Volunteers plant 2000 bulbs in Kew Road Ha-ha
On Saturday 16th November 2024, fifteen wonderful volunteers clambered once more into the Kew Road Ha-ha and hauled 20 bags of rubbish and large metal slabs, old wooden fence posts, scaffolding poles and many other strange items out of the trench before planting thousands of native daffodils and snowdrops.
Waste collected from the Ha-ha
Litter picking in the ditch at the Ha-ha
This conservation activity, organised by Habitats & Heritage, is part of a broader plan to create a linear pollinator station to support bees and butterflies throughout the year. It will also provide a nature friendly pathway, allowing wildlife to reach the high quality spaces such as The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and the River Thames, where they can thrive.
The aim is to establish plentiful nectar sources in linear belts along the slope of the Ha-ha for as much of the year as possible. Not only will this create a valuable food source for the insects, but it will also look beautiful for London Borough of Richmond upon Thames residents. Lines of flowers will accentuate and draw attention to this important piece of heritage situated at the edge of the Grade 1 Listed landscape.
Volunteers taking a break from bulb planting
From as early as February some of the bumblebee queens, such as the buff-tailed, emerge and will be grateful for the snowdrops nodding in the cold air. These bees remain active through until October when some of the Autumn flowering wildflowers at the top of the bank will still be spotting the banks with colour. Hot on the Bumblebees heels are the solitary mining bees emerging in March, with the more familiar honeybees lazily following suit in April. They will all take advantage of the Native English Daffodils appearing on the sloped section of the Ha-ha and the bluebells which will be in the trough of the structure. By May, the riot of colour produced by the wildflower annual seed mix will be a kaleidoscope of bees, moths and butterflies.
We will also be leaving plants like stinging nettles in areas of the trough. These are important shelter plants for mammals, reptiles and amphibians and also key food plants for many of the moth and butterfly caterpillars.
Though the flowers may not be highly visible in 2025, as they may only put out leaves to gather strength, by 2026 we can hope for more of a floral display.
With thanks to Paul Jennings, CEO of Habitats & Heritage for organising this conservation activity and providing the information for this note. Kew Society Trustees Bettina Kaemmerer and Sarah Clarke had a great time at the event! We would like to encourage members and residents alike to support this fabulous initiative.
Volunteers being given a briefing about the bulb planting by Paul Jennings, CEO of Habitats & Heritage
If you’d like to help out in the Ha-ha nature conservation project, or find out about other opportunities to engage with nature in the borough, please contact Paul@habitatsandheritage.org.uk or sign up for their monthly newsletter at the bottom of their homepage
