a life of plants

Plants benefit our life in many ways. I make it my mission to learn about them and what others are doing with them to help our communities.

[alifeofplants]

Autumn wanderings

One thing I really like about living in the UK is that we have our seasons. There is nothing nicer than each one being different and getting to embrace the weather and the different things each one brings. I have been reading a book by the author Keri Smith called The Wander Society which basically teaches us to be in the present moment and appreciate the beauty in the unexpected around us. Although the book in parts is a bit gimmicky in the way it is packaged, the overall message is a good one.  

 I love to experience the seasons especially autumn with the smell of bonfires, fresh cold morning walks where you can see the sun low in the sky seeping through the skeleton heads of this summer’s gone flowers. The sound of your feet walking on fallen leaves crushing under your foot. The change of colour to the leaves in all their varieties and varying degrees of red right from green, yellow to deep crimson. It’s not just the outdoors but embracing the different foods going from fresh salads to warm hearty soups and enjoying natively grown produce from autumns/summers harvest.  There is nothing nicer than sitting inside with your feet up on a cold day listening to the birds before they migrate whilst drinking a tea. Then there is all the occasions to look forward to including Halloween, carving pumpkins and enjoying pumpkins and squashes in our dishes. And also guy Faulkes/ Bonfire night where we get all wrapped up and head out to enjoy the fireworks and stand around a warm crackling fire.

 For me it’s all about enjoying the simple things and my message here for you is slow down, take it all in and feel the benefits to your health. Even if you have limited money nature outside is free so just enjoy it! Look for local events by searching the internet.  There are many autumn markets with seasonal produce, talks and walks about nature and specific aspects, spooky talks and walks in towns around Halloween, visit a garden that is known for its autumn colour or simply just enjoy some seasonal food from the supermarket. Go out, explore!

 I recently watched a talk by a lady on Ted Talks I stumbled across and it really made my perspective change. She explains that we need to go out to untouched arounds and not just places that are nature reserves where the landscape is controlled. We live in interesting times when it comes to the evolution of our landscape but we must embrace it. Let children and ourselves enjoy and become passionate about nature again. Don’t shut off from it. Although humans have caused much damage to the earth as we know it, nature does adapt to some extent and will go on without us. It is beautiful and powerful. Never forget it is far more powerful than we will ever be. So appreciate it and enjoy the unexpected.

https://www.ted.com/talks/emma_marris_nature_is_everywhere_we_just_need_to_look_for_it

[alifeofplants]

Bamboo

I spend half my day at work watering the bamboos we have as they take so much water. I often hear them rustling in the wind and find the sound they make almost meditative. A woman came into the garden centre the other day asking about Bamboo and I thought as they are such a fascinating plant I wanted to learn more about them.

 There are so many different types of bamboo as they have adapted to growing in many climates including cold mountains and hot tropical areas of the world. They are known to be a particularly invasive species so don’t plant it if you are worried about it spreading! They are some of the fastest growing plant species in the world and this is not surprising as some of them can grow 91 cm (3 ft) within a 24-hour period, at a rate of almost 4 cm (1.5 in) an hour (a growth around 1 mm every 90 seconds, or one inch every 40 minutes) (Wikipedia). They have rhizomes which are stems that grow horizontally underground so you may not even know they are spreading in your garden. So it is very important to choose the right species!

 Don’t be put off though as it is a wonderful plant. If you know how to look after it and you can give it some attention it is manageable. Smaller types of bamboo can be put into containers so they don’t run away with themselves but the larger ones really need to be planted in the ground so they have enough space for their roots. So the answer is to contain them by building a physical barrier such as a trench. Dig one nice and deep and line the sides with some kind of solid material (such as paving slabs, corrugated iron sheets or pre-cast concrete drain sections). Try the RHS website for more details.

 Bamboos have so many uses that many of us don’t know about! In some countries such as Asia it is used as a building material as it so hard wearing. In fact, according to Wikipedia it has a higher compressive strength than that of usual building material i.e. wood, brick and concrete. As many types grow tall they are great to use as a barrier/fence in a garden. In fact my dad uses them as plant stakes for our tomato plants. Although we have a bamboo plant in our garden and use the stems off it directly you can buy them as a popular plant stake in garden centres. Why use a metal or manmade material when you can use a material that is biodegradable!  

The shoots can also be eaten but as they contain a toxin called taxiphyllin they REALLY must be boiled and cooked properly first. It is used in many Asian dishes with herbs and spices.

Bamboo was discovered many moons ago. It was once used to make weapons and still is in places like Asia for their martial arts. It was one of the first writing implements in China. Many of their ancient script and documents where written using bamboo.

 To be honest the list just goes on and on as it is just so hard wearing. This really shows us that plants are so undervalued. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing but can be used in so many ways. Why not make a wigwam for your kids in the garden and if you don’t have kids, make yourself one and sit in it whilst enjoying this lovely summer weather by letting the hours float away. Get away from your smart phones and tablets and get outside!

[alifeofplants]

Buddleja

Buddleja is often found in barren soils and has become quite an invasive species in some areas. It is often found near railway lines, in urban areas and in derelict places. It is known to self-seed which can be a problem when trying to control it. It is also found growing on previously bombed sites used in the war and even in places where more recently the army has used for bombing grounds. I guess you could compare it to poppies which grows in a very similar way via disturbed soil. This is why the poppy is the symbol for the World War and has been used in many poems and artworks about that time.

Although plants which have self-seeded in places they are unwanted by the land owners, to me, they are a beautiful part of nature. They can survive on their own without us! Humans seem to think we are the be all and end all to this planet and they couldn’t be more wrong! Nature happens right under our nose and many of us forget to notice.

Nature is all very much connected out there so before you think of getting rid of something in your garden, stop, think about how it will affect the soil, the insects and also think about how you are going to get rid of it. Most weed killers out there are terrible for the environment. There are organic/natural alternatives that don’t mess with the natural order of things.

The common name for Buddleja that is often used is ‘Butterfly Bush’ which perfectly describes the fact that they are important, not just butterflies but also bees and other pollinating insects. The flowers are not only beautiful for us to look at but needed for these insects. With the decline of butterflies and bees there is no reason not to grow this plant. It’s really easy to grow!

You can take cuttings from an existing plant but be careful where it is that you’re taking it from. You don’t want to be caught taking from private land or where you are not welcome to. As it grows so easily though, it should be easy to get hold of some. It’s not like you need a lot when taking cuttings. Collect a bunch of a few inch cuttings in late August/ September from a mature shrub. You can however collect seed but this is a less popular option as it is a lot harder to get hold of as it is so small. If you’re not worried about being thrifty and don’t need to save the pennies than you can get hold of a plant or seeds in packets in pretty much every garden centre or nursery as they are so popular. There are many types and coloured flowers available too. With all the choice these days, even if you only have a balcony you can get patio pot varieties that are smaller in size so there’s no need to be sad you don’t have a proper garden! You have no excuse! Buddleja pretty much grow anywhere. They tolerant most climates and soils but make sure the soil is free draining. They also like full sun to partial shade.

When it comes to maintenance, remove the flowers as they go over as this will encourage continuous flowers throughout the summer. A top tip - leave the last flowers on at the end of the summer if you are not collecting the seed so that the birds can use it for food. It is best to prune the plant in late winter. It can take quite a hard prune. It is pretty a robust plant so don’t worry about being too precious with it! Do try however, not to cut back into the older, often thicker wood though as this will take longer to grow back.  

Buddleja plants really are wonderful and I feel, unappreciated. Next time you walk down your street look at the plants growing around you and appreciate how we are all connected to the natural world. Let’s stop separating ourselves from it and realise what it can give us and we can give it in return. It’s all about balance.

[alifeofplants]

Incredible Edible

If you are interested in Guerrilla gardening you will love

this!

I was searching through Ted Talks the other day and came across one that really interested me. Most talks I have come across on that site tend to be from other places in the world but this one was about a woman who started a movement in the UK.

Pam Warhurst started a company called Incredible Edible. She got together with Mary Clear and other like-minded people in the hope to create something which would bring people together. They came to the conclusion that food was the answer as it involves everyone from all ages and all backgrounds. Their moto is ‘If you eat, you are in’.

They first started growing vegetables and herbs in Todmordon on small community spaces such as doctor’s surgeries and anywhere they could get their hands on. This was just an experiment to see what they could do to bring people together and before they knew it they were supporting businesses, backing campaigns and much more. Their increasing popularity and enquires from others wanting to set up the same idea in their town, they decided to set up the Incredible Edible Network. They now have more than 100 groups, not only in the UK, but worldwide.

  This movement is great in many ways.

It brings a sense of calm and achievement. Working with one’s hands these days is very uncommon and it has almost a meditative effect on the mind. David Cameron once compared gardening to litter picking! I think we need to get away from talking down gardening as it is actually good for us. We can see what you have done when you’ve finished. Standing back and saying to yourself “Ah that looks better now, I did that,” that’s a good thing, not a bad thing!

This brings people together to feel like they are part of something. Many people used to go to church or be part of a club or society but with the rise of technology many people now just hibernate away in their houses and watch TV or fiddle around on their tablet etc. This is disconnecting people and increasing depression. It IS good for you to get out and see people and not type to each other but actually have a real conversation!

It shows children what they’re food looks like in the ground, how it grows and that they CAN grow it too! In fact many groups that are part of the Incredible Edible network are schools and I think this is really encouraging.

It brings people back to nature. People are building bigger extensions on their houses and concreting their gardens with this 24 hour working society. People aren’t getting out anymore and this helping people to ‘wake up’ and see the outside world. It’s also really nice to see vegetables, fruits and herbs growing around town and to be able to stop and marvel at the beauty of it.

Many edible plant foods available in the supermarket are produced using pesticides and other nasty chemicals but with this one knows where their food has come from and how it has been produced. Supermarket produce of this kind is grown on mass and is often messed with so it has higher yards of crop. They aren’t as good nutritional as they were 50 years ago due to modern farming methods. Since the early 1900s, the nutrient density of our food has declined approximately 40-60% (http://blog.healthychoicenaturals.com/our-food-is-half-as-nutritious-as-it-was-100-years-ago/). So in short, growing veg locally in the community is better for the environment, pollinating insects and for us humans.

It gives people something to do where they are active. They don’t have to take time out of their day to go to a room full of sweaty people, exercise machines and tvs, of which they have to pay for! This is free, not even allotments are free. I personally find gyms pretty boring and much prefer to be outside. The colour green is scientifically proven to make us feel happy so let’s get outside and do some gardening instead of looking at bare manmade walls painted with the colour of magnolia.

Space is becoming an issue for many people these days with our increasing population and demand for housing. Public outdoor space that is usable for people to grow edible plants is really important. Many people don’t have gardens in the city or they can’t afford a property with a garden as house prices are so high which means this movement is bridging that gap.

 In fact this is a revolution!

(Here’s the link to their website http://incredibleediblenetwork.org.uk/).