Gardens

The park has a number of flower beds, that are lovingly maintained by the Gardening Group. The beds range from formal planted beds and shrubberies, to wildflower beds and woodland transition areas. Read more about each bed below.

If you want to know more about the Fog Lane Park Gardening Group, or want to help out, then see the ‘Gardening Group’ section below or the “Volunteering” section on our homepage.

The Cow Lane Flower Bed is at the Fog Lane entrance, on the left as you walk through the gate. This bed was cleared of bramble in February 2021. Plants were then gradually added which were donated by members of the public and the gardening group.

Cow Lane Flower Bed

The bed after being cleared in February 2021

The same bed in June 2025 with the roses in bloom.

The bed in July 2025. The three apple trees that we added in 2024 are now bearing fruit.

The location of the Cow Lane bed

The Circular Bed and L-shaped beds are also near the Fog Lane Entrance. The Circular bed provides a riot of colour during the summer months, meaning it is a popular place to sit on the surrounding benches and relax, taking in the rich variety of plants and flowers in the bed whilst enjoying the the sunny days that we do occasionally get in Manchester. At sunset this is gorgeous area to just sit and contemplate. The Circular bed was planted up during the hottest week in July 2021. Before, it had been full of weeds.

The Circular Bed is framed by four L-Shaped bed, which are planted up with a mix of different wildflowers.

The Circular Bed and L-shaped beds

The Circular Bed in July 2025

The Circular Bed being planted up during the hottest week in July 2021.

The Circular Bed in 2025

L-shaped beds with mixed wildflowers and insect friendly perennials

The L-shaped with daffodils in April 2023

Location of the beds

Back in April 2023, the Friends group received an email from Rose Cullen. She told us that her mother, Nora, had lived close to the park for over 50 years, during which time, she had greatly enjoyed visiting the park. Nora had recently died, and the family wanted to sponsor a bench in her memory and also raise money for ‘the flowering of Fog Lane Park’ through donations instead of flowers at the funeral.

The Friends group were delighted that the family had chosen to raise money for the park and were absolutely astounded at the final total of £1427. We decided to call this the Nora Cullen Memorial Fund. Since then, the Gardening Group have been using the money to buy tools and plants for the existing and new flowerbeds that we have taken on.

In 2025, the Gardening Group have decided to take over what used to be the wildflower bed near the Fog Lane entrance (this can be seen in the background of the photo of Nora below). This wildflower bed had been very attractive in the past, but required a huge amount of maintenance, which couldn’t be managed by our small gardening group of 6-8 volunteers. It was decided that this year, the central bed would be turned over to perennials and shrubs, similar to the other large bed at this end of the park. At the moment, the bed has been dug over and filled with 800 daffodil bulbs provided by Manchester Council, which should give a lovely show in the spring. Once they have finished flowering, the group intend to use more of the funds to fully plant the bed with shrubs and perennials which are attractive to butterflies and insects.

We have decided to call the new bed ‘The Nora Cullen Memorial Bed’ as huge thank you to the Cullen family for their generosity and support.

Nora Cullen Memorial Flowerbed

Nora enjoying the park

Nora next to wildflower bed area that has now been replanted and renamed after her.

Location of the Nora Cullen Memorial Bed

The Shrubbery

In 2020 Patricia, one of the Gardening Group members, discovered this bed covered in brambles and decided that she wanted to see what lay underneath. We worked together to strip off the brambles to reveal some interesting plants and added more of our own to fill in the gaps at the front.

The Shrubbery being uncovered in 2020

The Shrubbery in spring

Location of the shrubbery

The Pond Bed

In 2024 Sue, a Gardening Group member, decided that it would be a good idea to restore one of the beds near to the pond, which was full of ivy and sedges. First of all, we had to remove all the plants.

The old bed being cleared of the ivy and sedges that had grown up there

The bed was planted up on one of the wettest days of the year.

The new bed with thriving plants

The location of the bed

In 2025 Gardening Group member Sue had the idea of creating a woodland transition area between managed raised beds near the ponds and the adjacent natural woodland area. The project involved the removal of grass, fallen branches, nettle and brambles and translocation of naturally occurring floral woodland species from the adjacent wooded area including cow parsley, red campion and lesser celandine.

The purpose is to create a more visually appealing backdrop to the raised beds managed by the Gardening Group, but one that blends into the woodland behind and is largely self-managing with a more diverse range of plant species than previously.

Woodland Transition Area

The transition area before being cleared

It’s early days, but it’s already looking good

Location of the transition area

The Rose Beds

The Rose Beds are located at the north west end of the park, halfway between the Old Broadway entrance and the park café. As the name suggests, the beds are planted with a variety of rose species, as well as other flowers. The rose beds were the Gardening Group’s first project back in 2017.

When the Gardening Group took them over, they were overgrown with grass and weeds. We added more plants, which we were given by the council and other gardeners and also applied for Neighbourhood Investment Fund (NIF) grants for our own lawn mower.

Various pictures of the Rose Beds at different points in 2025

Location of the Rose Beds

The Gardening Group

The gardening group began back in 2018, with just three volunteers who first started by tackling the overgrown rosebeds near to the Old Broadway entrance. We then moved on to the raised beds near the ponds and the sensory garden. When Covid happened in 2020, our volunteer numbers increased, as more people were working from home and visiting the park. Since then, we have moved on to the flower beds near the Fog Lane entrance and are currently developing what used to be the wildflower bed. The group is still quite small, with a maximum of eight people, so we are always happy to welcome new members. You do not need any knowledge or experience, just enthusiasm and a willingness to get very muddy. We provide all the equipment and gloves. The gardening group meets on Wednesdays from 10am until 12noon. We meet at the door on the right hand side of the café, as this is where all our gardening equipment is stored. If you are free on a Wednesday, you would be very welcome to join us.