Martins Hill

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What’s happening to the seasons?

With the impact of global warming the traditional seasons seem to be getting a bit mixed up, with plants in flower when we least expect them! This will seriously impact insects and other creatures dependent on them for their sustenance e.g. pollen/nectar. If they cannot either adapt to synchronise their food plants, or find alternatives, they will be seriously impacted. Also birds, etc which predate such insects and will also be impacted.

So it was therefore very relevant to take part in a survey on New Year Day to find any such plants in our local parks. Led ably by our very own Andrea Deri, this was part of the national New Year Plant Survey organised by the Botanical Society of Great Britain & Ireland. Nationally this year they found 663 different species in flower.

More locally our stalwart team, duly wrapped up, braved a cold New Year Day very slowly wandering around both Church House Gardens and Martins Hill carefully looking for this plants in flower, some of them very small, Our findings, once duly identified, were then uploaded to a dedicated BSBI database, so contributing to the national figures.

New Year Plant Hunt attendees

During our survey we found some 38 different species in bloom. The most surprising one perhaps was the Broom plant found in flower. This is normally expected to be blooming in late April/early May!

Broom in flower in December on Martins Hill. Taken by Andrea Deri.

We hope to continue monitoring the plants found in our parks over the coming months.

You can find out more about the national figures HERE.

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Brooming Lovely!

The Broom plant (Cytisus scoparius), after which Bromley is named, is now in full flower on Martins Hill. This despite ongoing encroachment from the more vigorous Bramble. It is sometimes confused with the more widespread Gorse, but unlike it Broom only flowers in late April and May. So now is the very best time to see it.

In order to manage this, and encourage the Broom to thrive, we were recently helped out by volunteers from Thames Water, as part of that companies ‘Giving Back’ scheme. Some eight enthusiastic volunteers, cut back a large area of encroaching Bramble. Despite the day being very hot they achieved a lot as can be seen in the following before and after images.

Bramble before & after work party

The Thames Water team (see below) had a good time while carrying out this important work. They were restricted in what we could do, in order to avoid nesting birds, and we intend to carry out more work like this later in the year.

Subsequently on Saturday 11th May we, along with Bromley Civic Society, organised an exhibition in The Glades entitled ‘Broomtime’, celebrating this plant and its continuing importance locally. Besides information boards there was an arbour for photographs, various children related activities, and walks to the site. Small sprigs of the plant were handed out to attendees. The Deputy Mayor and Mayoress also visited us, and were presented with a a Broom plant.

It was a successful event, despite ‘competing’ with the nearby noisy celebrations by Bromley FC of their promotion success. We hope to have a larger celebration next year. In the meantime you can find out more about Martins Hill and its Broom HERE.

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Broom time has arrived on Martins Hill

Broom in flower, Martins Hill

Along with the longer days and warmer weather the Broom, after which Bromley is named, comes into flower. For a few weeks we can enjoy it, unlike the common gorse which while spiky remains in flower for much of the year, and which is also found in this area.

Broom likes the acidic grassland of this site. While it vanished from here for a long time it was apparently reintroduced in the 1960’s

Sadly the broom is being encroached upon by rampant bramble, despite limited attempts to cut the latter back. The slightly better news is that young Broom plants are seeding elsewhere on these slopes. It would be very sad if this iconic plant disappeared from Bromley.

READ HERE to find out more about Martins Hill, the first public park in old Bromley, and what you can find there.

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Broomtime is here!

Visit Martins Hill soon and see the splashes of vivid yellow, as only in flower for a short time. Not like that spiky ‘look a like’ gorse! Bromley named after this plant.

Broom poster
This plant, after which Bromley is named, is now in flower

You can find out more about this plant and the place where it can be found HERE.

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A country path?

You might think that this photograph was taken somewhere in the countryside. However this path, fringed on both sides with cow parsley, was taken earlier today on Martins Hill, some five minutes walk from Bromley Market Square! It shows that you do not have to go far to enjoy the benefits of the natural world. Our town centre parks are each slightly different but all our ‘lungs’, in this otherwise heavily built up world. So please value your parks and visit them soon.

It was interesting that a passer by had previously mentioned that this path “was overgrown and needed cutting back”. Strange how people have different ideas about tidying up nature!