March News from the Garden
Hello and welcome to spring in St John's Garden! There are now 200 lovely people reading and caring about St John's Garden, which is fantastic news for the future of our small but thriving green oasis :) First off, thank you to Sunday for leading such an inspiring guided art tour of Clerkenwell last weekend - we really enjoyed it and it was a great reminder to look up as we wander round the neighbourhood.
Daffodils in full force!
What's happening in March? If you'd like to find out more about the Friends of St John Garden, come along to the Friends of St John’s Garden AGM! It’s on Saturday 21st March 2-3.30pm at the St John’s Museum Learning Centre, by St John’s Priory Church on St John’s Square and everyone is welcome to join, have a cup of tea, hear what we’re up to in 2026 and contribute ideas to enhance the garden, safeguard wildlife and grow the garden community. No sign up needed and the agenda is attached to this newsletter. This month's community gardening session is also on March 21st, 10am-12. noon. No tools needed, no gardening experience needed, just your good self in a sturdy pair of shoes and drop by for as long or as little as you'd like.
What's blooming in March? It's Sakura season in the garden this month, with candy-coloured cherry blossom everywhere you look. Tokyo, eat your heart out :) Plus we have swathes of daffodils, grape hyacinths, quince, Kerria japonica and a hat trick of Camellia japonica shrubs all coming into bloom. The bees are having a field day with so many nectar-rich plants in flower, and we saw our first hairy-footed flower bee of the season this week, buzzing around the Daphne odora, woken up by warmth and sunshine. You can see Hilary's remarkable photo of this stunning bee at the top of the newsletter. Check out the feathery legs and pollen brushed along its back!
hairy-footed flower bee - image by Hilary
What's on our mind in March? Nesting season is underway so please do keep dogs on paths. Research globally shows that the presence of dogs cuts the number of baby birds by 40% as parents are too anxious to mate and too afraid to forage for nesting materials. Most of us are dog owners so we can all help by keeping our four-legged BFFs on the lead and on the path, giving our blue tits, great tits and robins a chance to raise their families in peace. A couple of volunteers have suggested we set aside a couple of signed spots in the garden where poochy poos and pees are encouraged - let us know if you have any thoughts on this by responding to this mail
What's needed in March? Funds for plants and materials. Could your business or organisation be a Nature Champion? We’re looking for local businesses and organisations who’d like to support the local community & grass-roots nature restoration by donating £500 towards enhancing the Wildlife Pond, developing the Edible Forest, helping the Butterfly Garden bloom and installing Natural Fencing round beds to deter trampling in SJG. These are low-cost, high-impact projects that will be appreciated by the 1,000s of people who use the park each week. Mail us at stjohnsgarden.ec1@gmail.com if you think you can help!
What's happening with the Clerkenwell Pollinator Path in March? It's all kicking off! We have a herb seed sowing workshop THIS THURSDAY at 12-2pm led by Octopus Community Network - please RSVP to this email if you'd like to come along! It's at Octopus Community Plant Nursery, which is a super-cool growing space near Holloway Rd tube and they're growing oregano, thyme, chives and forget-me-nots for public green spaces in Clerkenwell. The Launch of the Clerkenwell Pollinator Toolkit is next Thursday19th March 5.30-7pm at the Learning Centre in St John's Museum. Tickets have already sold out but if you'd like to join the waitlist please RSVP to this mail and we'll let you know if a spot comes up. On Thursday 20th March at 10.30am, led by Jess, we'll be meeting in St John's Square to sow more seeds, and on 26th March, led by Ronan we'll be installing bee habitats in Spa Fields from 2-4pm: come along if you'd like to help make a bee bank or if you're thinking of introducing solitary bee habitats in your own green space and want to find out more! If you want to stay in the loop with Clerkenwell Pollinator Path progress and happenings over the coming months, you can join the WhatsApp Group here and if you haven't already, please do follow us on Instagram @clerkenwellpollinatorpath to help us raise awareness of the project :)