Guest Contributors: Julie Walker and Caroline Elmhirst, Nottingham in Bloom
In this edition of Waste and Recycling News we welcome guest contributors Julie and Caroline from Nottingham in Bloom, who kindly share their tips for recycling in the garden.
"It needn’t cost the earth to have a lovely garden. We’ve seen lots of inspirational ideas from
community groups who have come up with fantastic ways of recycling unloved
items into unusual and effective planters and garden features.
"Take a walk round the Creative Quarter of Hockley to see
some brilliant ideas from the Articulture initiative, which is helping
shopkeepers to brighten up the outside of their premises with planting. You may spot chairs, suitcases, a drum and
even a bed, all planted up and enjoying a new lease of life.
"All round the city, gardeners have been inspired to put
their cast-offs to good use. A
wheelbarrow that is past its best is a quirky place to grow herbs or annuals; a
football can be converted into a novel hanging basket; even a wooden coat stand
can take on a new look in the garden, with planted baskets hanging from every
peg. Old stainless steel teapots used as
planters may be just your cup of tea – just use plenty of stones in the bottom
to help with drainage. An old boot could be just the right size to be planted
up and sit outside the back door.
"Residents of a housing complex in Clifton have used a
hotchpotch collection of cut-off drainage pipes of varying heights to create an
eye-catching centrepiece for their courtyard.
The pipes are planted with a selection of colourful annuals and
perennials to give year-round interest.
"Even the most unlikely rubbish can have its uses. We’ve seen milk cartons tied on to railings,
blooming with summer bedding plants. Plastic
bottles can easily be converted into effective self-watering pots for growing
on tomato plants or flowers, and if you collect about 1,500 plastic pop bottles
you could even create a greenhouse!
There’s lots of advice available online.
"A dead tree in Stockhill has been converted into an
attractive bird table, and slices of a felled Leylandii trunk are effective
stepping stones across a community garden in St Ann’s.
Pallets can be transformed into a compost heap, a bug hotel or a garden
seat. And there are some incredible
themed scarecrows created from items that are past their best – from First
World War soldiers to the Wizard of Oz.
"As for plants – why buy when you can recycle and share? Scatter seed from Poppies, Forget-me-nots,
Marigolds and Aquilegia and you will have a beautiful garden for free. Divide perennials and share them with your
friends and neighbours – plant swaps can save you a fortune and create a garden
full of memories of the people who gave you the plants. Happy gardening!"
Many thanks to Julie and Caroline from Nottingham in Bloom for sharing their tips!
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Does anyone else have any top tips they want to share? Please get in touch and you could be our next guest contributor!
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