We received this from DLR County Council in case anyone is interested in taking these workshops:
“Dear Community Groups,
I’m delighted to confirm that DLRCC is once again sponsoring a series of Sustainable Gardening workshops.
These workshops have been designed to encourage resident groups and individuals to make informed decisions when managing their estates/gardens in ways that will be sympathetic to nature and in particular our pollinators.
Workshops will take place in Marlay Park on the following dates:
Sunday 25th February
Sunday 11th March
Sunday 25th March
Sunday 8th April
Sunday 22nd April
Participants are expected to attend all five dates.
We are running three sessions on each date to accommodate as many people as possible, sessions will start at 9.15, 11.30 and 14.00 and run for 2 hours.
Please indicate your preferred start time when booking on this course. To book a place on this course please email Aoife Munn (aoifemunn@gmail.com)
If for any reason you can no longer attend please email Aoife at your earliest convenience so that a replacement place can be offered to those on a reserve list.
Those failing to attend the first date and failing to inform Aoife will automatically have their place offered to someone on the reserve list.
All workshops will take place in the poly tunnel at Marley Mark, Aoife will arrange to meet each group at the Café beside the walled garden for the first session.
Environmental Education 5 Week Programme
Week 1 – Pesticides and Waste Reduction
A talk on consulting the Parks Department before starting projects and that not all projects are suitable for all sites.
Eliminate Pesticides
Reuse items in the community – can people put up an offer of a bike their child has grown out of for another? Etc…
Replace bedding with bee friendly planting
Take part in the monitoring of wildlife in your area.
Enter tidy towns for your area
Signage and training.
Aim to get people to get their back gardens as bee friendly as the street
Cut grass for older neighbours to avoid artificial lawns
Activity: Create an action plan for your area
Week 2 – Taking care of the bees
Bees – Bare soil nesting, long grass, dry stone walls
Pollinator strips,
Clover lawn
Flowering shrubs and bushes
Support local beekeepers
Activity – Build bee hotels and make a sand bank
Week 3 -Identify wildflowers
Identify different species of wildflowers
How to create a wildflower meadow that is more ornamental.
How to create a rewilded area
What to do with grass verges to maximise benefits to bees – 6 week cut
How to deal with big public spaces some ideas and ensuring it is usable (short enough for football in one area and then longer for wildlife in another)
Activity – Sow a tray of wildflower seeds to take home. Collect wildflower seeds from around the area in an envelope to take home.
Week 4 – Urban Food Production
Look at suitable sites for community gardens
Grow your own veg even small scale like lettuce in window boxes
Crop rotation advice
Herb Gardens
Dividing Herbs to increase stock.
Activity – Sow Seeds for Lettuce to take home
Week 5 -Hedgerows
Identify areas where a hedgerow can be inserted.
Importance of Hedgerows – Cuttings plants for Hedgerows
Importance of a mixed hedgerow as wildlife corridors.
Take the cuttings from a local hedgerow and expand it.
Varied flowering times through the hedgerows.
Willow an excellent addition
Cutting a hedgerow to make it thicker.
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