Most of you know that we lost a lot of trees in the recent storms and have started a campaign to try and slowly replace them. ‘Fruit and Nut Village’, who have been planting orchards in Druids Heath, have kindly agreed to plant some lovely nut trees in the cemetery and we will be holding a small event on April 6th at 11am. Everyone welcome. Boots and gloves advisable.
Spring has sprung in a really unusual place. This was obviously a very determined daffodil!
Before Covid we worked with Birmingham Trees for Life to plant 15 standard size trees on the boundary with Broad Lane and Sunderton Road. A few years on these trees needed their tree ‘guards’ and stakes removing so this morning seven volunteers from our Grave Gardening group set about that task and also made a start clearing brambles around the. Our thanks to all of them for their efforts as brambles are especially unpleasant to deal with !
The Friends are continuing with their monthly sessions to clear shrubbery from graves and also around some perimeter areas. We welcome help at each of these events and whilst we do have our own group tools we always welcome supporters bringing their own tools with them. Can we suggest that you bring your own gardening gloves, if you have them, and wear suitable footwear.
We will be meeting by the Lodge at 11am but then moving to another area of the cemetery.
A few years ago the Friends were lucky to receive a donation of 3 planters as part of the ‘Brightening Brandwood’ project. They were initially stocked with wild flowers that unfortunately have now reached the end of their life. The Friends made the decision that, if we could find some sponsors for the planters, we would like to continue to keep them as a welcoming splash of colour as you enter the cemetery.
FBEC funded last year’s display of Geraniums and filled the planters with bulbs but we are pleased to say that we have found two companies and a supporter who have sponsored the planters for the year 2025/6 so they are now looking Spring bright! As soon as its warmer they will also get a lick of paint. Thank you to everyone concerned.
This is our last chance to get the flower papers and litter out from under bushes and hedges before it disappears into the greenery till next Autumn. Come along and help us with this final push.
We can always rely on the staff from Deutsche Bank to go above and beyond. They powered through the brambles and weeds to uncover more than 15 graves and complete the larger shrub clearance on this area. Well done Deutsche Bank!!
Despite the damp and miserable weather we were joined by 23 people who all spent close to an hour and a half learning a little bit more about the trees of Brandwood End in Winter. Our thanks to Malcolm who had spent time planning and leading a great Tree Walk. Lots of interesting facts and questions and so many different trees still remaining to cover at another time.
Hopefully the next Tree Walk will be a ‘Summer’ one with better weather. Thanks again to Malcolm for all his time and effort, and to those that attended and make it all worth while.
If you enjoyed todays walk and want to help us replant some new trees for those you saw that were lost recently then watch this space for details on how you can donate/sponsor new trees.
Please come and support our Winter Tree Walk. Tomorrow, Sunday 9th. 11am at the Lodge. Wrap up warm and wear stout footwear. See you there? Read more
Alongside the above project we are also working with the Tree Officer and Bereavement Service staff to plant some suitable trees that will deal with future climate issues. We need to replenish tree stocks to maintain our Grade 2 Listed Garden status. We hope to fund this through grants and a possible ‘sponsor a tree’ campaign. Please follow our campaign which we will launch soon.