Why not a bit of flowering meadow?
Some time ago I mentioned the depletion of fertilizers from our soil after heavy rainfall, and the loss of nutrients from our gardens and the fact that we have the opportunity to replace some of that loss. Just as Guysuco replaces the loss of nutrients from its cane fields we use compost which is made up of garden waste and cow and farmyard manure. These are basically things which improve our soil by encouraging bacteria and make it conducive to the growth of our plants. In a few words they are soil improvers, and the level of actual fertilizer in them is usually very small. They form ‘humus’ and improve the ability of soils to hold water in the case of sands, or drain it more quickly in the case of clays.
Fertilizers come from two main sources: (1) from natural or organic sources, obtained from bone or fish meal or from dried blood, garden waste, etc; and (2) from artificial or inorganic sources such as sulphate of ammonia, superphosphate and sulphate of potash or nitrate of potash.
Organic fertilizers have to be broken down by bacteria once they are applied in a form that the plants can easily use. Normally an organic fertilizer contains fairly low levels of plant food and takes quite a long time to break down so the plants can use it. This makes it less risky if you give overdoses when you use it.
Inorganic fertilizers contain far higher levels of chemicals (plant food), and it is very important that you stick to the recommendation regarding dosage. A little pinch extra of an organic fertilizer like bone meal isn’t likely to have such disastrous consequences as an extra pinch of the inorganic kind, so beware.
As urban development increases I read a lot nowadays about our gardens becoming ‘green corridors’ for wild life, such as birds and small mammals, and our use of trees, shrubs and perennials also becomes greater to soften or even hide as much as we can. It has to be said that our wild creatures don’t care a hoot whether our gardens conform to some prearranged plan. In fact I suspect that the wilder things are the better they like it. Most of us like some proper organisation in our gardens though, and even though some gardens end up looking more formal that we had intended, they eventually grow out and soften up and provide just the kind of ideal place in which small creatures can hide and raise their families. There is something really nice when we stroll about the garden and come across a bird’s nest, or just hear the sound of youngsters chirping away, and something quite lovely about seeing hummingbirds topping up their food store with a late afternoon snack, as we do too by taking a sip of 10 or 12-year-old nectar.
For those of you lucky enough to have large areas of grass/lawn, consider leaving some of it uncut in order to create a flowering meadow, ideal for bees and butterflies. This long grass can be cut after it has flowered, and will become a kind of magnet for much of the wild life in the area. It is usually much more attractive and reduces the work load in a large garden a great deal. If your ground is getting moist it is a good time to sow flower and vegetable seed. Remember only lightly, so that you have a little more than you need. Spares can be given away, and this is a fine thing to do to help people. Or you can get the children to try and sell them off, helped by a bit of clever advertising. Take care of all creatures great and small and may your God go with you.
