Our final balsam bash of the 2026 season included a mega litter-pick and too many nettle stings to count! At first it looked like there wasn't much balsam to pick but once you spotted one plant there was always more to follow. There were lots of smaller ones coming back through and a few flowering, but fortunately still no seeds ready to pop. The undergrowth had us going on a right adventure clambering over fallen trees and skirting around nettles. I wasn't sure if everyone would find their way back out at the end! A head count revealed we hadn't lost anyone and had gained many bug bites along the way! We'll see you same time, same place next year :)

Stephanie and myself met on a Saturday morning to support the set up of multiple gazebos in preparation for Trifest. We helped organisers pitch their stalls which included seed swaps, the organisers tent and a beer tent.

The weather was lush, the UV was 7 and we even had a little trip to the local sourdough bakery. It felt good to support local business and be part of the festival.

Stephanie, Ashley and Janine joined Final Straw Foundation in their monthly litter pick along the beach along Hazel Road near the Itchen River.

They had a full team of volunteers to collect over 36kg of debris from the beach. There was a shocking amount of microplastics and pellets from the industry nearby - these were hand picked and collected to reduce the pollution going into the sea. There was glass, plastic and rubbish collected on a nice sunny morning. Thanks to Woolston Coffee for their complementary drinks for all of us to thank Final Straw for their work! Join us for the next one.

Tonight we got to work tidying up the flower beds in the Rose Road car park. A lot of the plants were overgrown in the sensory garden, bindweed had taken over and rubbish had blown in off the street. We carefully pruned, pulled, picked and swept to leave the main flower bed looking much smarter and the parking spaces clear. I don't know about everyone else, but I worked so hard with the secateurs I got a blister!

A lovely session joining Friends of Portswood Rec helping them keep their beautiful garden blooming for all to enjoy, despite the heatwave we are going through. Laura was on watering duties and Stephanie was enjoying her favourite task cutting back the brambles. Amazing how much you can get done in an hour before the sun gets too hot. 😎

Once bug sprayed we headed into the depths (sort of) of the woods to remove more Himalayan balsam. It is deceptive at first as looks like there is not much around and then you realise it’s all balsam! Some of it was even towering above us and starting to flower, but fortunately no seeds popping yet. We had so much to do we didn’t even have time for the litter pick!