We’re heading to PoliNations – and other work for September

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games might be over, but two of our gardeners will participate in the Birmingham 2022 Festival this month.

PoliNations, in Victoria Square, in the heart of the city centre, has been commissioned as part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK and promises to be a spectacular space with giant architectural trees, a wonderland of planting and lots of free events.

In May, more than 1,000 people from 60 diverse community groups across the city were given seeds to grow calendula, commonly known as marigolds. Since then the growers have been carefully cultivating them and hundreds will be planted in the PoliNations pop-up garden.

Our horticulturist, Chris, and head gardener, Wayne, will be at the PoliNations garden between September 2 and 18, planting and giving guided tours of this fabulous space in the city centre.

It looks fantastic, so if you are planning to head over to the garden, say hello.

Back at the Gardens, we will give the main and west lawn a much-needed pampering after an incredibly hot and dry summer and lots of feet trampling over them.

We bring in specialist contractors who will use machinery to aerate the lawns – they do this by drilling holes into the lawn to alleviate compaction – and then they will scarify the lawn by scratching out “thatch”, which is a build-up of dead grass, twigs and moss. This will be followed by topdressing with lawn sand and fertiliser, which feeds the lawn and aids new growth.

All this work will help the lawn to look greener once the autumn rains come along. If your lawn is looking a little worse for wear, we’d recommend you do the same – you can aerate using a manual spike aerator or a core aerator, but a good old garden fork works just as well. Get rid of the thatch using a rake – as well as helping your lawn; it’ll be a great workout, too.

In late September, we will be removing the summer bedding on the Loudon Terrace, the car park and around the Peter Sowerby Bandstand, ready for replanting with polyanthus, which will give us plenty of bright and colourful displays from autumn until the spring.

September is dahlia season and the Loudon Terrace will also be planted up with these magnificent flowers – we know our visitors love to see these wonderfully blousy blooms and we have some impressive varieties that are as big as one’s head!

Make sure you make time to head to the grass garden, too, which is now approaching its best with maximum jungly growth and late summer colour.

If you’re quick, you’ll also have an opportunity to see the gorgeous butterflies in the Butterfly House. Doors close after the first weekend of the month and won’t open until May next year.

Did you know the Gardens is an independent educational charity that receives no regular public funding? Instead, our income comes from generous public donations, grants as well as conferences, weddings and other events. We welcome all our wonderful visitors – and you know you by coming to visit, you are also helping to preserve this fantastic Grade II listed space.

We also love to see your photos and videos. If you visit us, please keep posting them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and let us know what you enjoyed on your visit here. We look forward to seeing you all this month.