Clearance under way

The time has come. Carol, our gardener, is under way with clearing the wild garden under the silver birches. First she picks a nosegay of wild flowers for me. It’s delightful. If only these were the only plants in the wild garden we wouldn’t be pulling it up.

In the nosegay are some deep blue cornflowers, some delicate umbels some bright yellow vetch, deep pink campion, purply pink clover, white bladder campion, all pretty & delicate. However, this wild is dominated by thugs such as docks & grasses, big green & boring to look at. The prettier flowers are just lost in the vegetation. The view of the rest of the garden beyond is obscured.

Yesterday she got as far as cutting down most of the top growth. Next time she will start digging it all out. When she was done, it was noticeable that there was still movement. Tiny frogs, about an inch long at most, are heading for the shelter of what little top growth remains.

We wanted a wildlife area to encourage such wildlife, however we had in mind an area with lots of wildflowers, not the impenetrable jungle we gained. We’ve not decided what to plant once the ground has been cleared. Perhaps another lawn. Or maybe we’ll try some more wildflowers, but those of our choice rather than what was obviously intended to be a field edge/ roadside mix as this had been.

We’re pleased to now be able to see the red astilbe beyond the silver birch circle coming into flower, along with the buddleia. What’s more we can even get a hint of the colour from the kitchen window, so often our viewpoint down the length of the garden. It encourages us to venture up to the far end to look closer. I just hope will find a new home in the shelter of the nearby hostas – it should be a good home with slugs for dinner readily available for them!