The People’s Garden: Volunteer Diary
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Graham Arnold writes an update from the volunteers, giving us a glimpse into what they’ve been up to over the past few months…
Wed 3 Sept 2025
Some of the volunteers worked on the Swiss Bridge, assessing areas of damage and weathering to be reported to the Rangers. Along with minor temporary repairs, cleaning was carried out on the painted areas of the bridge with stiff brushes and gentle cleaning fluid. In addition, the central gardens outside the Visitor’s Centre were watered and pruned.
Sat 7 September 2025
The gates on the South end of Ashville Road had become discoloured with mildew and dirt, so some carried out a deep-clean. Small stiff brushes and scouring sponges were used along with a mild soap solution to work away grime and lichen, restoring the painted sections of gate to their original colour.
Wed 10 Sept 2025
More gate cleaning at the North end of Ashville Road. These gates were filthy, and so heavy scrubbing was necessary to loosen layers of mud, leaves and chewing gum from the gilding. After thorough rinsing, the gates’ vibrant colours were visible again, which invited a positive response from the public.
Meanwhile, another group were removing the lighter logs of the mature Oak tree on the pathway north of the Lower Lake. This had fallen due to the heavy rains of the previous winter, with much of it landing in the lake – recently retrieved by the newly formed Angling Steering Group volunteers. Three loads filled the flatbed truck. The massive bole and very large branches will need removal by the new tree contractor.
Sat 14 September 2025
The gates opposite park drive leading to the Visitor’s Centre required extensive cleaning and debris removal. There were build-ups of leaf matter and dog waste which needed removing to reveal the metal detailing at the bottom of the gates. Some of the group worked away at the staining and plant waste to expose the original paint colour and finer details.
Wed 24 Sept 2025
It was reported that the Holm Oak planted in memory of QEII by the Lower Lake was covered in a mass of small acorns.
Most of the group went to the heights of the Serpentine. On the previous Saturday a view was created from the Serpentine towards the Lower Lake where the diseased beech had fallen in the winter of 2023/4. By chance this was where the short-lived camera obscura had been located in the Park in the 19th century. On this occasion work concentrated on the top of the hill. The lower limbs of hollies were cut back. Mature yews were similarly treated. This had the effect of opening views to the top of the hill from the Serpentine path.
Some of the volunteers concentrated on the Cole Street beds and then went to the Figure of Eight Lake to remove weeds which could harm children using the pathway around it.
Wed 1 Oct 2025
The group went to the Lower Lake by the fallen beech tree at the bottom of the Serpentine. The task was to clear the trees cut down by the group on Saturday 20 Sept. Two loads filled the flatbed truck. Further trees were pruned on the Lake side of the path, including the willow on the water’s edge. The large shrubbery was also pruned back into a lower wide hedge.
One of the volunteers came up with an acronym for the Friends: –
F – Forward-thinking
R – Reliable
I – Industrious
E – Engaging
N – Noble
D – Dedicated
S – Skilful
We need to live up to the billing…….!!!
Wed 8 Oct 2025
The volunteers did some light work on the beds by the Cole Street entrance spreading mulch. These had been weeded in previous weeks. Following that the group went to the Serpentine Hill to load up the arisings from the clearance of holly and removal of low dead yew branches on the 24 Sept. This was a start, a further pile of brash will be removed soon to prevent dried branches and leaves becoming a fire hazard near healthy trees.
Meanwhile, the bed on the north end of the Boothby Ground needed mulch spreading, and so the group requested wood chips from the Rangers and dispersed them. After weeding the soil, the volunteers covered the bed with a thick layer of mulch, focused on the bases of Rowan trees and Berberis shrubs to prevent frost damage. The group then moved onto weeding the Rose Beds outside the Visitors Centre. A curious robin oversaw all work at Boothby.
Wed 15 October 2025
Some of the volunteers concentrated on the beds to the front and side of the Visitor Centre. Weeds were still developing in the residue of summer and the overcast conditions of autumn. Pruning dead growths tidied up the beds and exposed the weeds for removal. The bed by the tool room was showing a lovely sutumn display of varied flowers (the seeds of which had been donated by Cllr Amanda Onwuemene) fronting and surrounding the Wollemi Pine.
The others meanwhile went to the Volunteer bed in the Upper Park to remove the piles of bramble with attached roots which Paul had been digging over for the last few weeks. Bulbs had been planted there in dense groups some ten years ago.in a south facing bowl figured out of the mound. The bulbs would now be able to show their spring glory next year. A Black Locust tree had been pushed over by a falling dead tree but was still growing like a sparse ground cover shrub. It was felt that it should be left as an interesting anomaly. In the spring its relationship to the bulbs will be exposed and a considered decision made. Three young locust trees border the bowl and should be able to provide continuity if necessary.
Another part of the group cut down nettles at the head of the Lower Lake to show off the dogwoods. These will provide lovely red stems throughout the winter before pruning back in Spring. Nearby, past the spreading Deodar tree a mature holly had been cut down to allow light for a replacement Mulberry tree. This is protected by tree guards. The space created could be used for a demonstration project using Azaleas, Rhododendrons, and varied bulbs to provide colour. Holly growth from the base could be trained into a closely pruned shrub to hide the large bole and echo the treatment of hollies in the Victorian era.
The original Black Mulberry Tree (Morus Nigra) overlooked a bench to the east by the grass defile leading up to the Balaclava Field. The original is shown on the Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Inventory with a photograph. A comment notes that it fell and was cut up after a gale in 2023.
Graham Arnold
Have you noticed more acorns than usual crunching underfoot this year, or trees heavy with seed pods? These are signs of a “mast year”, a year when certain tree species produce a bumper crop of nuts or seeds. This year many parts of the UK are seeing just that, including here at Birkenhead Park.
What is a Mast Year?
A mast year is when trees of the same species across a region synchronise and produce lots more seeds or nuts than usual. It doesn’t happen every year – many species do this only every few years (2–5 years, or for heavy mast years even 5–10).
So why do trees do this?
No one fully knows why or how trees coordinate this, but scientists propose a few ideas.
The main idea is referred to as “predator satiation”, which is the idea that by dropping far more food than squirrels, jays and mice can possibly eat, trees ensure some seeds escape and germinate.
Trees often appear to ‘time’ their mast years together, perhaps via fungal networks or chemical signals, so that many individuals in a population mast at once.
Mast years can have an ecological ripple effect. For wildlife, a mast year is a feast! More nuts and seeds mean more food for squirrels, jays and other small mammals and birds, and with this abundance and satiation of predators comes a greater potential for new trees to germinate.
A heavy mast year is expensive for a tree, so the following year typically brings a lighter seed set while the tree replenishes its reserves.
If you spot standout trees or find yourself ankle-deep in acorns, snap a photo and share it with us! We’re building a picture of this year’s hotspots in the park (citizen-science projects use these observations to track how mast years vary across the UK).
The dry spell has continued with a vengeance and expectations of hosepipe bans this summer have been raised. The volunteers will need to be conscious of watering the various beds around the Park which have been planted under the Wild Isles scheme, and which are protected by chestnut paling fencing. The wildflower garden, so assiduously watered, is now showing growth and the first blush of colour.
A mature Yucca at the west end of the Boothby Ground had attended a course in camouflage. Intrepid volunteers cut back enveloping bramble for it to be magically revealed. What other discoveries are to be made elsewhere in the Park within tangled bramble masses?
Dead trees within the woodland have been cut down with help from a group of volunteers from Vitaflow clearing the area of impenetrable brambles underneath. They were propped up by living ones. Cutting down angled trunks was challenging. Saws were impeded and once trunks were cut through the dead branches could not be disentangled from those of the supporting trees. This necessitated a further cut of the less steeply angled trunk to release the tree.
Meanwhile others forged through the woodland removing brambles to re-establish wide pathways where people can walk the dog and appreciate the dappled sunshine under the tree canopy.
Beds infested with weeds were cleared to expose the main shrubs. Winter heath heathers at the Holt Garden were rescued from the smothering effects of couch grass. Nearby pathways were edged to sharpen their appearance and widen their surface.
Elsewhere, graffiti in the interior of the Roman Boathouse was rapidly painted over to maintain its role as pleasant place to stare over the parapets watching the fish, ducks and geese in and on the still waters below.
Keeping the Park in condition is a continuing and busy challenge!
Graham Arnold
Last week we carried out an aquatic invertebrate survey on the Lower Lake, and it’s safe to say it is teeming with life! With help from our brilliant work experience student Mila, we dipped nets into the margins and brought up samples full of tiny creatures – a whole world that many park visitors don’t even realise is there.
Among the finds were water boatmen, snails, water measurers, freshwater shrimps, and leeches, which are often misunderstood but play a valuable role in the ecosystem. We even found the delicate shed skin of a pond olive mayfly, a sign that mayflies are using the lake to complete their fascinating life cycles. Mayflies, like many invertebrates, are sensitive to pollution, so spotting their remains is a good sign for water quality.
One particularly exciting discovery was a micro-caddisfly (likely Agraylea multipunctata or sexmaculata). These tiny insects build protective cases using fine algal threads, almost like miniature silk sleeping bags. They’re not commonly encountered, and so finding one in the lake suggests the water is supporting a healthy level of biodiversity!
We also spotted copepods, tiny crustaceans visible only with close inspection but vital to freshwater food webs. These are the kind of creatures that support everything else in the lake, from invertebrates to fish and birds.
Though this particular survey focused on invertebrates, we know there’s even more wildlife just below the surface – including fish. Our lakes are home to a variety of species including three-spined sticklebacks, carp, tench, bream and perch. So next time you’re walking around the lake, take a moment to think about the incredible hidden world beneath the surface!
You can find out more about wildlife in the park here.
Since the New Year, volunteers have been tirelessly working on various tasks to maintain and enhance the People’s Garden. Their efforts have significantly improved the park’s aesthetics, making it an inviting space for all visitors.
The gates to the Upper Park on Ashville Road near Cavendish Road have been thoroughly cleaned to remove moss, lichen, and slime growth that had accumulated over the seasons. This meticulous cleaning has restored the gates to their Victorian colour scheme of yellows, reds, and greens, thereby improving the first impressions of visitors.
Additionally, brambles, shrubs, and a dead tree have been removed from the Upper Park to open views to the island. The cleared materials were transported to the depot for shredding and repurposing elsewhere in the park. This clearing has opened new vistas, enhancing the natural beauty of the area.
Lower parts of the Ashville Road gates cleaned.
A shortcut between two pathways has been fenced off with chestnut paling into a laager, and hawthorn whips have been planted to form a long-term shrub barrier. Despite the dry spring making the ground difficult to turn over, volunteers persevered, and watering will be necessary to help establish the plants into the summer.
To support Forest Schools, areas at the back of the Visitor Centre have been planted with whips to establish future privacy. Volunteers also removed copious amounts of ground ivy from the back of the plinth and railings to Park Road North before planting this new greenery.
Watering the laager between the pathways.
Near the Grand Entrance Way, heritage gardeners have created a kidney-shaped bed by cutting out grass and turning over the soil. Although this project was planned a year ago, wet winter conditions had previously made the ground too sodden. This spring’s dry conditions present a different challenge, but schoolchildren, under the direction of a park ranger, have assisted by mixing wildflower seeds with sand to ensure even planting. This bed is prone to drying out, necessitating volunteers to carry watering cans from taps with low water pressure at the ticket office—a 50-metre trek across rough-cut grass. Despite being a laborious task, it will contribute to the park’s colour and biodiversity in the coming months.
G R Arnold
5th April 2025