We just managed to get our second project in the ground before this years frost!
First, we went to our school and took photos and measured the spaces, so we knew how many bulbs we needed to use. Then we had a meeting with the headteacher, and shared our ideas.
We split the bulbs into 3 sections; the ‘woodland’, the entrance to the Saints (the after-school club) and the Reception. Each area had different levels of tree cover, so we selected the right bulbs for each space and natural light.
The headteacher had asked for lots of colour, so we picked a variety of bulbs to meet his request; 250 Snowdrops, 1,500 mixed Crocus, 500 Daffodils, 1,000 English Bluebells, 250 Summer Snowflakes, 250 Triumph Tulips, 250 Darwin Tulips, 250 Lily Tulips and 1,000 Star of Bethlehem’s.
It took us 1 and ½ days of planting, and it’s worth it. These 5,250 bulbs would provide colour and habitat for wildlife from February to June, year after year.
We used a coloured grid template that had all the bulb names on it, and drilled the holes. The helpers from school used the template to evenly plant the bulbs throughout the spaces.
During planting it snowed too and went down to -1 deg. C. Luckily the ground was still soft for planting. We had a kind teacher who give us hot chocolates to warm us up – it was the best I’ve ever had.
- I. Foreman (aged 10)
