Since I last wrote about the Belvedere Centre Garden (4th December 2012) we have done more work on the two beds outside the front of the Belvedere Centre, between the Centre and the Belvoir Street foot and cycle path.

In the last couple of weeks, volunteers from Broadland Council Training Services (BCTS) have helped us and today, after a final bit of clearance, we finished the preparation for planting. There are some Siver Birch roots very close to the surface and we will need to plant with these in mind. Today we found a group of violets growing on the edge of the car park and carefully dug them out and replanted them at the base of a couple of Birch trees, where the soil is very shallow.

In early April we plan to fill up the beds with a range of plants ordered from Robin Tacchi Plants. These will include shade and drought tolerant Common Polypody ferns (Polypodium vulgare) and Greater Woodrush (Luzula sylvatica), Carex morrowii “Ice Dance” and an area of Purple Moor Grass (Molinia caerulea “Heidebraut”) mixed with hardy Geraniums, Verbena bonariensis, Rudbeckia fulgida “deamii” and Veronicastrum virginicum “Fascination” to provide colour and also flowers for insects. Hopefully the Purple Moor Grass will provide autumn colour in front of the Birch tree trunks, just as it does on heathland in the wild.

Preparing the ground at the Belvedere Centre.