At the start of planting - even more cubs and helpers came later on. Spot the new raised beds too.
In very cold, wet windy weather on Saturday 12 November 2016, we worked with lots of 28 Cambridge Cubs and adult helpers to plant several thousand crocus corms around the bowling green. Over the next week we will aim to get the rest planted, including in pots to give away for a donation at the Xmas Festival on 10 December.
One of the cubs working with Nigel from Rotary. We planted the small corms into slits in the close-mown turf. The turf was too thick and spongy to raise a flap of earth at the right depth (it has a lot of chalk grassland plants in it like yarrow). We hope they will survive the squirrels, flower in Feb/March 2017 and proliferate to give some welcome early nectar every Spring for pollinators.
The corms were donated by Rotary Cambridge, as part of millions of corms to be planted to raise awareness of Polio Eradication. Children who have received polio vaccine drops have a spot of purple dye on their fingers so vaccinators can tell which ones have been protected.