The warm early spring weather has brought about a magnificent floral display from the Snowdrops, bluebells, daffodils and Tulips as well as all the early flowering native flowers.
A lot of our parks and gardens will now be experiencing the end of the early blossom from our fruit and ornamental trees. There is arguably not a sight as welcome or as spectacular as a Cherry Blossom in full bloom, yet no sooner than we marvel,a blast of early spring wind and rain leaves us all mourning the loss of what can only be described as a beautiful spectacular display, yet in my opinion the Prunus Serrulata (Cherry Blossom) is just as beautiful and interesting in full summer leaf and even more so during autumn as the leaves turn to a copper hue before it loses its leaves. As our attention inevitably turns to summer and the warm weather, we will know doubt, rush out to the garden centres to purchase geraniums, Surfinias, other annuals and biennial summer bedding plants to fill our pots and baskets, most probably without giving a thought to our true garden buddies, Our gardens wouldn’t and couldn’t flourish without the pollinators that work in our gardens none stop, nonemore so than the Bumble and Honey Bee.
There are over two hundred and fifty different species of bees in Britain, yet almost without exception all are under threat from the loss of habitat most of it through the ninety four per cent of lowland meadows which are now being used for agriculture as well as providing land for the construction industry.Yet without these pollinators, we would have a struggle to feed an ever increasing world population.
If we are to believe scientific reasoning and a quote from Albert Einstein “if Honey Bees leave the face of the earth, mankind will follow in four years” it is now we should be doing a little bit to help.”
Gardens, back, front and communal land take up ten per cent of the land mass of the United Kingdom. This is where we can help, if one person plants one square metre of wild flowers in a pot, container or in a corner of the garden, it would make a difference. If every home in Mossley plants one square metre each then effectively and collectively we would be planting six-seven thousand square metres of meadow, multiply this across Stalybridge, Hyde, Dukinfield and the rest of Tameside then we really would be making a difference.
Plants to help our pollinators include:- Annuals: Common Daisy, Common Marigold, Heathers, Crested Poppy, Cosmos, Borage and Snap Dragon. Biennials: French honeysuckle, Hollyhock, Honesty, Sweet Williams Herbs: Fennel, Chives, Lemon Balm, Mint, Comfrey, Rosemary, Yarrow Vegetables: Runner Beans, Courgettes, Fruit Trees, Carrots, Melons, Squashes Shrubs: Buddleia, Lavenders.
Happy thoughtful Gardening.
