University volunteers plant thousands of bulbs at Botanic Garden
Nick Bailey with University volunteers
Green fingered volunteers are helping to plant 80,000 crocus bulbs in Leicester’s Botanic Garden this week.
Planting started on Wednesday ( 29 October) and will go on until the end of Friday (31 October) under the leadership of garden Director and BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Nick Bailey.
Dozens of staff and students at the University of Leicester, which runs the Botanic Garden, have volunteered to help plant the bulbs in an Indian paisley pattern over the course of the three days. The bulbs have been paid for by the Friends of the Garden.
Nick said: “We’re incredibly grateful to the volunteers who are helping with this and the Friends – without them it wouldn’t be possible. The enthusiasm and stamina behind this is wonderful to see.
“This area of the garden- Beaumont Lawn - will bloom with a beautiful palette of colour including gold, violet and mauve when Spring comes. It’s just another element of the garden which all visitors will be able to enjoy, particularly during our Crocus Open Weekends on the last two Sundays of February.
“The Crocuses have come from a local supplier and will be planted in a giant 24 x 24 metre pattern. I believe the Paisley motif originated from ancient Mesopotamia but was popularised, evolved and shared globally from India – travelling to South East Asia and Europe where it again evolved. In choosing this pattern we aim to represent and celebrate the diversity of Leicester and its many communities.”
In June this year, the hugely successful ‘Big Plant’ took place at the gardens when over a thousand new plants worth £20,000 were donated, helping to transform a large area of the garden for visitors to enjoy.
Krupesh Mistry, a research support administrator at the University was among those volunteering with the crocus plant.He said: “I thought it would be great to support the planting and make use of the University’s volunteering scheme, plus I enjoy gardening at home and thought I could lend my skills to this. I’m here with other members of my team so it’s a joint effort and I’m sure it will look amazing when the plants flower next year.”