Roehampton Garden Society

Category Archives: News

General news


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Two news items about greening outdoor spaces..

These two news items show the growing interest in what happens to our outdoor spaces and how to make them greener

The first is about a campaign for the right to grow in unused spaces – an interesting idea you might like to know more about…
People should be given the right to turn road verges, sterile lawns around hospitals and underused public spaces into vegetable gardens and orchards, say ‘Incredible Edible’, campaigners for a “right to grow” law.

Read more from the Guardian here

The Guardian May 2022

The second is about those huge areas of asphalt that schools sometimes call a ‘playing field’. Rising temperatures make these difficult to use – so imaginative designs come into play – with some lovely pictures of what is possible……

Out with asphalt: US schoolyards transformed into green oases – in pictures

With thanks to Greg Willcox


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Bruce May

We are sorry to hear of the death of longstanding member and plotholder and Bruce May.

I am sorry to have to announce the death of Bruce May who was a long standing plot holder of plot 102B. His plot was always a delight particularly as it charmingly had a heart shaped narrow grass path at its centre. He was an excellent gardener so, when it became vacant, he was offered plot 103B as additional land. The plot had been horribly neglected but he quickly managed to tame it and made it very productive.
Bruce was always a pleasant, calm influence on site 3. He helped with plot inspections on several occasions representing the non-committee member of the inspection team. Sadly he was very ill for a couple of years prior to his final demise but his family were able to continue to cultivate his plot and bring produce from the plot for Bruce to enjoy.
He will be missed.

Helen Finch


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Wandsworth Heritage Festival – some local events to try:

The Heritage Festival is half way through – but with many interesting events remain to join in.

Below are one or two that may be of interest.

The whole programme is available here and if online events are of interest, they can be found here

Walks, talks and exhibitions next week:

Walk: Crossing the River – a Putney and Fulham Heritage Walk
Organised by Chris Van Hayden Tourist Guide
In this fascinating walk Blue Badge Tour Guide Chris Van Hayden will share the rich history of these two villages. The tour’s main themes are rowing, the English Civil Wars, Mary
Wollstonecraft, sewers, the two churches, the Abolition of Slavery, and the Bishops’ palace.
• Wednesday 8th June, 1pm
• £10
• Meet on the corner of Festing Road/Putney Embankment SW15 1LB
• Booking required – contact bluebadgeguide@chrisvanhaydentours.uk 

Walk: Industrial Heritage of the River Wandle
Organised by the Wandle Industrial Museum
John Sheridan will lead this walk along the River Wandle from Earlsfield to the Thames.
Similar to his walk last year (a virtual version of which is on the Wandle Industrial Museum YouTube channel), but containing new material reflecting this year’s theme.
• Wednesday 8th June, 2pm
• FREE
• Meet at Earlsfield Station entrance, Garratt Lane SW18 3DL
• Booking required – contact john.sheridan08@gmail.com

Talk: Wandsworth’s Lost Fishing Village
Organised by the Wandsworth Historical Society
From the seventeenth century to the nineteenth, an area dominated by fishermen and
watermen flourished near Wandsworth Bridge. Dorian Gerhold tells the story of this
remarkable settlement and the families who lived and worked there.
• Wednesday 8th June, 6.30pm
• FREE
• Wandsworth Town Library, 11 Garratt Lane SW18 4AQ
• Booking advised – contact Wandsworth Town Library on 020 8877 1742

Talk: Stories from the post mortem casebooks of St George’s Hospital, 1841-1946
Organised by Archives and Special Collections, St George’s Hospital
Archivist Dr Juulia Ahvensalmi and Curator of the Museum of Human Diseases Dr Carol
Shiels delve into the historical post mortem casebooks of St George’s Hospital with stories about the patients and diseases in the casebooks, from smallpox to murder cases.
• Thursday 9th June, 1pm
• FREE
• Library, St George’s, University of London, Cranmer Terrace SW17 0RE
• Book via Eventbrite: sgul-pm.eventbrite.co.uk

Talk: A Brief History of Rowing in Putney
Organised jointly by the Putney Society and the Wandsworth Society
Local historian Philip Evison charts the development of rowing in Putney and the people and events which became part of its history along the way.
• Thursday 9th June, 8pm
• FREE
• West Side Church Hall, corner of Melody Road/Allfarthing Lane SW18 2QQ
• Booking not required, but any queries can be sent to jennyafmassey@aol.com 

Exhibition: Wandsworth Prison Museum open weekend
Organised by the Wandsworth Prison Museum
The prison history in over 450 photos and objects. Stories of staff, prisoners, escapes, and hangings. Featuring Oscar Wilde, acid bath murderer John Haigh, traitor William Joyce
(Lord Haw Haw), and great train robber Ronnie Biggs.
• Saturday 11th June and Sunday 12th June, 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm
• FREE
• Wandsworth Prison Museum, North Gate Car Park, Heathfield Road SW18 3HR
• Booking not required


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Time to stop using Glyphosate: weedkiller damages wild bee colonies, study reveals.

We’ve suspected for a long time that the most widely used weedkiller in history might be harming our bees – and now we know its true…….the most widely used weedkiller in history harms a critical ability of bumblebees to regulate nest temperature, making it harder for them to survive.

Many of us will have a small amount of glyphosate on our plots – possibly for the dreaded bindweed. This tells us that we shouldn’t be using it. At all costs keep it away from insects. It’s our responsibility not to damage wildlife.

It will take years to determine whether using glyphosate, even under controlled circumstances, also affects the insect food chain and therefore other useful creatures. The statistics for beneficial insect decline are horrific – let’s not take chances. Don’t use weedkillers.

“Glyphosate is the most widely used pesticide in history, intended to kill only plants. The harm to bumblebees – vital pollinators – was not identified in regulatory risk assessments, which only test whether a pesticide rapidly kills healthy, individual bees. However, the collective failure to regulate colony temperature could have a massive impact on its ability to produce the next generation, the scientists said.”

The Guardian, June 2022

Read the full article in the Guardian here


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Pictures at an Exhibition

The RGS Centenary Exhibition is in Putney Library from 28th May to 12th June 2022

Part of Wandsworth Heritage week, the exhibition looks at the roots of the RGS, set in local history of its times. There is quite a lot to read, and to see. There are also some lovely paintings of our allotments to see, and Andrew Wilson’s photos of wildlife on our allotments. You are warmly invited to visit. Please do sign the visitor’s book.


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A climate emergency centre for Wandsworth – initial event – 5th May 6.30-8.30pm

Wandsworth’s first Climate Hub in a space in Southside Shopping centre will inform people about the climate and ecological emergency, why the timing is critical and what can be done about it.
People may have some idea what the climate emergency is, but very little idea how serious it is, or what to do about it personally or collectively or the many ways there are to act.

Aa a result of a 12,500 strong petition, Wandsworth Council declared a climate emergency in 2019. The council is currently working on reducing its own emissions by 2030. The council’s emissions are estimated to be about 10% of the overall borough-wide emissions, leaving 90% for businesses and residents needing to tackle and support in order to migrate to a zero-carbon economy.

The Climate Hub intends:

  • to encourage people to walk and cycle more, become involved in tree planting, growers groups and ask for green walls in their buildings to improve air quality and so raise awareness and take action through greening and active travel.
  • to offer essential advice on energy fuel switching, debt alleviation, energy saving tips and home surveys.
  • to plan further positive community projects.
  • to demonstrate how people can be empowered to take choices on practical and helpful climate solutions.
  • to offer advice and support on transitioning to a low carbon diet, minimising food waste and cutting down on single-use plastic.

Initially it is planned to offer:

  • weekly energy advice sessions to help those struggling with their energy bills.
  • advice on renewables and energy efficiency data.
  • home carbon audit and later a heat pump offering.
  • host eco-action games days for families to provide an opportunity to learn more about climate action whilst playing games.

To find out more call in at the Southside Centre.

Are you part of an organisation that would like to link with the Climate Hub? Please email wandsworth.cec@gmail.com to find out more.

Come to the Climate Hub Initial event – bring your ideas with you! Book here


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The RGS and Local Schools

In order to make our lovely allotments accessible to children in our area who do not have families with plots or have a garden at home, we often welcome small groups from local schools to visit. Only one school, Paddock, rents a plot but there are visiting groups from other schools. Not only do the children learn about the seasons, the plants and the bugs but sometimes they get a real treat with a difference! Courtney,a pupil at Granard School, wrote:

“On Mondays, we go to the allotments to see all the plants. This week we saw two dogs called Barley and Hugo and a cool cat called Simba. The dogs were cute and friendly to everyone. 

When Hugo saw us, he got very excited and started to jump and run around like a raccoon.  
Simba the cat is three years old.​​ When Simba saw Barley, he wanted to hunt, but instead he jumped up in the tree.  Simba loves going on trips by himself. When he was young, he would squeeze under the gate to reach the allotments. However, now he can’t go under the gate because he is too big. Simba loves going in the trees to look out for food. If you offer him some delicious treats, he will sit down and give you his paw. I like the way he looks. “

with thanks to Jackie Savage


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Blooming Marvellous – the Putney Society starts a new campaign…

Putney is a great place to live but it would be even better if we could stem the wave of concrete burying our front gardens. If we all do our bit to turn our gardens green, together we can encourage wildlife, improve air quality, help to prevent flooding (by letting water drain into the earth and not down the drain) and enhance our health and wellbeing…..say the Putney Society

Click to read more – is your street included?

Launching a Garden Award scheme in Central Putney, over two weekends at the beginning of May, they will be offering plants and garden advice to residents of central Putney. Come along to plant stalls at the corner of Burstock Road and Montserrat Road on 7 May and at the corner of Chelverton Road and Charlwood Road on 14 May (10am to 2pm) to see find plants suitable for containers or small front gardens as well as growing advice.


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Short Organic Food Growing Course – starting 23rd April

EcoLocal, a Carshalton based charity are running their successful short course to help you to grow your own healthy, organic food without harming the environment.
For further information and to book, visit http://www.ecolocal.org.uk/highlight/organic-food-growing-course/

Comments from past students….

“It’s a great mix of practical and theory so the information goes in twice and ensures you’re more likely to remember!” 
“Very knowledgeable tutor”.
“I had only just got an allotment so the 6 lessons were exactly in line with what I needed.”

The course teaches eco-friendly gardening; no-dig methods, crop rotation, organic pest control, making natural fertilisers and more. It’s suitable for beginner and intermediate growers. teaching is a mixture of theory and practice, allowing students to try out the skills they learn, understanding how to plan, so they can make the most of their veg patch or allotment.

Running over 6 Saturday mornings, beginning 23rd April 2022.

The course is face to face outdoors for the practical skills teaching elements, taught on the Carshalton Community Allotments, just a 5 minute walk from Carshalton station. The theory is taught live via Zoom on alternate weeks. More travel information


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Protecting the Bees – our president speaks in parliament

“We may be an urban constituency, but we have beehives in Putney and we know how essential bees are for pollination. I am very concerned about the decision to use bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides. I firmly believe they should be banned.”

Fleur Anderson

With all that’s happening you may not have noticed that the Government has agreed to allow the use of neocotinid pesticides this year – rolling back the EU legislation from 2018 banning these substances. Having just passed the Environment Bill, they then choose to set it aside.

A seed treatment to help sugar beet farmers sounds innocuous – until you understand that these extremely dangerous chemicals pass into every part of the plant -roots, stem, leaves, flowers -and persist in the soil afterwards, harming bees and pollinators for many years to come. They spread rapidly through water run-off contaminating wide areas. The science is devastatingly clear.

Research shows that neocotinoids also harm birds. Just two treated seeds (equivalent) eaten by a songbird makes them lose weight and delays migration, decreasing their chances of survival. (Science 2019)

Our President, Fleur Anderson, spoke in a parliamentary debate about this regrettable decision. See a clip of her speech here.

The Hansard record makes fascinating reading for those interested in this topic. Read the whole debate here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/

The virus disease problems experienced by our sugar beet farmers are real enough. The Government themselves have said that they expect the sugar beet industry to no longer rely on bee-killing neonicotinoids by 2023—next year—through the development of pest-resistant varieties and greater use of integrated pest management. Many farmers are working hard on alternative strategies. Sufficient support for the farmers to use alternative pest management could make this year’s devastation unnecessary.

Please be careful what you use on your plot. Our allotments should be a haven for our pollinators. This is a complex topic, but it has been shown that well diluted ionic surfactants (eco washing up liquid) are mostly harmless. Glyphosate is not. Try not to use it – it’s persistent in the soil. If it’s essential to use a tiny amount make sure the bees can’t get to it. ( Non-insecticide pesticide impacts on bees: A review of methods and reported outcomes/ Agriculture, ecosystems & Environment, 2021)

Read Fleur’s newsletter about this and other local issues here