Author: Wansteadium

Tips for Wanstead gardeners, 19.8.11

Wansteadium’s new gardening blogger is 90-year-old Ron, who has been cultivating his Wanstead garden for more than 50 years. His garden is abundant in fruit and veg, and shows of flowering colour spread across the months. In this regular feature, Ron will be giving tip-offs about the jobs that need to be done, and adding a few ideas along the way.

I’ve been collecting a lot of ripe tomatoes, and generally tidying up around the place. Lots of things have reached the end of their growing now. I’ve been trimming the yellowy fronds of the Kerria. It does grow so tall if you don’t cut it in the first year of its growth – mind you, that can be useful if you are trying to screen something like a wall or shed. There’s plenty of greenery even when it’s not flowering.
Kerria japonica or Japanese Yellow Rose

The early sewn petunias have finished now, but sometimes if you cut the top off you get a secondary bloom, if you’re lucky. That will depend on the weather, of course. If you’ve got a clematis, you’ll be wanting to trim it back by between a third and a half. It should grow again next year from the bottom. They can flower so well – but they like their feet to be cool, which means don’t plant them in a pot if you can put them in the soil. I’ve got the roots of mine beneath slabs which does the job.

I planted a damson tree this year which I bought as a sapling from a nursery. When it arrived, though, I noticed that lots of its roots had been chopped by whoever or whatever had dug it up. So I rang the nursery to tell them about it and let them know that if it died I’d be back on to them. Well, it’s still a twig, so I’ve got a phone call to make.

I’m just waiting now for the second sewing of my beetroots to come through. They’re doing much better than the first lot. If you remember, in the spring, we had a very dry spell for two months. That meant I only got about 25% germination of the first lot of beetroot. This second lot are doing much better. Remember to keep them weeded though – you really need to keep on top of the weeds at the moment. They just keep on growing and if you’re not careful they get on top of you. They never stop until the winter comes. The best thing then is to dig the ground over roughly to let the frost get at the roots of the weeds.

The fox I mentioned last time has been around quite a bit, leaving his little parcels around the place. You can always tell it’s the fox because it’s black – and much bigger than anything like a hedgehog would leave.

(Photo of Kerria japonica by TattyBones, via Flickr, used under Creative Commons)

Wanstead property roundup, 18.8.11; School’s out, yin & yang, and some kebabs

Summertime – and the living’s easy, or so Gershwin would have it.

However, busy estate agents would probably beg to differ, as they try to unite growing families with their dream property during the school summer holidays.

You’ve probably noticed the late flowering of signboards peeping over gateposts in the streets of Wanstead over the past few weeks (three visible in this photo, below, in Cowley Road alone). For the agent, the viewing days are longer, the list of potential buyers swells, and of course people disappear off on holiday at various crucial stages of the dreaded ‘chain’.

But on the positive side, houses certainly sell better when it’s warm; open windows and sunny gardens sell the property better than any sales chatter.

It also certainly helps that people moving just a short distance to gain that extra room or garden space often have a good idea of what they are looking for. Friendships, schools, kids sports and activities clubs, not to mention the convenience of commuting are all very comfortable habits once acquired.

With that kind of buyer in mind, I particularly liked the cut of this Sylvan Road property priced at £549k, and on sale with Petty Son and Prestwich. Five bedrooms means the place could comfortably accommodate a large family, with perhaps a spare room devoted to visitors or home working.

Better still there’s an entire basement floor in which the teenage members of the brood could avoid their elders. The downside – it’s close enough to Snaresbrook station to smell young Dan’s excellent coffee. This does seem fairly reflected in the price, and it’s worth bearing in mind that one’s inner ear soon gets used to reassuring, regular rail noise. I’d just turn the Gershwin up to 11…

First rung on the the ladder

Renting in the capital has probably never been more expensive, and mortgage deposits have rarely been so high. Mortgage lenders are beginning to re-introduce reasonable first-timer rates into the wild, but are girding their profits via ever chubbier fees. It’s a very frustrating situation for those hoping to save enough to enter the property market, especially in more desirable areas.

All hope is not lost: for those looking to fly the nest, or perhaps the landlord, here is an interesting starter apartment with attractive outdoor space (Selsdon Road, for £220k). I also like how well the vendor has marketed this towards couples – counterposing the yin (attractive interiors for her) with the yang (a natty little shed for him). Good luck to all who sail in her.

Pax Wansteadia

During the recent period of urban unrest, Wanstead was well protected. Winston Churchill glared from his perch across our High Street as ere he did in days of yore. The danger was met and passed with no resort to his ‘We will fight them on the beaches’ (updated for 2011 with references to the Co-Op, the Larder, or even one of the tanning parlours).

Since a number of our cherished local traders were requested to close early by Police, I’ve made sure to show them my continued support and appreciation. As Mrs Parker noted this week, I’ve been particularly appreciative and supportive of the barbecue skewers from AG Dennis – heaven – though each time I’ve forgotten to ask whether or not they missed out on any trading hours. Perhaps next time I pop in ..

Any property spots tickle your fancy? Let George know; georgecparker@wansteadium.com

Wanstead news roundup: A bumper summer edition, including a new Larder, new jobs, and some hedgehogs

• Plans for a homeless hostel on Cambridge Park were approved by the Redbridge Planning Committee. More than 150 Wanstead residents had opposed the plan. Voting on the committee was split, but the plan went through on the chair’s casting vote. Opponent Mick Goodenough told Wansteadium legal advice was being taken with a view to mounting a judicial review  indicated a judicial review of the decision was unlikely to succeed.
• Litter bins on Christchurch Green are too small for the amount of litter, the Wanstead Society has told Redbridge Council. That, or foxes, or something else,  might be the reason for the regular sight of overflowing litter, though tweeter Paddy Fantastic (below) has other thoughts. The council says it will replace the bins, when the current ones wear out.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/PaddyFantastic/status/102973321167118336″]

• Welcome to the Larder Mark III. After opening a new branch in Bethnal Green, Wanstead’s favourite is also taking over the Butlers’ Retreat tea rooms in Chingford Plain. The Larder is turning into a Wanstead success story.
• Speaking of which, Little Bears nursery on The Green has announced a pretty big expansion. From having places for 35 children, it is growing by adding a further 90 places, and is creating 20 new jobs.
• They are not the only things growing. The ArcelorMittal Orbit (also known as that weird red sculpture next to the Olympic stadium) is now about a third of the way through its construction. When it reaches its full height, it will disrupt the Freeview signal to houses on Hermon Hill.
• Wanstead is gearing up for the second Wanstead Art Trail, which runs from 11 September. The event’s new website is taking shape too; it’s here.
• Where Wansteadium goes today, the Sunday Times will go tomorrow. After our efforts to prove – despite apparent odds – that hedgehogs still roamed through Wanstead gardens, the paper reported this week that:

Hedgehogs could be wiped out in Britain within 15 years, a study has warned. They are on a list of the 10 indigenous species suffering the biggest decline in numbers in recent decades, along with the cuckoo, left, turtle dove, brown hare and Scottish wildcat. According to the Eden Species Report, which measures native species’ populations and rates of decline, there are about 1m hedgehogs left in the UK — a decline of about 25% over the past 10 years. In some parts of Britain the fall could be as high as 50%. With populations becoming more isolated as a result of the decrease in numbers, naturalists fear that the species will struggle to maintain a sufficiently large gene pool to sustain a healthy and viable population.

• There’s a full calendar of events in Wanstead here. You can submit your events at events@wansteadium.com
• Wansteadium’s fledgling free classifieds advert service, which allows you to sell your unwanted items to other Wanstead residents, can be found here.

Choice tweets about Wanstead: EastEnders, blackberries, laughing

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/FeeeCobain/statuses/103180347549810688″]

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/HelenShields17/status/103143153871228928″]

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/fugueur/status/102096534786678784″]