Moorbank Botanic Gardens, Univ. of Newcastle

[Maggi Young]

You may never have visited Moorbank, the botanical garden of the University of Newcastle, but if you read the diary of John Richards on the AGS website you will be familiar with his reports from Moorbank.

John Richards is the leader of the Friends of Moorbank, and was Newcastle University’s professor of botany until he retired in 2004. The garden is under threat and  a petition has been raised to attempt to preserve the garden.

My  friend Mala  has sent me these details :
PLEASE sign the petition. 
The garden is run by a good friend or ours who does it on a voluntary basis organising a band of helpers; the garden is wonderful.  A lot of time and money has gone into maintaining this garden over the years and it contains many rare and unusual plants which will be lost forever if the garden is closed.


Very many thanks,
Mala.

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From: Moorbank Botanic Garden [mailto:moorbankbotanicgarden@gmail.com]
Sent: 21 June 2013 15:33
Subject: Follow up message about Moorbank

 
Following a number of emails received from Moorbank supporters, we have now set up a petition that we hope will gather significant signatures to help to persuade the Freemen to reverse their decision. We're asking all our supporters to sign this petition and share it with friends, colleagues and anyone interested in the cause. It's easy to sign as it can be done online here: http://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/moorbank If you would like paper copies of this petition, please let us know and we can provide these.

You can also find links to this on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/moorbank and via our Twitter feed on www.twitter.com/growingmoorbank

Your help and support in this difficult time is much appreciated.

John, Christopher, Jackie, Nigel, Eileen and Helen
Growing Moorbank Executive Group

--

Please see our Facebook page for up to date news: www.facebook.com/moorbank

And our Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/growingmoorbank



 You can read some more about the situation here:

http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/10/17/newcastle-university-botanic-garden-set-to-close-61634-32045670/

and again, to sign the petition, see this site :
you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-moorbank-botanic-garden-newcastle

[Maggi Young]

An update on the Moorbank petition and a positive  development  :


Dear all,

Thanks everyone for signing and sharing this petition with your friends, family and other contacts. We're well over the 1000 mark now. We're pleased to let you know that the Freemen have agreed to meet with the Friends to discuss the situation regarding Moorbank's future during the week of the 8th July. We would love to have over 2000 signatures by then to present them with, so please keep telling people about us and our campaign. If you would like paper copies of the petition, please email us on moorbankbotanicgarden@gmail.com and we can send you them to be returned by Friday 5th July.

You can find our petition at: http://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/moorbank so please share this link. You can also keep up to date with our campaign via Facebook: www.facebook.com/moorbank and Twitter: www.twitter.com/growingmoorbank We have also had good press coverage this week via The Journal and Sky News, more on its way.

If you have not visited Moorbank before, we are having an Open Day on Sunday 21st July from 2pm to 5pm in aid of the National Gardens Scheme. More details on our website: www.moorbank.com We would love to see you there to enjoy the garden and meet our volunteers. There will be a plant sale, refreshments will be available and a tour of the garden will also take place.

Many thanks!

Friends of Moorbank

[shelagh]

I know many of you signed the petition to try and keep Moorbank Botanic Garden open.

 I have no new news about whether or not this will happen but Brian and I went up to Durham last Saturday to see the Lindisfarne Gospels and noted that Moorbank had an oped day in aid of the Yellow Book (I can never remember the initials). 

The place was very busy (no cakes left Maggi) and John Richards was taking a group of enthusiasts round, thought it was worth a picture.

Peter Maguire was also lurking with his camera.

[Peter Maguire]

I did more than lurk Shelagh - you were 'papped'!

1. Familiar faces - L to R: John Richards, Shelagh Smethurst, Brian Smethurst

I've included a few photos of the more eye-catching flowers - the hot weather had pushed many plants past their best.

2. Viburnum grandiflorum 'Donald Lowndes' - a spectacular shrub, covered in flower

3. Platycodon grandiflorum var apoyama Alba - growing in a trough, with beautiful white flowers that were almost solid looking.

4. Achillea grandiflolia (I think - I'm sure I heard John pointing to a similar plant in a different situation and describing it as such). I don't particularly like the yellow Achilleas, but this one was rather nice, a good border plant at about a metre in height. Picture label incorrect - sorry!

5. A nice Lavatera sp? growing in a mixed border

[Peter Maguire]

6. A yellow composite with very dense flower heads. No name unfortunately, but it looked to be some sort of thistle (spineless)/knapweed thingy. Very popular with the bees, but my bee photos weren't a success.

7. White waterlilly (Nympaea alba?) on the pond, which was populated with newts and a patrolling dragonfly, probably Aeshna juncea female, which invetably would not stay still for a photo.

8. Lilium 'Stargazer' - looking good, with no sign of lily beetle (I've had none this year either, for the first time in about five years)

9. Astrantia major - in a mixed border next to a spectacular wildflower meadow.

[Peter Maguire]

The wildflower meadow mentioned previously was, I understand, earmarked for a carparking area if planned continuation of the garden in it's current form had gone ahead. With the uncertainty over the garden's future, the gravelled area was sown with various annuals and was looking good when we were there. A sample of the flowers that caught my attnetion:

11. not sure what this was but it looked very attractive.

12. a nice form of Cosmos

13. Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)

I also explored the glasshouses (tropical and desert), but the light was not good by then so did not take any photographs - yes whilst the rest of the country was basking in bright sunshine over the weekend, north-east England was covered in cloud for two days, but cool! 
There was a good turnout at the garden on Sunday of around 4-500 people, so hopefully this will demonstrate to the freemen of the city who own the land that it is a resource worth nurturing - fingers crossed.

[shelagh]

Great pics Peter but you might have given me notice so I could have breathed in

[Stephenb]

6. A yellow composite with very dense flower heads. No name unfortunately, but it looked to be some sort of thistle (spineless)/knapweed thingy. Very popular with the bees, but my bee photos weren't a success.

Centaurea macrocephala

[Peter Maguire]

you might have given me notice so I could have breathed in

It would have spoilt the spontaneity of the moment Shelagh! 

Centaurea macrocephala

Thank you Stephen, I had a feeling that it may have been a Centaurea, but wasn't confident enough to say so. 

[Maggi Young]

Thank you to "the Smethies" and Peter for the pix and this insight into the garden - let us hope that some rescue plant is agreed that will preserve it in this form.

[Peter Maguire]

I'm as guilty as anyone of underusing the garden. I've lived about two miles away for over fifteen years and I keep forgetting about the charity open days. Sunday was only my third visit.