Summer Buzzing! July and August at Buzz Community Garden

Hello from Buzz Community Garden!

Hooray! In August we celebrated our 1st birthday.  A year of tending to this community outdoor space in Lockleaze. Wow! Time flies when you are having fun. We have learnt from each other, laughed, had successes and fails, been creative, made food, shared foods, shared our space with local community groups, offered free workshops, but best of all, we have made some great new local friendships.  Thank you to all the Buzzers who have made this space welcoming to all.

Buzz – A Place for Learning 

Embracing the wildness offers a sanctuary for a diverse range of wildlife. From the humble bumblebee to the secretive slow worm, each creature plays a role in the ecosystem.  Buzz Community Garden is a living classroom where every plant and creature can teach us about the delicate balance of nature. Buzz made a perfect venue for Steve England Outdoor Learning and Avon Wildlife Trust to visit with their free nature based family play sessions.  We loved sharing our space!

A Pollinators Paradise

Flowers have evolved with their attractive colours and scents to attract pollinators. The relationship between flowers and pollinators is called mutualism.  It means they help each other.  Flowers provide the food source, the nectar and pollen for the bees, butterflies and insects who travel from flower to flower, and then deposit the pollen on other flowers, enabling plants to produce viable seeds and fruit to grow. 

Some favourites and easy plants to grow include lavender, sweet peas and sunflowers. And wild flowers are great too, including Borage (also known as the Bee Flower) and Ragwort, very popular with Cinnabar moth caterpillars.  At Buzz we really noticed an increase in wildlife, attracted to our flowers and we have been taking part in the butterfly count as part of the local citizen science data collecting.

Therefore, creating a bee hotel at Buzz was a fantastic way to encourage insects. By using simple materials like bamboo canes and wood, we have provided a safe haven for bees, which are essential for pollination and maintaining healthy plant communities. Positioning the hotel to catch the morning sun is a great tip, as it helps the bees warm up and start their day of foraging and pollination. It's a small step with a big impact on our local environment! 

We’re Jamming

With the perfect mix of rain and sunshine, the fruit at Buzz flourished, leading to some delicious jam-making.   Sharing our Buzz jam at the Lockleaze Nature Festival was a wonderful way to connect with the community.  It’s no surprise that Jordan’s tray of bread with jam and butter was a hit! To capture the season in a jar you’ll need about 600g of fruit to make one large pot of jam or jelly.  Happy jamming!

Sharing is Caring 

At Buzz we will always share with you what we have, even if it’s just a bag of potatoes! We have been recently busy collecting the seeds from our sweet peas.  We now have seeds packs to give away.

Whether you choose to plant them in the ground, guide them up an obelisk, or contain them in a pot, just make sure there is lots of sun. Sweet peas are sun worshippers and like about 6 hours per day.

Remember, the early bird gets the worm, or in this case, the sweet pea seeds, so don't hesitate to visit Buzz Community garden on the designated days below to get your pack (first come first served)! 

Well, that’s our summer round-up. Cheers to the Buzzers and everyone supporting us for creating a place that truly welcomes all and here's to growing, learning, and friendship in this outdoor space. 

Wednesdays and Saturdays 10 – 12.  No experience needed. Tools provided.  Free hot drinks and biscuits. Everybody welcome.

Keep up to date and follow us on Facebook @Buzzcommunitygarden or contact maria@lockleazent.co.uk

Look out for our next update which will be focusing on planting for Autumn and getting the garden ready for winter.

See you there - Anne-Louise x