Fellowship we were given thousands of bulbs to plant and I think we can agree they look amazing. We have also put Yellow Rattle seed down. This was grown by the Wildflower Conservation Society based at Stanmer Park. Hopefully, this will also add to the biodiversity of the area.
Regarding the Rotunda Pond, just to let everyone know that we didn’t have time to get it re-rendered before the return of the newts and frogs. Therefore, the work is on hold until the end of July when they should have gone again and we will drain down, mend and replant the pond in time for winter. Can we remind everyone not to let their dogs or children to enter the pond. It is dangerous and the wildlife really don’t like it!
Finally, we are putting together our list of FoPP events for 2025. If you would like to attend, please sign up via the FoPP website. We ask for a small donation to attend and this money is used to buy things for the plant such as plants, tools, etc.. So please do come along, enjoy the park and help us financially keep the park looking the best we can make it.
Our new event calendar will be published shortly. Please keep an eye our our website, Facebook and Insta pages.
If you have any questions, concerns or would like to help us in anyway, please contact us at info@friendsofprestonpark.org
Thank you, FoPP Committee