Urban herb garden inspiration

Via Janaina Vaughn on Pinterest

My love affair with herbs continues. I’ve been trawling Pinterest for quirky ideas for space-saving herb gardens. Turns out you can plant in anything from shoe storage to old tin cans. Click through our slideshow for inspiration…

By Hannah Bass.

Making the streets of Hackney flourish

Miranda used compost and a Hackney garden waste bag to make a mini pop up garden

As a group of neighbours in Hackney, we have got together to create an explosion of pop up gardens to coincide with the Chelsea Flower Show. 

These gardens will go on show in 17 days. This is a community collaboration inspired by ‘The Chelsea Fringe Festival’ which we are part of.

After registering our project with them we set about getting our hands on, quite literally, tons of free compost and have gained permission from the council. This project has continued to grow and is open to anyone who wants to get involved.

We share advice and ideas and there is a real buzz about our project, which is currently at least 25 sites strong. These sites range from tree pits to container gardens, made in either recycling sacks or builders’ sand bags, either within housing estates or on streets.

You don’t need to be an experienced gardener to get involved, just either know a street that could do with some floral cheer or want to help somebody else with there idea; any kind of help is welcome. We will supply all the advice you need; all we ask for is some enthusiasm.

We’re still looking to get more people involved, so please contact us at dbg.chelseafringe[at]gmail.com and visit our website dbgchelseafringe.wordpress.com

Guest blog post by Miranda Janatka. Uploaded by Krystena Petrakas. Photo by dbgchelseafringe under a CC licence.

VIDEO l How to make a solitary bee home

Bees are in trouble. The number of bees in Britain is falling dramatically and three bumblebee species are already extinct.

Many factors are causing the declining population, from having less habitats, to climate change and even certain pesticides can harm bees. Many bee homes have been destroyed as development continues around the UK and bees are left nowhere to lay their eggs.

Tash and I are doing our bit to encourage bee activity and making our Eastend garden bee-friendly by making our own solitary bee home. We hope you follow in our steps and help the bee population.

Please see our video on how to make your own solitary bee home.

And here’s what went wrong…

By Krystena Petrakas and Natasha Wynarczyk

Are the Olympics hurting your gardens?

 These words were taken from complaints made by east London resident infuriated by the Olympics construction. Click

How are the Olympics affecting your gardening? We want to hear from people worried about the impact of the games. Get in touch: eastendgardener@gmail.com

By Hannah Bass.

Gardeners, have you tried Pinterest?

Any gardeners heard of Pinterest? I’m obsessed. It’s a great little image-sharing community that’s a cross between Twitter and Tumblr – members ‘pin’ their favourite pictures onto a virtual pinboard to share with others. It’s a neat way to organise your photos for gardening inspiration (or as we put, greenspiration).

Here are some of my favourite Pinterest photos – click on the pics for their Pinterest source.

And don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest!

VIDEO | How to attract the birds: a recipe for birdcake

On Sunday I tried to take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch but the number of birds frequenting my garden was frankly negligible. I want more feathered friends in my tiny patch of wild, so I’ve decided to bribe them with food.

Birds really need extra nutrients and fat supplies to see them through the winter months. You can help them out, and be rewarded with a lively backyard, by making a quick and easy birdcake using kitchen scraps.

Here I am coming over all Blue Peter with a here’s-one-I-made-earlier birdcake recipe. And for more information on foods that are safe for birds, check out this handy guide from the RSPB.

By Hannah Bass.

East End Gardener’s Last-Minute Christmas Guide

Christmas is a week away, hurtling towards us like a Crimbo asteroid. You’ve put gift-buying off and now you’re panicking.

No worries! Here is East End Gardener’s Last-Minute Christmas Guide – thoughtful gifts to get the gardeners in your life, helpful hints if loved ones need reminding, or just ideas so you can treat yourself over the Christmas period. Every item listed is available online, so you don’t brave the high street.

For the complete beginner: Rocket Gardens send over a boxful of baby plants, ready for the newbie gardener to pop into a pot or planter. They even offer boxes with different specialities, from readymade gardens perfect for window boxes to boxes of salad greens. Spring vegetable gardens available from £21.99

For the home-loving gardener: These lavendar pillows would smell fantastic in any home AND they go towards a good cause – the Guerilla Gardening project, which is busy making London green again with on-the-fly gardening. Lavender pillow, £15

For the green reader: There are a load of gardening books out there, but we especially like Sarah Raven’s The Great Vegetable Plot, which is a great guide to creating the perfect veg garden – and it includes recipes! The Great Vegetable Plot, £13.28

For the guerilla gardener: Calling all green activists! If you want to see a splash of wildflower colour in your city, opt for these seed bombs – a great way to get growth going in hard-to-reach places. This pack makes up to 20 seed bombs. Seed bomb kit, £5

Merry Christmas from all of us at East End Gardener!

By Zing Tsjeng. Photo from George Eastman House Photography Collection via Flickr under a CC licence.