Progress Reports

January 2024

This is not the season for much growth in our gardens, but plans for the front garden of Holy Trinity are growing apace. First of all, a huge thank you for your suggestions for our future garden, some of which can easily be put into practice and some for future planning.

Progress and plans so far

  1. Pebble border at base of front wall – pebbles to be delivered soon to cover the black matting. Some matting still to be laid at north east corner. Date for pebble shifting to be planned – please come with your shovels – many hands and all that!
  2. A grant request is to go to the charity “Repollinate” for wildflower plug plants through “Beds for Bees”. These will available soon and need to be stored in someone’s greenhouse/potting shed and cared for until planting time in late May/early June.
  3. Plans are with a local contractor for the felling of dead and/or dangerously high fir trees to the left of the building (as you enter the church) with the hope of replanting this area with native trees. We will be planting more trees in due course but work on the front facing of the building needs to be completed before that can happen. We have good links with the local Stirling Treelink charity (see their website).
  4. Benches/seating areas perhaps with some shade and refreshments served over the summer months.
  5. We plan to contact the local residents to invite them to join us and/or give a donation.
What might not work so well from your suggestions
  1. In reality fruit trees are likely to be stripped/damaged well before we can make any apple pies. This has happened both in Beechwood Park and King’s Park. Suggest a lavender and rosemary low hedge along inside of front wall.
  2. A Remembrance Garden as such does need a fair amount of space and people have very varied ideas of what might be placed within it.
    My personal suggestion would be to have some kind of service of dedication of the garden space in due course (first tree planting?) so that it can be a quiet space for anyone to use as they remember loved ones. A donation could perhaps be offered for specific trees or plants with appropriate plaques.

How can I help?

This is a long-term and hopefully ongoing project but progress does depend on you. Several skills will be needed so you don’t necessarily need to be able to wield a heavy shovel. If you can offer plant storage space, record keeping, sending out information emails, gentle gardening, heavier work, keeping the place generally tidy, producing cake for hungry gardeners, please contact Joan Lyon, who will be in touch about getting dates into the diary.

If you would like to make a financial contribution towards any aspect of these plans, please send this
directly to our Treasurer, Robert Nellist, or have a chat with Joan first.