Mulching mornings
Friends of The Walks have volunteered to assist the Borough Council with mulching around some of the trees in The Walks. We have agreed two Friday morning sessions (10:30-12.30am) on Friday 28th February and March 7th.
Why is mulching around trees considered good practice? Well, mulch offers a number of benefits. Firstly, it means that grass doesn’t grow right up to the tree – so you don’t need to mow right up to the tree and this inevitably avoids accidental damage to the trees with mowers. Secondly, the mulch rots down to enhance the soil and support soil invertebrates that in turn work to make a healthier, richer soil for the trees to grow in. Thirdly, mulch can help to retain moisture in the soil in dry weather – which obviously benefits the tree and the soil it grows in.
We sometimes forget that urban environments like public parks are not a ‘natural’ habitat for trees. In a natural situation, all of their autumn leaves will degrade back into the soil, recycling nutrients and feeding other organisms in the soil that benefit the trees and keep the soil loose and free-draining. In our urban situations, the leaves are tidied away, soil is compacted by park users, and the area for root growth is often restricted by pavements and services.
Now that trees are also facing climate change challenges (extreme heat, drought and storm events), they need all the help they can get to stay healthy! Good tree management has always included mulching trees (especially when they are young and establishing), but increasingly you will see tree managers mulching around trees – even long-established ones – to give them the best chance of thriving in climatic conditions that they haven’t previously been used to.
If you can spare a couple of hours, please come along to The Walks café for 10.30am on the two allocated mornings. Do dress for the weather on the day, bring some gardening gloves – and if you have one, a shovel would help!
Wildflower planting
Friends of The Walks and The Walks Management team have been discussing ideas to increase biodiversity in the park by running some wildflower sowing trials. The goal will be to try to provide more flowers for nectar- and pollen-loving insects throughout the summer months. We hope this can also create some attractive displays for visitors to The Walks.
But there are different ways to establish seeds and of course many different species of wildflower. Soils, light and shade, moisture and exposure to wind will influence what is successful and what isn’t. Later this year we are planning to establish some small trials areas around the park and monitor what happens. If you would like to be involved with this work, please get in touch email hidden; JavaScript is required
Walks Film
The A Walk in the Park video by King’s Lynn Town Guide Gary Walker gives a potted history of The Walks and surrounding parks. Click here to watch the film.
Community Garden
Volunteers are slowly bringing The Walks Community Garden beds back to management.
There are constr
aints. There is no easy access to water and some visitors to The Walks (including Wood Pigeon and Muntjac) like to ‘harvest’ any produce! But there is a great opportunity for fruit trees and flower borders, with a simple ‘wildlife’ garden.
If you would like more information, please contact email hidden; JavaScript is required.
Greyfriars Primary School have planted a new flower bed near the school entrance.
