Wansteadium

Sad to note the passing of interesting little independent shop The Closet, three years after it came to the High Street. Good luck to Mme, and fingers crossed for something novel to fill its place.

Wansteadium reader Dan Slipper writes:

As a resident of Cambridge Road I have become increasingly concerned about the amount of litter in my street and along Cambridge Park.  I have flagged the issue to Redbridge Council and over the last few weekends I have been spending an hour collecting rubbish from the road, pavements and hedgerows.  I have also been in contact with Wanstead Community Gardeners to explore ways of improving the two small garden spaces in Cambridge Road and Cambridge Park.

There is a national campaign encouraging people to collect litter and improve the look of their local area called The Great British Spring Clean.  Events are taking place from 3-5 March – so I wondered if anyone in Wanstead wants to join in an effort?

Marian Temple of the Wanstead Community Gardeners writes: 

“I say Syria, but really I’m talking about some horticultural delights originating from the rocky hillsides of Syria and Algeria.  Flowering profusely now at the United Reformed Church on Grosvenor Road.  Winter irises are exquisite, flowering amazingly from November through to March and nearly always at Christmas.

“I planted these with church member Don in April 2015. We dug up four clumps from my own garden (planted by my wonderful green fingered mum over 50 years ago)  and planted them at the base of the four stone buttresses at the front of the church. Don and I scraped away the shingle, slit the sheeting underneath, tucked in the iris rhizomes and wished them well.

“Winter irises are exquisite but picky. No chance of them flowering unless the conditions are exactly right. They like poor, stony soil, crashing sun in summer and full sun in winter.  Against a building is perfect for them as the walls act as a storage heater.  I always knew that the front of the UR Church would be the perfect place for them.

“When the church was renovated a few years ago, English Heritage was involved so the front and side garden when reinstated could only be planted with plants contemporary with the Victorian building. Winter Irises fit nicely into this time frame as they were introduced into this country by Victorian plant hunters.  “Don’t hold your breath”  I said when we planted the rhizomes.  “They don’t like being moved and will probably sulk for a bit.  Might take a couple of years before they flower”   Not so!  They were so happy with their new home that they put out flowers in their first year and this winter they are blooming fit to  bust. Must think they are in Syria. Thank goodness they’re not!

“Sadly, lovely Don, my planting partner in crime died last year.  I will always think of him when I see them.  That’s what plants do. They carry with them associations of people and places.  They are not just a collection of leaves and petals. I do hope people will enjoy these exquisite winter bloomers for decades to come.  It’s worth trundling round to the church to see them.

“PS  They are also flowering in the Corner House Garden in an unofficial little corner bed tucked in beside the porch where the Luncheon Club people trot in. Why is this little corner bed unofficial?  Well that’s another story.”

Wansteadium has been otherwise occupied. Most of the time queuing in traffic on Hermon Hill.

Photo du Jour 2/2: Pres Donald Trump holds the hand of Prime Minister Theresa May at The White House today. By Stefan Rousseau/PA pic.twitter.com/qtZFMvQf1A

— Stefan Rousseau (@StefanRousseau) January 27, 2017

Stefan Rousseau, longtime Wanstead resident and chief photographer for the Press Association, has captured the political photograph of the year so far (there’s probably quite a lot of madness to come…). Congratulations to him.

Wanstead’s guerrilla gardener Marian Temple writes:

We hope everyone is enjoying the glorious Garrya elliptica shrubs with their amazing long catkins at present strutting their stuff in beds around the station. These have not been seen for years. The Garrya must have been in the original planting after the new road in the tunnel was  built. They are grown for their glorious catkins Decemeber to May.  Unfortunately, Redbridge have always sent their contractors round in Autumn to give all the shrubs a trim. Just what you don’t do with a Garrya!  This year, the Wanstead Community Gardeners met with the council contractor and he immediately agreed to change the timetable, cancel the autumn trim and wait for us to let him know when the shrubs needed a hair cut. So this year, possibly for the first time ever, those wonderful catkins are in full growth. When I saw them the other day, it almost looked as though the shrubs were raining! The Wanstead Community Gardeners hope you will take a look and enjoy them.

The other Wanstead Station first time event is the line of glorious vermillion geraniums lined up on that long window sill inside the station. We have for some years past brought in our geraniums to overwinter them away from frost on the station inner window sill. We always cut them right down which is what you are supposed to do but this year we left them at full height. How we have been rewarded!  Never mind about it being winter. Geraniums don’t know the rules anyway. They love the light and the warmth (or lack of cold) and have cheered up their surroundings no end flowering all winter. Wonder how many other stations have a line of geraniums flowering away this time of year. We hope you are enjoying them and will make sure that we do the same next year.

NEW TREES IN THE HIGH STREET. WHY NOT ADOPT A TREE SURROUND?
The surrounds of newly planted trees are ideal for seed sowing because
a) there’s a good amount of space round the tree
b) the new top soil is sterilised so will have no weed seeds, and
c) the young tree will not make the soil too dry and will not cast much shade so sun and rain will reach the soil.

New trees have been planted outside Longhorn and Sumo Fresh. There’s another one opposite outside the Majestic Wine Warehouse. In Cambridge Park, other new trees have been planted and they would be ideal for seed sowing as they get full sun and the pavements are wide, so less likelihood of them being walked on. There’s one outside Treehouse Nursery, (the old church) and another at Tish Press and co, no 27. Between Addison and Gordon Roads there are more trees, one or two recently planted but the others are silver birches which have a light leaf canopy.  Again, they’re in full sun and don’t get walked on.

What to sow? A meadow mix is good, tough plants that don’t need watering, are good for bees and look wonderful. Wanstead Community Gardeners use a meadow mix in the Fountain Beds on George Green. Poppies, cornflowers, marigolds,  lovely stuff.

How to do it?  There is a window of opportunity slightly open at the moment as the council spraying regime is being finalised. If you want to adopt a tree surround, you need to move fast. Get in touch with Stephanie Orrell at the council.  Indicate clearly which tree surround/s you’re interested in. They usually need a house or business number or failing that, a good description of where it is. The tree surround will be put on the register as “resident maintained” and should not be sprayed. It works pretty well. Her email is  This needs to be done immediately. The seeds don’t need to be sown till March or April when they will get nicely rained on.

What would you need to do? You will need to keep the surround weed free and hopefully litter free. If you get bored and don’t want to do it next year, let the council (Stephanie) know and it will be put back on the spraying regime. If you plant early enough with suitable stuff as suggested, there should be no need for watering.

Need any help or advice?  Get in touch with Wanstead Community Gardeners at wanstead.community.gardeners@gmail.com or drop a note to us at the library.

We hope some of you will adopt these tree surrounds.  It makes such a difference to see flowers blooming in what was, formally a depository for dog ends, plastic bottles and tired looking weeds. All power to your gardening elbows. Marian Temple.