These before and after photographs illustrate the progress made by our volunteers during the first four years. Many people have been surprised at the improvements Penge Green Gym have already made in Winsford Gardens. Of course, we are always open to new ideas and suggestions to improve your local park.
One of our very first projects in Winsford Gardens was to tidy up the herb beds.
Most of the flower beds were overgrown with weeds.
And the ornamental shrubs and exotic trees which had all been sadly neglected and had been allowed to become quite overgrown.
In the winter of 2011-12 we built a greenhouse in our growing area.
We also built three compost bins to recycle our waste. In the autumn of 2013 we added a fourth compost bin made from recycled materials.
We created two new wild flower meadows to attract insects and other animals into the garden.
We also built insect hotels and havens for other ‘micro-fauna such as stag beetles.
And we built a number of small raised beds where we can grow a variety of vegetables.
We completely transformed some of the existing flower beds.
With tender loving care, mulch, compost and manure the Rose Garden is now stunning and no doubt it contributed to our Penge in Bloom 2013 and 2014 wins. In 2014 we restored the third Rose Garden bed.
In 2013 we built a children’s playground.
And then we added some well needed seating to the park. We continued to add more seating during 2014.
We created a Willow dome and a Willow arch which have sadly since been vandalised.
In 2014 we transformed a neglected area of the park which once contained ornamental ponds and a fountain. We landscaped the area by altering the ground level around the two small ponds to remove tripping hazards, and to prevent nutrient rich runoff from the high bank into the ponds.
In 2014 we then filled in the larger pond with its cracked base to create our Bog Garden.