River of Green...by Olga Siddons
- jlongford
- Jun 3, 2021
- 1 min read
As I'm discovering, our communal grass has so much life which we can encourage. It's like a river of green.
Do you ever crouch in the grass?! I recommend it, if your body allows you and otherwise even sitting-on the grass will do nicely!
It's fantastic for breathing-in scents, feeling the breeze and even surprising a neighbour with a hello!
So, when tending some outside plant pots (some wild, some edible), I'm right there in the grass, appreciating the warmth of neighbourly 'hellos' and loving nature's surprises.
Last year came the joy of seeing a marbled white butterfly on scabious (they love purple-blue flowers) and a giant elephant hawk-moth caterpillar amongst the tomatoes.
Just now, we have sparkling golden dandelions, buttercups and daisies - good for our eyes and good for the insects too.
I feel lucky enjoy such green, right on the doorstep. It uplifts and refreshes! And I'm sprinkling fresh wildflower seeds and sharing fresh ideas with the lovely tenant involvement team.
Maybe you have green fingers for wildflowers too? The flowers and insects will thank you and we can enjoy this right at our doorstep!
The result of grass being left uncut near my house - wonderful!
An enlightening read. When stop to think what is around us and what can hold. How them flowers can all be a part of the bigger chain in life that we often take for granted.
Our back yard is concrete and slabs sprinkled with few weeds that come through but are quite pretty so I am not out there uprooting them just because they are classed as a weed. We have the odd container with plants in though at the moment do have a keen gardener in the house in the form of Rocky the Shih Tzu! I am researching for a ornamental type mini tree or shrub that will live happily in a large pot for the yard. Apar…
Thanks for this insight into the world around us. The Covid pandemic has opened many people's eyes to just what is around us in nature.
When does a plant become a weed? Only when it is growing somewhere you don't want it to be!
By all means keep your garden tidy but don't stress out when daisies. clover. buttercups and other wild flowers appear = let the pollinators have their fill of nectar and carry on with the work they are here to do. Without them our food supplies would be devastated.
Love the idea of scattering wild flower seeds - one to be encouraged. Maybe try keeping a journal of before/after photos of areas you have sown.
But just…
What a truly gorgeous first piece - that is exactly what I feel when sitting in my wilderness /field/back garden.