A resident from our Camberwell Fields estate has been placed in the ‘Wild about Wildlife’ category in the National Trust’s Sky Gardening awards.
The National Trust Sky Gardening Challenge is a nationwide campaign and competition that encourages people living in flats, apartments, and urban spaces to transform balconies, window boxes, walkways, or small ground-floor areas into green spaces.
Marjorie Palanee is a passionate gardener, despite only having balcony space to work with. In her tranquil space in the heart of Camberwell, she grows flowers and edibles that encourages pollinators and birds to visit.
"I entered the competition as a fun challenge to slow down and observe the little things around me. My balcony has become a rewarding green space where I can support wildlife, grow my own food, reconnect with nature and share tips with the wider community." - Marjorie
Resident wins ‘highly commended’ in National Trust’s Sky Gardening awards
Credit: National Trust images/Paul Harris
Credit: National Trust images/Paul Harris
Credit: National Trust images/Paul Harris
Credit: National Trust images/Paul Harris
If Marjorie has inspired you to add some greenery to your balcony, make sure you check with your local officer what is allowed on your estate and never block a fire escape route.
Marjorie is also active in her community and recently successfully applied to Southwark's Community Wildflower Scheme for the Camberwell fields estate, where she lives.
The scheme offers free community wildflower packs to housing estates, public areas, and community growing spaces across the London Borough of Southwark to build a network of native pollinator habitats.
Native wildflowers provide food and shelter for bees, butterflies and hoverflies as well as many other insects that are vital to healthy ecosystems. The insects in turn encourage birds and small mammals to visit the area.
"I applied to the scheme because our community is passionate about gardening and making a positive difference for the planet. Having secured funding before, we’re keen to build on our efforts, create greener shared spaces, support local wildlife and inspire more residents to get involved." - Marjorie
Marjorie and a team of other resident volunteers identified areas around the estate that would benefit from the planting, working in partnership with NHG and the estate operations team. They’ve recently planted the areas with the plug plants provided by the Southwark scheme.
Although underwhelming to look at now, we’re all looking forward to next spring and summer when the wildflower areas should be a sea of colour and buzzing with life. We will revisit Camberwell Fields to show you the results.
Wildflower planting at Camberwell Fields
