‘High Kingsdown looks good because we pay quality attention to it’

With all the negative press about pesticides, we wanted to see if we could figure out alternative ways of keeping High Kingsdown looking cared-for and pesticide-free.

We’ve been hand weeding our lanes at High Kingsdown since a Bristol City Council-funded trail in 2016.

The weed trial itself ended up being largely a desktop study and limited – it didn’t consider enough options for long enough.

However, since then a team of council street cleansers have at their least busy times helped us hoe and sweep.

Glyphosate, the chemical in council weed killers, is being banned by councils and cities all over the world due to concerns it can lead to non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and other health issues.

It can also cause water and soil pollution and can impact the health of important insects including earthworms and bees.

Residents taking care of lanes in High Kingsdown – photo: Green High Kingsdown

It’s been a difficult year for many of us and just being able to meet in groups again has been a relief.

This spring, it has been a joy to be out weeding with my neighbours. In past years, the University of Bristol gardening group has helped us; wildflowers are interesting wherever they grow and gardening is a relaxing way to meet new friends.

If we left weeds to have free rein, we think that eventually there would be just grass, dandelions and the most persistent and prolific weeds.

I love dandelions – they are great for bees – but they are not the easiest to remove from crevices and when there are too many they can make lanes look neglected.

Students from University of Bristol weeding lanes with Twinkle – photo: Green High Kingsdown

Over the years in High Kingsdown, we have found that sweeping and a combination of hoeing and hand weeding works well.

Regular sweeping up of leaves, earth and seeds makes it harder for unwanted weeds to grow. Grass requires special attention; after rain is a good time to focus on patiently pulling it up.

Funnily enough, weeds growing through cracks in paving wasn’t a part of our minimalist design.

Making use of multiple approaches, such as repairing holes in the mortar between bricks, would be one way to reduce or limit where weeds can grow.

Another option that we have started working on is to encourage small, soft flowering species.

Soft plants like campanula produce a thick carpet of evergreen leaves all year round. Other plants can’t compete with campanula, and in summer they become a carpet of beautiful pale purple bells.

These are delicate plants, so if they get a bit bushy they are easy to neaten up with a hand or hoe and are good for insects and pollinators.

campanula lining lanes in High Kingsdown – photo: Green High Kingsdown

Caring for High Kingsdown’s lanes this way has transformed a chore into an important function.

Wildlife has been in sharp decline since the 1970s. Hand weeding instead of spraying means we can help and increase wildlife.

The High Kingsdown estate is looking good because we are paying quality attention to it; we created a programme of meaningful physical exercise!

Crucially, the weeding has provided a simple way for people to get to know each other and a way to check in with neighbours.

Bristol was the first city in the UK to declare an ecological emergency in 2020 and has pledged to phase out use of pesticides.

A strategy focusing on education and working with communities to develop a variety of alternatives may be a good place to start.

Karen Sillence is a community gardener who lives in High Kingsdown. This article was originally published on greenhighkingsdown.wordpress.com

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