You may have noticed the Tidy Districts’ Team out planting bulbs over the last few weeks. These amazing ladies are planting over 50kg (i.e. a serious amount of bulbs) around our area. There is going to be a riot of colour here come the Spring time. Daffodils, tulips, crocuses, snowdrops etc. etc.
We were awarded Runners Up in this year’s Tidy Districts Competition! Well done to our fantastic Tidy Districts’ Team, and to everyone who came out and helped during the year. We’ve won a prize for 3 out of the last 4 years. Not bad, not bad at all.
You can read more about it on the DLR website. While the competition is primarily an anti-litter and anti-graffiti competition, it has evolved over the years and now considers biodiversity, ecological projects and community engagement. This year, a new climate change category was added. This category seeks to encourage and reward positive climate action. So if anyone has any ideas please let us know.
The more observant of you would have noticed the “Nature Wildlife Area, Do Not Cut or Spray” notices that were put up on the grassed area on Goatstown Road, opposite Trimbleston, last year. Well the Council’s plan is to reduce grass cutting in this area (and other areas in DLR County) to just twice per year. To allow wild plants and flowers to grow, which should optimise conditions for pollinators.
Well it seems a mistake was made and the grass was just recently cut! Despite them not supposed to be cutting it until June!
The Council recently sent some further information about this initiative. You can read their leaflet here. You can also find more information on the DLRCoCo website:
www.dlrcoco.ie/en/heritage/biodiversity/nature-wildlife-areas
Do any of these match your ambitions?
< Make a difference in your community
< Help your Tidy Town’s programme
< Protect our environment
< Meet like-minded people
< Save money and have fun
If so, you’re in luck! DLRCoCo are running a Master Composter course. It is free, and will answer any questions you ever had about composting but were afraid to ask.
You can find out all you need to know here, in this leaflet. Please let us know if you decide to go by emailing us at roebuckresidents@gmail.com.
Click here to open and read DLRCoCo’s Environmental Awareness Spring Newsletter. We will be in touch with residents soon about our own Roebuck Spring Clean.
You may have noticed the little signs around the area asking people not to cut the grass because daffodils have been planted. The Tidy Districts Team planted hundreds of bulbs around the area before Christmas. We’re hoping for a glorious display over the coming weeks. Thanks again to this very small group for the amazing work they do in our area. If anyone would like to help them out by offering a bit of time every now and then, they’d be delighted. A nice area benefits us all afterall.
You may have also noticed the Council has been active recently removing some of the less attractive trees from the verges. Trees that are well past their prime. We have been in discussions for a while now with the Parks Department regarding improving the amount, and the condition, of the trees in the area. More trees have been planted this season, and will continue to be planted over the coming few years.
The Tidy Districts’ Team has been hard at work around the area. Some lovely plants for the winter months and also plenty of bulbs for a beautiful Spring display. Bee-friendly lavender planted at the Larchfield Road/Goatstown Road junction, with some grasses to follow. Winter bedding on the Green, and 200 daffodils will be ‘fluttering and dancing in the breeze’ in a surprise location within a few short months.
The eagle-eyed among you may have spotted this sign on the grassed area on Goatstown Road, beside the turn onto Larchfield Road. Opposite Trimbleston. DLRCoCo are trialing “Nature Wildlife Areas” around the area. You can read more about it here: www.dlrcoco.ie/en/heritage/biodiversity/Nature-Wildlife-areas
This means they will be cutting the grass approximately twice a year in order to encourage pollinators. This initiative goes along with their recent decision to stop using pesticides in order to create a more nature-friendly environment in our county.
www.dlrcoco.ie/en/news/general-news-public-notices/development-integrated-weed-control-plan-may-2018
Tidy Districts Judgement Day
The judging period for Tidy Districts has just begun. Will we make it three years in a row? The stress of it all. All residents are asked to put in a special effort, please tidy up your verges, and your neighbour’s if they’re not able to/away/too lazy!
18 bags of weeds and edgings were collected at our last tidy-up evening. The (very small) Tidy Districts team is putting in superhuman effort to get our area into shape. All help is much appreciated.
And please don’t forget the poor trees! The new ones, from this year and last year, will be really suffering in this heat. The odd bucket of water would be much appreciated. Washing up water etc. is perfectly fine.
Weeds Info from DLR
We got some information regarding weeds from the Environmental Awareness section of DLRCoCo.
“Grass won’t grow significantly under extreme drought conditions. If you’re going to cut your grass it’s recommended you cut it on the highest possible setting.
The Council is no longer spraying weeds, see here. If weeds are an issue in your area you can report them to info@dlrcoco.ie Please take a picture of the weeds, if they meet certain predefined criteria a crew will be sent to physically weed the area. This is an extremely positive step for our wildlife and is fully endorsed by the Environment Awareness Section.”
If you haven’t in a while, you should take a walk down Friarsland Road to see the beautiful wildflowers that have been nurtured on the green at the end of the road. A lovely little patch of bee-friendly wilderness on our doorstops. Well done to all involved in the ongoing and slow but steady transformation of this space. In particular to local bee-keeper Kieran Harnett, Máire O’Donohoe and all the Tidy District team.