Eastbrook Community Gardeners

Secret gardens and wildflowers

We are a small group who came together because we are interested in improving Southwick and Fishersgate green spaces for the well-being of people and pollinators alike. Our primary focus is sowing wildflowers and planting trees.

We work on St Aubyns in Fishersgate and now have a base near Eastbrook Manor Community Centre called The Secret Garden-Fishersgate. We support Layland Court pocket park, Manor Court garden and the Friends of Southwick Square. We are waiting on Impulse leisure centre in Southwick to plant an orchard and a wildflower meadow.

For more information please contact

Secret Garden

Fishergate

West Sussex

BN41 1PN

eastbrookcommunitygardeners@gmail.com

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Ormonde Way Flower Verge, Shoreham

Local residents at Ormonde Way, Shoreham have planted up 5 areas of wildflowers along the grass verge bordering Brighton Road and Ormonde Way. Now in their 2nd year, the beds are establishing well and have a good mixture of poppies, cornflowers and oxeye daisies among other wildflowers!

What initially was an attempt by local residents to discourage parking on the verges, has now flourished into a little patch of heaven for pollinators and now provides visual interest for residents.

A good time to visit is during the summer when the flowers are in full flow, accessibility is good as it is located in a residential area with paved walkways.

Goring Road Community Road Verge

Worthing Climate Action Network (WCAN) in collaboration with XR Worthing began a ‘Wilding Worthing’ petition to mark No Mow May in Spring last year, asking Adur & Worthing Councils and West Sussex County Council to stop mowing road verges so often and instead allow the wildflowers and grasses to grow. When the petition reached 1000 signatures last June it was presented to Worthing Council where it was accepted. Negotiations began with West Sussex Highways with the first trial Community Road Verge in Worthing being established on Goring Road.

The site is comprised of several grassy verges along Goring Road between the Goring Shops and Shaftesbury Avenue, pedestrian accessibility is good due to the adjacent pavement. No seed has been sown at this site as it is hoped that the natural seedbank present in the soil will have the chance to establish with the reduced cutting regime. Already species such as Common Mallow, Birds Foot Trefoil, Ribwort Plantain and Daisies can be seen flourishing.

There will be only one cut a year to be undertaken in September. Volunteers will take away the grass cuttings in order to help keep the ground infertile, providing the best conditions for the wildflowers to thrive. Other verges are now being planned across the area.

For more information please contact WCAN Worthing Climate Action | Facebook .

St Aubyns Garden, Fishersgate

The St. Aubyns Garden is formed of a 30m2 wildflower verge at the corner of St. Aubyns Crescent and St. Aubyns Road, Fishersgate. It is maintained by the Eastbrook Community Gardeners, a small team of residents improving the appearance of their local spaces.

The garden was sown with wildflower seed in May 2020, however after a challenging year, in spring 2021, an elderly resident did a Captain Thomas Moore style sponsored Walk for Wildflowers and raised over £1000 which paid for perennial wildflower turf called ‘Treasure Chest’ by Pictorial Meadows.  The turf was laid by local residents replacing a grass verge and has been flowering successfully since 2021. The mix is drought tolerant and the best time of year to see it is around May and June. 

This site is easily accessible as it is in a residential area.

Visit the St. Aubyns Garden Facebook page for more information.