Page 30 - link magazine

30 The Link Magazine • September 2003
Link story generates immediate action against germinator plant
We discover who was responsible for spreading the seeds in the first place
A story in the August Link highlighting the rapid spread of Himalayan Balsam along the River Mead in
Westlea brought an immediate response from the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.
Swindon waterways officer Jo However local ties and ryegrass.
LAWN & HEDGE CUTTING Sayer organised a group of volun- wildflower and "The weather this
teers who donned boots and gloves butterfly expert year has been ex-
PATIO & TURF LAYING
to pull out hundreds of plants be- John Ball from ceptional but the
GENERAL GARDEN TIDY fore they seed. Grange Park has Wiltshire climate is
FENCE ERECTION, Called the germinator or termi- come forward to usually too dry for
nator, the 2 metre high plant is so admit that he balsam to survive be-
STAINING & MAINTENANCE
prolific that it smothers home spread the seeds in yondthemudbanks;
Give your garden a makeover
grown varieties and drains the Westlea over ten the bare soil they cre-
Tel: 01793 873630 nutrients from streams. Jo said, years ago to im- ate may make it
Mobile: 07818430556 "one of my project areas is the River prove wildlife. easier for wetland
e-mail: [email protected] Ray at Barnfield Road and it is "The balsam plants to establish, so
www.garden-groomers.com essential to stop the balsam gain- feeds bumble bees there is hope.
ing a hold there from Westlea." which are threat- "I feel bad about
ened with extinc- spreading an alien,
tion and is a fa- but the balsam has
LAWNHOPPERS vourite host of also given a lot of
grasscutting blackfly and their Volunteers pulling balsam in people pleasure
Westlea in late July
LANDSCAPE SERVICES attendant ants, and has helped sus-
A grasscutting food for hoverflies and dragonflies. tain bee populations in Swindon.
www.horticare.co.uk
"The long-term solution is to add
"My concern was that very little
service for existed to feed insects, because the true wetland plants, because they
both large and * Patios Ponds
river bank was choked with net- can defeat it most years."
small gardens ** Turfing * Fencing
Garden maintenance Indian Summer activities at TWIGS
Weekly, fortnightly or monthly visits
Explore and enjoy the community gardens next to Manor Garden
All machinery supplied to keep Garden design Centre on 14 September, 11 am to 4pm
your garden neat and tidy
Decking * Pergolas Free activities for all. For details call 523294.
All rubbish removed
ALL WORK GUARANTEED
Full garden maintenance Older folk get behind recycling idea
service available
Residents at 27 out of 33 of Swindon's sheltered housing schemes are
Tel: enthusiastically participating in a newspaper recycling service.
Collection by the charity Leaves is saving a predicted 40 tonnes of
paper from going into landfill.
Leaves collection at Salgitter Court, Tootbill, from left, Derek Jones and Kelvin
THE TIMBER Rumming of Leaves, resident Eva Clist and warden Marie Denton, recycling
www.limberdeckingco.co.uk officer Andrew Cook, cabinet member for Swindon Services Fionuala Foley
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