The cosmos this year were self-seeded and they are putting on a nice autumn show for us.
Autumn colour galore.
London in Bloom, 2021: Ealing Borough awarded the Gold Category.
In July this year, Perivale Park was included in the itinerary for the judging of the City category of the London in Bloom competition. Just to clarify, each London borough is considered to be the size of a city. Competition amongst the boroughs is intense! On Wednesday we heard that Ealing has been awarded the Gold category by the judges! So the park played its part in this award! Well done everyone who helped to make Perivale Park such a feature of the London borough of Ealing.
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Perivale Park (late) Summer event – photos!
Our second community celebration of the park took place in lovely weather yesterday. We estimate one hundred or so people might have dropped in during the day, either to participate in the dog olympics, to buy cakes from the LAGER can stall, to go on the inspirational nature walk, to learn about Horsenden Hill and Farm, to hunt for treasures in the park, to work it all off with a bit of exercise or to meet our park ranger Mark. Many from the RedGreen group (who exercise on Tuesdays and Thursdays and were the original inspiration for the Friends) turned up, as did the Gurnell-Greenford Greenwayers. Thanks all!
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A walk through the park by a LAGER CANer.
LAGER (Litter Action Group Ealing Residents) visit the park frequently, either as a group or as individuals. Here is one such visitor’s report. Thanks Ian!
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Evolving colours for the start of autumn: the teasel.
I have been following the colours in the park from the violets of early spring to the oranges of late July. The fairly regular rain this year has encouraged them all this year.
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Colour in the orchard meadows.
It is mid-July now, but one blessed with more rain than usual for this month. Apart from everything spurting growth, a more diverse mid-summer colour has now appeared with unusual blues, pinks and yellows.
The scented delights of Longfield meadows (National Meadows Day)
Most of the June postings here were about colour. So I thought I would start off July with one about the heady honey-like aromas of Lady’s Bedstraw, as currently found in Longfield meadows in abundance.
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Five more benches installed.
Contemplating nature sometimes can be done sitting down. And having lots of benches from which to do that helps! So it is a pleasure to say that five more “railway sleeper” benches have now been installed in the Longfield meadows area of the greater park.
Cowgate Road entrance – the “pothole”and access around the gate.
Access to the park from this entrance had caused problems for people with buggies and wheelchairs due to the presence of a large pothole and lack of access around a gate, as noted this April. As of today, both issues are now sorted!
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Perivale Park orchard garden, June 2019 – June 2021 in pictures.
The orchard garden is now two years old and to celebrate, we have collected some of the best photos taken there into a Powerpoint slide show.
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The pastel shades of Achillea in the orchard flower meadows.
The next flower to highlight in the park is located in the flower meadows next to the fruit orchard. Yes, it is indeed named after Achilles, whose soldiers used the plant (yarrow) to treat their wounds.
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Poppies in close up!
I know I did a post on poppies a few days ago, but walking past them today we noticed the remarkable variety of colours they are showing. So here are a selection for you to enjoy.
Diversity in the Park orchard: A newsletter.
First, a bit of history. For many years, a bowling green was maintained in the park, just adjacent to the Cowgate road entrance. From personal memory, about 20 years ago there were regular Sunday bowls matches but one day some youngsters decided to play a game of football on the green. The cost of bringing the grass back up to playing quality was probably the final straw, since the bowling club left and went elsewhere for their matches. It lay fallow for years, until the dredging spoil from work on the nearby Coston’s brook was taken there around five years ago and some landscaping was done, as well as providing a small concrete seat in the middle.
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After the poppies … the cornflowers
The park is now looking decidedly blue, with the abundant cornflowers joined by Echium (Viper’s bugloss)
Sprucing up the orchard for inspection!
We had a wonderful turnout today for the orchard gardening. Here are some of the helpers (not all present at the same time)
Poppies!
As promised a week or so ago. Again, the combination of rain followed by sun and heat has brought them on wonderfully.
June is the month of colours!
The wet May and lots of recent sun and heat has brought the colour of June to us. The yellows, blues and whites of spring have now been joined by the likes of the blues of the cornflowers, the reds, orange and pinks of poppies, the red white and pinks of campion and the related and the wonderfully delicate ragged-robin which has sprung up near the spring in the Longfield meadows.
Tufted Duck
Saw these two Ducks diving on one of the ponds on Perivale Wetlands today.
A splash of blue in west London.
More photos of the flax meadows in the park orchard garden.
Saturday June 12th, 2021, 11.00. Another community gardening event in Perivale Park.
This is what we hope to achieve with your help on Saturday June 12th, 2021 at 11.00 for about two hours.
Perivale park orchard: its flower meadows and some gardening exercise.
The weather held dry between 11.00 and 14.00 today (but rained earlier and later) so our small but select group of volunteers were able to really dress up one of the four flower beds around the orchard garden benches and free two of the adjacent flower meadows of the large dock plants that had become established. The new garden tools were put to very good use and the large thermos flasks provided much needed hot tea.
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One more set of bluebells: Long wood.
The bluebell season this year seems to have lasted longer than usual. So it was in the second half of May we were able to visit a somewhat less-well known English bluebell wood, possibly because accessing it if you have a car can be less than obvious. The wood itself was at its peak!
Flaxen meadows.
The four wild flower meadows in the orchard area of the park were planted with a variety of exotic plants about 18 months ago. One of those was flax, which made a brief appearance last autumn but has now come into its own. It has not yet reached its peak, and should last throughout the summer. As is often the case, (my) photos do not do it justice, you really should visit in person.
First we eat it, now we enjoy the colour …
of the wild mustard. We were harvesting the young tips in March and April (they make lovely greens, if a tad bitter for some tastes). But those that managed to escape our attentions have now flowered and a magnificent display it makes too.
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Saturday, May 22, 11.00, Perivale park orchard communal gardening event.
Calling all gardeners please to a communal event on May 22. The orchard garden needs you! As do the wonderful collection of new gardening tools we now have and some industrial size Thermos pots for warming tea or coffee, thanks to Richard and Vanessa,
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Dawn this morning……
Bluebells, Cowslip and Stitchwort in Gutteridge and Ten-acre Woods.
The bluebell season is lasting a bit longer than usual, due to warm weather early in April and then cold spells. A lesser-known local bluebell wood is Gutteridge. As with Perivale wood, where the glory was stolen to some extent by the Celandine, in Gutteridge wood its the white Greater Stitchwort that takes your breath away (and the bluebells as well of course).
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A walk around the Coston’s Lane Nature reserve.
The new nature reserve on the south west corner of the park has activity. A large and hugely enthusiastic group of volunteers have started appearing on weekends to create a new reserve area.
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Sparrow Hawk (I think)
The Beauty of … dandelions?
Is it that dandelions are having a good year? Or that our senses are heightened? Whatever the reason, I cannot help but show photographs of them here, since they certainly gave pleasure. These were all taken in the orchard garden in the park.