Brentford Station Gets a Makeover

Air Quality Brentford get planting with willing gardeners

Very well done to everyone who came along to plant 1600 spring bulbs on the grassy bank by Brentford Station and Orchard Road at the weekend.

Air Quality Brentford have successfully applied for over 1000 free spring bulbs from the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association. Bulbs for London is an MPGA initiative in collaborations with Taylors Bulbs of Holbeach who provide and distribute the bulbs. In 2016 they went out to 100 gardens and sites across London.

Residents and other members of the community came out in force to help dig holes and plant 1000 Daffodil bulbs, 300 Narcissi, 100 Snowdrops, 100 Allium Atropurpureum, 50 Strong Gold Tulips, 50 Garden Hyacinths Delft Blue.

They also planted some flowers and shrubs on top of the later flowering bulbs, in beds and in containers on the platform and outside the station. It was a fun afternoon culminating in the planting of a small tree decorated with lights which will stay on a timer for 8 hours a day over the Christmas period.

Not only does it help improve the look of the area but by adding more greenery to our environment we hope to help mitigate the harmful effects of air pollution from traffic. It acts as a physical barrier and the leaves take in some of this pollution.

There is a plan for more bushes and shrubs on the grassy slope and wild flowers around the little tree, in co-ordination with South Western Railway and with potential funding by Hounslow Council.

More photos are available at AirQualityBrentford.wordpress.com

Air Quality Brentford is also looking for other parts of Brentford to add greenery to, inspired by the amazing Bonnington Square in Vauxhall. Let us know if you have any ideas.

Do get in touch if you have any large containers you no longer need as we could use these in our planting projects. Email: airqualitybrentford@hotmail.com

December 12, 2017