Pimp your Pavement

Ever thought of planting up around your street tree.Well here's some inspiration from the new Pimp Your Pavement page on fbook.Of course we've been doing this for years....but here's some more ideas http://www.facebook.com/pimpyourpavement

You can of course start right now by planting Daffodil or Tulip bulbs!

Or how about thoughtfully placed pansies or violets?

Latest Plan for Main Site Revealed

Draft plans for delivery of green space improvements have been launched with extended linked pathways , improved access and tree planting on the agenda.

Plot owners offer land for Growing

Do you have a plot of land available or need somewhere to grow your fruit and veg or flowers?

Have you heard of Landshare?

Post your location and contact details to the website now and join the growing revolution.

http://www.landshare.net/index/
http://www.landshare.net/map/

Dan's gnome gets a home | Home and Garden | Lifestyle | Daybreak - ITV.com

See Northwood Mums and kids,and the main man at Kirkby Allotments in Northwood on Daybreak

Dan's gnome gets a home | Home and Garden | Lifestyle | Daybreak - ITV.com

view here!

Its Time To Start Watering Your Trees

As we move into April the flowering trees are resplendent with floral colours and the leaf buds are breaking through.By mid May all the trees will have come into life.

This means that the trees will be drawing water from the soil.

In the trees' first year the roots need to grow and stabilise the tree.With the shock of lifting at their nursery near Southport and getting used to their new home the trees will require a little help with water.

This is where you come in.For those with a water butt you can draw water from this.For those without there is the tap.

A litre of 5 each week will keep these trees healthy for years to come showing year round colour each spring!

All trees are subject to a two year maintenance arrangement with our delivery contractors.

For maintenance calls ring us on 01925 816 217.

Spring Arrives at last in Northwood!

What can we expect to see this spring in and around Northwood?

Main Site Almost finished

The main amenity site located off Roughwood Drive and accessible from Trecastle Rd is nearly finished.Pathworks,fishing pegs and tree planting has almost reached the entrance gate where a restricted access point will be installed.

Further funding has been applied for to complete works on the site in the next two years.

St Marks Grow Project Kicks Off

The grow project (allotments) is now to go ahead from April 2011.For more details contact Christel or read the previous blog post http://bit.ly/hFYyEp

Northwood Main Site Goes Ahead

A view across the pond with fishing pegs being installed

A new path being formed across the centre of the site

Contractors acting on behalf of Knowsley Council are now busy installing pathways, site access and fishing pegs in order to bring this exciting piece of forgotten ground to life.

This former dumping ground has been a haven for wildlife since small trees and knee high grassland grew up amongst piles of soil waste.Miraculously a small pond formed giving life to a range of invertibrates.Local fishing enthusiasts have stocked the pond in recent years and the area has become a popular haunt away from the hustle and bustle of day to day life in nearby Northwood.

Funded by the Marks & Spencer's Greener Living Spaces fund (Groundwork) together with The Forestry Commission's Setting The Scene For Growth programme.This is part of the Newlands project supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency.

This project will open up a new wilder green space which will add to the variety outdoor experiences that local residences can enjoy.

Previous post here:

http://northwoodgreenstreets.blogspot.com/2010/11/plan-for-northwood-community-site.html

Free Water Butts Available Still !!

Do you live in Northwood in the area between Old Rough Lane to the south ,and Roughwood Drive to the north.

The Mersey Forest and Knowsley Housing Trust is offering free fitting of water butts to houses.To be eligible you must have an accessible water downpipe from your roof and be willing to allow our contractors to fit the water butt.

For installation tips see here: http://bit.ly/hy2iQB

Contact Ben on 01925 816 217 or leave a message or e mail ben@merseyforest.org.uk before February 11th 2011.

There are10 free water butts so hurry!

You don't need to be a Knowsley Housing Trust resident, but you must like trees of course!!!

Community and Funders Celebrate Trees

Local residents group Northwood Mums with their kids joined local councillor Terry Garland and representative of Knowsley Housing Trust's Advantage funding, Kerry Kirkpatrick, in celebrating the planting of one of the 150 or so trees planted across Northwood.

Work Starts

Work on planting pavement and verge trees has started in Northwood Kirkby Merseyside this week.Contractors for Blakedown Landscapes broke ground and installed the first trees on Bigdale and Brook Hey Drives before moving onto Kennelwood Rd and Roughwood Drive.

It is hoped to have all the trees planted by mid February.

Green Streets Coordinator for The Mersey Forest Ben Greenaway said 'the first trees are now in and already the impact is quite substantial.The trees should have an impact of making the distances between places feel shorter especially when walking on foot or by bike; and which will give the area a greater sense of character as the seasons progress.'

North of England based landscape contractor, Blakedown Landscapes has been appointed to deliver the Green Streets project around Northwood,near Kirkby, Knowsley.The work involves the excavation of over 150 tree pits and the planting of extra heavy standard trees of about 3-4m in height.

The trees, planted in pavements,verges will give a sense of instant impact to the streets.

Bright green guards will protect the trees from accidental damage from cars whilst allowing the clearance of litter or debris build up around the tree.

Residents will be encouraged to plant up around the trees with bulbs or small flowering plants.

The contract is estimated to take around 3 weeks to complete in readiness for spring bud break when trees burst into life!

Blakedown Landscapes were delighted to have won this contract.Having worked with The Mersey Forest in a similar project in the Wirral the project's coordinator Ben Greenaway said 'we are confident that this project will be delivered with the efficiency we are used to with this scale of planting'.

Landscape Architects Appointed to oversee project

Architects Ombler Iwanowski have been appointed by The Mersey Forest on behalf of Knowsley Council to take forward plans to plant over 80 trees in the Four Acre and nearby Sutton Manor area linking residents to local shopping, neighbourhood services,schools and green spaces in the area.

Griff Evans of OI Architects (pictures left with contractor Blakedown Landscapes) said 'we have a wide range of experience of delivering this type of scheme in regeneration and community residential areas across the Mersey belt. I think this is a great scheme that offers an opportunity to bring a variety of colourful ornamental trees and where appropriate larger shade trees to this area.It will certainly brighten up the streets and give a more pleasant feel to journeys by foot and bicycle in Northwood.'