I know that some people love wrapping up warm, grabbing a hot chocolate and getting outside in the cold. You may however, like me, find it much easier to enjoy the winter weather from the comfort of your sofa. I do know that when I manage to get out into the fresh air to cut back some dead growth, or for a quick stroll around the park, I feel a lot better. There are a lot of studies that show how spending time outside in nature can improve your mental health. It can happen in as little as 20 minutes. Effects include lowering your blood pressure and boosting happy hormones. If you are really struggling with the January blues, going outside could be just the thing to help!

Hopefully you now feel inspired to get outside! Here are some ideas for you and yes you guessed it, Station South can help with some!

• Meet a friend in a park or on the Fallowfield Loop before going for coffee
• Join Station Growers on a Thursday morning to learn about sustainable gardening and enjoy a free bowl of seasonal soup in the cafe afterwards
• Join a traditional wassail hosted in one of Manchester parks or orchards. Join Mycomanchester this Sunday 11th Jan at 3pm on Levenshulme Quadrants
• Bring your kids to the  Stroll and Roll Floop Quest at Station South
• Come on a winter walk through Highfield Country Park with me and learn about trees!

Despite the cold there are always plenty of tasks to carry out in the garden, including planning for the new year and prepping beds for Spring.

One of the main tasks for Station Growers this month is maintenance of the wildlife hedge. This is the hedge between Station Green and Crayfield Road.  Planted by over 100 determined local school children on a rainy winter day in 2023, it is a mix a native species including rowan, spindle tree and hazel. This forms a much more attractive barrier than the fence and also allows wildlife to thrive. Native tree species provide a variety of habitats for insects, birds and small mammals. Hedges can also help to form ‘wildlife corridors’ providing passage between larger areas that allow wildlife to thrive – the Fallowfield loop is an excellent example of this on a larger scale. Areas like this help to combat habitat fragmentation which leads to loss of species and biodiversity (and always reminds me of Animals of Farthing Wood).

In order to ensure the hedge is encouraging as much wildlife as possible and looking good we need to do some maintenance. The hedge becomes overgrown with grass, thistles and other weeds which stops the trees growing. It is also important to keep the hedge pruned to a friendly shoulder height. Pruning trees and reducing their height helps them to become more bushy and ‘hedge-like’. Species such as rowan and hazel respond particularly well to this – it is a natural adaptation to grazing from large predators like deer.

If you are interested in joining Station Growers then please drop me an email greenhub@stationsouth.co.uk, join our whatsapp group or turn up on a Thursday at 10am!  All tools and equipment plus refreshments are provided.

Looking forward to seeing you in the garden soon.

Augusta (she/ her)