We have discovered a duck nesting in one of the planters on the Forum North Piazza.
Although this is very exciting, please keep your distance and do not disturb the mother. We will be putting up signs and cordoning off the area to keep her and the nest safe.
We’re looking forward to welcoming some new ducklings to our university family.
We have been busy with seed propagation this week in our Estate Services Centre Nursery.
The cuttings are soft-wood material using the techniques of nodal, heel and mallet cuttings.
This important work, of growing plants in-house and planting them on campus and by residences, means that we are reducing our carbon footprint, working within our sustainability practices and reducing costs.
Plants are so beneficial for our health and wellbeing:
We are holding a plant sale on Tuesday 11th February form 9am to 2pm in Cross Keys on St Luke’s Campus – we’d love to see you there!
If you would like to purchase a beautiful Christmas wreath handcrafted by our talented florists in the Grounds team, orders can now be placed via the online store.
Choose from either a Rustic Christmas Wreath or a Traditional Christmas Wreath, £18 per wreath, delivery to either Streatham Campus or St Luke’s Campus Monday 2nd to Friday 5th December and Monday 16th to Friday 20th December.
Please allow three working days between order date and delivery date.
Rustic Christmas Wreath
Showcasing our beautiful campus grown foliage, this woodland inspired Christmas wreath is complemented with natural pine cones and British grown dried flowers.
Rustic Christmas Wreath
Traditional Christmas Wreath
This festive wreath combines beautiful campus grown foliage with red or gold ribbon and dried oranges or cinnamon for a classic Christmas display.
Traditional Christmas Wreath
Image is for illustration only, presentation may differ from the image shown.
We are delighted to announce that the Grounds team are now successfully growing our own cut flowers at the Estate Services Centre Nursery, which are used for the fabulous bouquets and beautiful floral displays on campus.
This initiative from our talented Nursery and Floristry staff means that we are reducing our carbon footprint, working within our sustainability practices and reducing costs.
We have received excellent positive feedback from our customers, who really embrace the unique personal touch that the displays and bouquets now give as the flowers are grown in-house on our estate.
Photos below show the journey for this initiative; starting from the newly built raised bed right through to a beautiful floral display created with our in-house grown cut flowers.
Newly built raised bed for the cut flowers
Raised bed planted
Wow look at the raised bed now!
Some of the cut flowers which will be used in our bouquets and floral displays
Some of the cut flowers which will be used in our bouquets and floral displays
Floral display with our in-house grown cut flowers
The end result! A beautiful floral display with our in-house grown cut flowers
The Grounds Team are not just about outdoor plants – do you know that the Grounds Team also grow indoor plants in-house at the Grounds Nursery?
We supply and also maintain these indoor plants for various Colleges and Departments on Streatham Campus and St Luke’s Campus and if you are interested in having some wonderful plants to brighten up your workplace, please contact .
Plants are great for your health and wellbeing!
Some of the indoor plants grown in-house at the Grounds Nursery
Some of the indoor plants grown in-house at the Grounds Nursery
Some of the indoor plants grown in-house at the Grounds Nursery
We are delighted to announce that we have our first mini harvest of Antirrhinums which have been grown in the Grounds Nursery! These flowers will be used in the University’s floristry displays and bouquets.
Antirrhinums grown in the Grounds Nursery
Our first progress update following our post on 5th February 2018 where we reported that our Floristry and Nursery Team have branched out into growing our own cut flowers for our bouquets and displays to complement the flowers bought from our amazing local supplier.
Our Antirrhinums have ignored the wintery weather and begun to bloom in the Nursery and have just begun to make their way into our floristry displays. Once the threat of frost has passed, we will be moving them out into the polytunnel to slow them down a little so we don’t have to use them all at once!
We have been sowing more cut flower seeds and pricking out the seedlings as they get big enough to handle. Now that the worst of the cold weather has (hopefully) passed, they will be shooting up in no time.
Antirrhinums being grown in the Nursery March 2018
Antirrhinums being grown in the Nursery March 2018
Limonium sinuatum being grown in the Nursery March 2018
Pennisetum villosum being grown in the Nursery March 2018
Our Floristry and Nursery Team have decided to branch out into growing our own cut flowers for our bouquets and displays to complement the flowers bought from our amazing local supplier.
They have been busy sowing seeds and preparing ground for a cut flower area at the Grounds Nursery on Streatham Campus, where the container grown plants can be moved in and out of the glasshouses for early blooming.
Our Dianthus (Sweet Williams) have been making their way into our displays since the end of December, along with some of the beautiful foliage we have growing at the Grounds Nursery and on campus.
Look out for our own cut Digitalis (Foxgloves), Antirrhinums (Snapdragons), Helenium, grasses and many more beautiful home grown flowers in your bouquets and displays in the summer. We will be updating their progress on here for you to see!
Antirrhinums being grown in the Grounds Nursery
Delphiniums being grown in the Grounds Nursery
Catananche being grown in the Grounds Nursery
Sweet Williams that were grown in the Grounds Nursery
