Eden Wild Goose Nature
Nature notes from the Focus Magazine April 2021

Wild Flowers

Many of you will be aware of the increased interest in planting wildflowers wherever we can, in response to the almost daily news of how biodiversity in our country, and worldwide, is in decline. Many of us will have bought or collected wild seed to sow in some corner of our gardens, in our efforts to do our bit for nature, for bees and butterflies. Maybe we are thinking more about the flowers we plant in our borders and flower beds, asking questions such as whether the plant is bee friendly or a UK native, and daring to hold off with that pesticide and give a more organic approach a chance.
 
I have enthusiastically jumped on to the bandwagon, sown a few patches of wildflowers and enjoyed watching the plants grow and attract lots of hoverflies, bees and other beasties. Of course, it is all learning for me. A matter of starting from scratch, reading the leaflets, having a go.
 
Planting wildflowers seems to be a strange mix of allowing nature to do her thing, while also needing to prepare the plot well enough to allow it to happen. Once I would have thought all you’d need to do is scatter the seeds and watch them grow because they are, after all, wild. Now I realise that it is not quite so simple… choose your patch, test the soil type, look for seed appropriate to your area of the country, consider the amount of sun and shade, clear the area of weeds and roots, sieve the soil to make a fine tilth, scatter the seed, cover with a fine layer of compost, water sparingly …and then stand back and allow nature to do her thing.
 
It’s quite hard work really, though good work and well worth the effort. Still, it makes me ponder just how much I have taken for granted, as I’ve watched the annual cycle of the comings and goings of our much-loved wild flora. I was fortunate to grow up in a beautiful area where there would have been so much to notice and observe, but I was never shown, maybe because a few decades ago, folk like my mum and dad didn’t know that what seemed common in the mid twentieth century would be endangered by the time their grandchildren were young adults, so it didn’t seem necessary.  It was simply part of everyday life, always had been, always would be- wouldn’t it?
 
I am encouraged now that my own much more urban grandchildren are growing up with more awareness of the importance of these things than I ever had as a young child. So maybe, we’re just in time waking up and maybe, by the time my grandchildrens’ grandchildren are out playing in the parks and elsewhere, nature will be in better heart than she now is. Let’s hope and let’s pray it will be so, as increasing numbers of us climb on that old bandwagon to work for the changes we need to make.

Philippa Skinner
 
Eden Wild Goose Nature is developing a wildflower pollinating project in the grounds of Holme Eden Church. We are grateful to the Warwick Bridge COOP have supported this with a grant towards the cost of wildflower plug plants for this year and ground cover tubas and bulbs for next Spring. EWG Nature is looking at pollinators to encourage others in the community to have a go.