I am pleased to say that our local council already plants wild flower 'meadows' on roundabouts and central reservations. The scene changes week on week with certain flowers becoming more prominent, before the next one takes over. I'm keen to sow something in my own garden, last year I did a test pot from a free seed packet given to me at Gardening Scotland, but I faffed about too much and didn't get around to doing it until mid July. This year, I'll be direct sowing into a bit of empty ground the first chance I get.
Excellent series! I'm inspired and will be design a wildflower area into my garden. I've also noticed an area at my son's school which would be perfect and a real opportunity for the children at the school to get involved... watch this space! Lainey - that's great that your council does so much already, it makes sense...less mowing, weeding etc. win, win financial and ecological! www.alisonpike.com/blog/
Agree this has been an excellent series. Good, basic natural gardening that can encourage us all to provide the spaces for the wildlife to follow. It can only make sense as our own sustainability depends on these creatures. Botticelliwoman made the point about Health and Safety! Must say we at home had the same thought. Lets hope we can get something up and running before they try to get their mowers started. ( your dog is great by the way, he/she is the spitting image of ours indoors)
Hi MoK, she wasn't great when she jumped on our resident hedgehog the other night My pal and I have started a wildlife gardening business and are campaigning like crazy both with the borough council and the local town council. We're writing a series of articles for the local magazine to encourage everybody to think before they buy new plants and how to encourage all wildlife to their gardens. Our village is filled with beds, troughs and baskets which look reasonably pretty (if a bit samey, year after year) but have absolutely no benefit to wildlife. We're taking the softly-softly approach (though we'd like to scream at them to stop) with these 'in-Bloomers', who, like the Harrogate folks, are a little set in their ways.
Just like you all i have also chosen to grow wild flowers this year after being inspired by Sarah Raven's programs. So much of what she said really hit home and the fact that we have lost some bees already and more are on the way out means we have to act fast to save the rest. It is high time we started to do some thing to help our wild life and as gardeners we are perfectly placed to get the ball rolling, and by setting an example maybe our local councils will take note and and pull their fingers out. But what ever little we can each do, as a wholw will go a long way in getting things starting to change.
What a refreshing piece of programming that showed all parties in agreement rather than having the usual row that is supposed to make 'good television', but then I always did think gardeners were the nicest sort of people.
The only thing that did bother me was whether all of these wonderful changes to city bedding schemes would put groundsmen and women out of work which would not be great timing.
Posts
I am pleased to say that our local council already plants wild flower 'meadows' on roundabouts and central reservations. The scene changes week on week with certain flowers becoming more prominent, before the next one takes over. I'm keen to sow something in my own garden, last year I did a test pot from a free seed packet given to me at Gardening Scotland, but I faffed about too much and didn't get around to doing it until mid July. This year, I'll be direct sowing into a bit of empty ground the first chance I get.
Excellent series! I'm inspired and will be design a wildflower area into my garden. I've also noticed an area at my son's school which would be perfect and a real opportunity for the children at the school to get involved... watch this space!
Lainey - that's great that your council does so much already, it makes sense...less mowing, weeding etc. win, win financial and ecological!
www.alisonpike.com/blog/
Agree this has been an excellent series. Good, basic natural gardening that can encourage us all to provide the spaces for the wildlife to follow. It can only make sense as our own sustainability depends on these creatures. Botticelliwoman made the point about Health and Safety! Must say we at home had the same thought. Lets hope we can get something up and running before they try to get their mowers started. ( your dog is great by the way, he/she is the spitting image of ours indoors)
Hi MoK, she wasn't great when she jumped on our resident hedgehog the other night
My pal and I have started a wildlife gardening business and are campaigning like crazy both with the borough council and the local town council. We're writing a series of articles for the local magazine to encourage everybody to think before they buy new plants and how to encourage all wildlife to their gardens. Our village is filled with beds, troughs and baskets which look reasonably pretty (if a bit samey, year after year) but have absolutely no benefit to wildlife. We're taking the softly-softly approach (though we'd like to scream at them to stop) with these 'in-Bloomers', who, like the Harrogate folks, are a little set in their ways.
Just like you all i have also chosen to grow wild flowers this year after being inspired by Sarah Raven's programs. So much of what she said really hit home and the fact that we have lost some bees already and more are on the way out means we have to act fast to save the rest. It is high time we started to do some thing to help our wild life and as gardeners we are perfectly placed to get the ball rolling, and by setting an example maybe our local councils will take note and and pull their fingers out. But what ever little we can each do, as a wholw will go a long way in getting things starting to change.
What a refreshing piece of programming that showed all parties in agreement rather than having the usual row that is supposed to make 'good television', but then I always did think gardeners were the nicest sort of people.
The only thing that did bother me was whether all of these wonderful changes to city bedding schemes would put groundsmen and women out of work which would not be great timing.
But really, well done Sarah, it's inspirational.
maybe gardeners world mag could follow up on this and maybe have a free packet of wild flower seeds to sow this spring.