What a great idea - a bit too late for the excuse for some unfortunately - but we do need to think about how we look after the bees and other pollinating insects. Growing plants that don't flower or lawns made out of plastic or concrete don't help much with the crisis faced by insects and wildlife. Time to sow and grow something that the bees love.There's a lot more info here:https://www.plantlife.org.uk/everyflowercounts/
Philippa Bond ● 2002d23 Comments
To add to Philippa's post, the other big no-no in gardens is the dreaded artificial lawn, it's really harmful to birds, pollinating insects, hedgehogs to name a few.
Loraine Pemberton ● 2002d
Great idea! Thanks for sharing. Thought I'd show the poster they've done:
Ed Saper ● 2002d
Terrific idea!We know people with a massive plastic lawn, the biggest tv on the market and a sound system that cost a fortune...But they can't see their house 'cos nobody wants it..
Stuart Kerr ● 2002d
Serve them bloodywell right Stuart.
Juliet Hogg ● 1996d
Guy on Gardeners World sai if we want to save wildlife then stop turning your back gardens into patios and front gardens into car parks. Idiots!!!!
I haven’t got any grass in my rear garden, but I have lot of visiting wild life and a small bird the nests under one of my roof tiles every year
Bernard Allen ● 1996d
We have plenty of wild life front and back of our premises Bernard.
Chris Vessey ● 1996d
Well said OP Phillipa and Juliet...xxxxxxxx
Stuart Kerr ● 1996d
??????
I like Sian Berry’s suggestion for installing bee friendly plants, sedums? on the roofs of bus shelters.
Rima Jones ● 1995d
Pleased to say the wildflower meadow established last year on a small piece of land on Twickenham Rd - along with several more trees planted as a result of a rare co-operation of Hounslow Highways and Friends of Northcote Nature reserve in Isleworth, are starting to bloom already. Beautiful blue Cornflowers are the first to show, also the Poppy field sown on the adjacent old WW2 Air raid shelter has a couple of deep red Poppies showing, really gladdens the heart!
Vanessa Smith ● 1995d
They have those bus shelters in Utrecht.https://www.archdaily.com/921850/utrecht-creates-300-bee-friendly-bus-stopsThe first time I saw the guerrilla gardened Hogarth roundabout in Chiswick it was a revelation.Now is a time to get planting... but remember bees and other insects love dandelions and daisies and other wild flowers too - they are not as discriminating and snobbish as people can be!
Philippa Bond ● 1995d
Dandelion flowers and roots also make an excellent herbal tea.
A lot of wild flowers will be found in a book of herbs. a favourite is Herb Robert but there are also others which give an idea as to what use they have been put eg pilewort. :)
"Pilewort" sounds ever so painful!
Jennifer selig ● 1995d
They have just mown the meadow in Southfield Playing Fields... hopefully they are going to reseed it
Claire Moran ● 1995d
Tried to download a wild plant identification app a while ago, didn't notice it was a paid for site. Cheapskate I know, but are there any good free ones? Walking in the park yesterday we had an argument about whether a pink flower on a bush was a dog rose. I always thought dog rose was the tall white stuff very prevalent in parks at the moment, but companion had wild plant book and was almost certainly correct.
I usually take a photo of anything I don't know and then look it up later... if I remember. If I give up anything for Lent or as a New Year's resolution Google would be a good choice! Dog roses are wild roses - their flowers are quite like clematis montana at a glance but have an extra petal. I don't know what your "tall white stuff" is from your description - what sort of flowers does it have?
Philippa Bond ● 1994d
Rima - when you have harvested the flowers and roots the leaves of the dandelion can be added to salads (after washing). The Food for Free book is still brilliant but has probably been superseded. I see you can buy it for around a fiver on the internet. No doubt there is an App for those too feeble to turn the pages of a book.
Cllr Sam Hearn ● 1994d
"No doubt there is an App for those too feeble to turn the pages of a book". No doubt Sam, but there are many out there with the dreaded arthritis, which quite often prevents one from even doing simple tasks - like turning the pages of a book.
Brian Coyle ● 1994d
Plenty of Cow Parsley aka wild chervil and Red Campion (which is pink) in Gunnersbury Park
This year of captivity I've really enjoyed watching the bees busy on the shrub honeysuckle in the early months through the window on one side of the house and now at last on the the flowers of the white hornbeam on the other side of the house - and still through the window!
Philippa Bond ● 1989d
Just lovely to watch the butterflies yesterday on the grass in the park stopping at the daisies and dandelions as they flew by.
Philippa Bond ● 1977d