I hope you’re well and have been able to get out and enjoy your Communal Garden during this extended period of hot weather.
This is the first of what I hope will become a series of quarterly newsletters, focusing not only on the work of GardenSqua.re, but highlighting new products and services that may be of interest to you. This quarter we are introducing Soil Injection, a great way to improve drainage and recover poorly trees in Garden Squares, and also launching a Stretch Marquee rental service to support Garden Square events.
Whilst I hate to dampen the mood (pardon the pun), the overarching focus in this issue is the ramifications of all the hot/dry weather London has been experiencing, and the looming risk of a hosepipe ban, albeit with some thoughts on how non-traditional seating options in a Garden can allow residents to make the most of the Sunshine.
If at any point you find this newsletter no longer welcome/relevant-to-you, please feel free to let me know, or unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of each newsletter.
Best Wishes,
Tom
In the News: Hosepipe Bans
With Thames Water warning of a Temporary Use Ban (TUB), we’re gearing-up to help clients mitigate the potential damage to botanically-rich gardens through approved, water-conscious methods.
In this article we look at Thames Water Drought Plan addendum, compiled after the August 2022 Hosepipe ban, and how you can prepare-for and respond-to the next TUB.
Our advice covers TUB-friendly (i.e. exempt for now) irrigation systems, other exemptions that may help your garden, and over-the counter solutions for getting more water into your ground now (including the brilliantly branded “Rain Train”).
New Service: Boost Drainage and Tree Health with Soil Injection
Unfortunately another drawback of the prolonged hot weather is the increased risk of Standing Water and Flash Flooding (when the heavens finally open).
Enter our new service, Soil Injection, that helps gardens mitigate this risk by moving towards a Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS). The process uses compressed air and highly-absorbent injectable materials to increase the sponge-like quality of the Garden.
The same tool is also frequently used to recover the health of ailing trees, including at Centres of Excellence such as the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, lessening the need for costly and environmentally detrimental tree felling.
Product in Focus: A Fresh Take on Seating
I’ve never quite understood the unwavering devotion to the traditional teak bench. They’re celebrated as paragons of English civility, but sit on one and you’re immediately bolt upright, angled unnaturally as if awaiting a stern lecture from a headteacher. Try holding a conversation and you’ll find your companions scattered at weird orthogonal angles. Seldom will you find a bench basking in full sunshine, and on the rare occasion you do, the angle is such that you only get a tan on the left half of your body,
Over at Gloucester Square we’ve experimented with a variety of alternatives over the last few years, and to my pleasant surprise, I’m not alone. Ever since we introduced a few alternative seating options — things with contours, back support, and the faint suggestion that human beings might enjoy flexibility and comfort — the handful of teak benches have become rather forlorn.
In this article we look at the various alternative forms of seating you might consider and how we can help you bring about a similar change to your Garden (if you are inclined to be so bold).
New Service: Stretch Marquees
“Scaffolders of the tent world”, a comment I’ve often made in jest, but not too far away from my true feelings on the Marquee trade. Too noisy, too disruptive, too pricey.
Though what’s a Square to do? Residents want to host events in the Garden, and it’s a great opportunity for the Committee to raise funds, but a lack of shelter in most gardens combined with the British Weather sure serves as a disincentive.
It’s for this reason we’re making a limited entry into the trade. From September we will be providing a Stretch Marquee service to Squares (and their residents) looking to accommodate upto 60 people at a reasonable price. Stretch tents are quick and quiet to assemble, making them far more resident-friendly than traditional structures.
In Case You Missed It: Updated Airbnb Analysis
Back in late 2023, we teamed up with Garden Square News to take a curious peak at the roughly 70,000 Airbnb listings across Central London. Buried among them, we uncovered over 400 offering access to communal gardens – a surprising find.
One reader dubbed it a “Watergate moment” for Garden Squares, which, to be clear, wasn’t quite the vibe we were going for. Many garden committees, we imagine, will have greeted the news with a shrug and “live and let live” outook.
Our aim was simply to shed light on how widespread non-residential use has become — and to flag the potential ripple effects on things like access, control, insurance, and risk assessments.
We quietly reran the analysis in 2024, and whilst it didn’t make that winter’s edition of Garden Square News, we did update our website – show the now 510 listings appearing to give access to Communal Gardens.
If time allows we will be rerunning the Analysis again in Q4, at which point the Airbnb section of our website will be once again updated.