Itisi

We have a triangular patch of ground at the side of our house, where nothing really grows. Well, nothing I plant, nettles seem to do fine. The problem is it is very shady, there is the house wall on one side, the hedge of the second and the shed on the third, so the area doesn’t get a great deal of light. After several years, and many false starts I have decided to accept that it’s not suitable for a conventional garden, and work with what is actually there, and the perfect solution seems to be a wild flower garden. This appeals to me for several reasons. Firstly, it is possible to buy wild flower seed mixes for a range of habitats, including woodland. This seemed ideal for my shady corner. Next, a lot of native plants are struggling to survive in the wild, by giving them a place in our gardens, we are doing a little to help protect the natural flora of our region. Finally, wild flowers are great for providing food and homes to animal and insect life, species which are also battling for existence in their natural environment.

Anyhow, having made my plans, I realised I knew nothing about growing wild flowers, so I turned to the ‘net for help. There are some brilliant sites around which tell you pretty much everything you need to know about growing wild flowers, and making your garden wildlife friendly. The following are three of my favourites:

Growing Native: http://www.growingnative.org.uk/

Wild About Gardens: http://www.wildaboutgardens.org/

Space for Nature: http://www.spacefornature.co.uk/

They are all aimed at UK gardens so the plants and species mentioned may not apply to you, but even if you are in another part of the world you should be able to find some good general advice. For example, you can’t just go out and sprinkle the seed about, and leave it to grow. It’s better to use small plants. So, start your seed in trays, then plant the seedlings out when they have about four leaves.

I’ll post updates to let you know how my mini-woodland is doing, if you have ever tried a similar thing, or plan to, let me know. It would be great to compare notes and share tips.

Listening to: the wonderful sound of silence, that’s actual silence, not the song.

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