Grenville's Blog
10 Feb, 2008
4 comments
Small inner city gardens under threat.Blog 1.
We are situated 3 miles from the heart of Bristol city centre, and own the smallest garden that is open for the National Gardens Scheme during the summer months.
The garden measures 20 feet x 18 feet.
It is such a pleasure to open for the public and raise funds for the worthy charities supported by the N.G.S.
Not only do we enjoy sharing our garden, but we try to talk to each of our visitors and share ideas about gardening and garden design.Urban gardens are under threat from the need for on-street parking which results in more and more gardens being covered in tarmac and concrete to provide more parking spaces, and with the rise in property prices, an increasing number of Victorian houses such as ours are being converted into flats and apartments, putting more pressure on the precious parking spaces within our roads and streets.Also more land is being used for urban industrial development, and this threatens our wildlife.
In our own small way we are trying to raise awareness of the need to safeguard our inner- city gardens, and ensure that there is a green legacy for future city dwellers.
We hope to write more blogs about our city gardens, and welcome comments, advice and help from other ‘Grows on You’ members who own, or are interested in city gardens, so that perhaps we can form our own community of inner city gardeners on this site!
In the meantime, perhaps you would like to visit our garden website by visiting:
www.victorianhouse-garden.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
We have set up links to other sites and The National Gardens Scheme website.
Also it would be great to see you on one of our open days if you are able to visit Bristol.
With best wishes,
Grenville Johnson and Alan Elms.
Bristol.
Comments
11 Feb, 2008
Hi David,
Thankyou for your kind comments. Hope you can visit sometime to see the garden. Gardening has become a real passion and its really lovely to open the garden for The National Gardens Scheme. We have met some wonderful folks on our open days, and its a great pleasure to raise funds for the worthy charities. Lets hope we can generate lots of interest for inner city gardens, as they are so important. Its interesting to see that there are very few small inner city gardens that are open for The National Gardens Scheme, so perhaps we can encourage other small garden owners to give it a try.
Kind regards and best wishes,
Grenville.
11 Feb, 2008
Really beautiful pictures. You've worked miracles and I wish I had your perseverance!
I think living without attractive gardens (and municipal planting is rarely sufficient) really gets to people, so urban gardening is vital for people's mental health -- not to mention the effect of greenery on air quality.
When I was in Japan recently -- we have an office in a densely developed part of Tokyo -- I stumbled on a community garden nestled among a cluster of residential tower blocks. Not only did it make a potentially horrible place really quite pleasant, but it was clearly a social focal point (I passed as a group of volunteers were festooning the garden with Christmas decorations).
I read somewhere that the conversion of front gardens into parking spaces was having a measurable effect on air quality in suburban London. It's probably more of a local issue than a national issue, but I think city councils should make it a public policy issue -- left to a free market flats and parking spaces *will* replace too many gardens.
12 Feb, 2008
What I notice here are the number of large properties with extensive grounds which are being bought by developers, who demolish the lovely old buildings and surroundings, to erect a whole new street with no outdoor space at all!!
Any space there is has to be given over to access and carparking. We recently acquired a whole new street in our village but, when asked for a donation to the local "In Bloom" fund, the developers decllined. I'm glad I never gave in to my better half to even set foot in the showhouse!
Recent posts by Grenville
- Cheers to 'Grows on you! ' Blog 40. July 22nd 2008.
22 Jul, 2008
- A very special visit to our garden. July 18th, 2008. Blog 39.
18 Jul, 2008
- How rude poking your tongue out!. Blog 38. July 2008
14 Jul, 2008
- Garden seats. Blog 37
11 Jul, 2008
- Reservations for the Ark. Blog 36.July 2008.
9 Jul, 2008
- Green is beautiful! Blog 35.July 2008.
8 Jul, 2008
For The Brave
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Joined 24 Jun, 2007
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David
11 Feb, 2008
Many thanx for this very interesting article. I really enjoy looking at your pics here on GOY and am so envious of your beautiful garden - I still can't believe it is all in an area of this size. I want to jump on the next available no-frills flight and visit. You raise so many valid points here, and it will be interesting to read feedback. Many congratulations on your garden and fundraising.