n GARDENING The right plants in the right places

LAST month I received a lovely email from someone called Julie regarding an issue with dianthus, also known as 'pinks'.

The issue was that the flowers were drying before they’d had a chance to bloom.

Although with many plant ailments there are a multitude of possible reasons, in this case the best advice I could give, beyond the usual feeding and watering, was that it may be in the wrong position.

Dianthus like a good deal of sunlight to thrive, so too much shade will have a detrimental effect. That said, every plant will fare much better if it's in a place where it’ll naturally be happy.

There is a reason why leaving an area of land untouched will quickly turn it into a haven of flora and fauna. The plants that settle into the habitat are the ones that work best for that specific aspect.

If a plant is struggling due to light or soil conditions, another happily take its place.

subject to its own 20-year plan.

Cllr Collins said: "The WECA team who assessed our application were particularly impressed with the existing conservation and preservation work undertaken in Frenchay, which has involved local residents and Duke of Edinburgh award students being completely hands-on with many vital projects in a key conservation area.

"This award will facilitate continued community involvement, with many other local voluntary groups wanting to make a difference as the project gets under way."

He said the WECA grant meant environmental work that will have a lasting benefit for residents could be carried out without using parish funds that are "needed for so many other deserving projects", and other grant-giving organisations were now interested in providing support.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris visited the field as part of work to promote 'No Mow May', a drive to let lawns grow and flowers flourish during an important part of the year for bees and other wildlife.

He said: “Giving the mower a breather for a few extra weeks, and embracing a little more wildness in our gardens, really is so, so important – for our plants, our butterflies and of course, our bee buddies."

Community planting days to sow the wildflower seeds are planned for the autumn, with local organisations Grow Wilder and Winterbourne Environmental Group involved.

Managed grazing by small dexter cattle, which are often used in rewilding projects, could also take place on both the Tuckett and National Trust fields.

A wetland pond on the site will also be enhanced, and new trees planted at the boundaries.

Once the wildflowers are established the area will be more attractive not just for pollinating insects but for the other wildlife that feeds on them, including birds, bats and other small mammals.

I took a walk in the Cotswolds recently and among the grasslands there were vast swathes of buttercup and dandelion, distinctly contained by nothing more than a slight change in the lay of the land. Path edges were festooned with nettle flowers just about to burst, but not a single one in the open fields.

Once you have some living greenery, wildlife won’t be far behind. Of course some we would happily do without, but the most valuable are the creatures that are hardly even noticed.

Nobody is surprised to hear about the drastic decline in butterfly and moth populations in the UK; maybe if we cut down a few less hedges we might start to see a change.

We all love our gardens, and enjoy making use of the space that you have.

But spare a thought for the little guys keeping everything ticking along, fertilising flowers, breaking down the soil surface and providing protein for the food chain. Take away one element and there is a domino effect on the things that we rely on.

It’s worth keeping part of your garden just as nature would have it. The things that grow there, probably nettle, will be there because it’s their spot, just the conditions that they, above all, will be happy with.

Let mice make a nest or bees hibernate and the little patch you’ve created is one small step to restoring all the wildlife we’ve lost over the

City Gardener with Tim Barton

years.

If you have any questions, please email tpvoice@gracelands.garden.

June jobs:

• Plant out your last summer bedding plants

• Plant up hanging baskets

• Lift and divide snowdrops, bluebells and spring bulbs

• Start to sow some biennials for next year

• Cut back hardy geraniums after flowering

• Stake and support tall perennials

• Harvest lettuce and radishes regularly, and keep sowing more to keep them coming

• Clip hedges such as box and privet but leave larger ones which may have nesting birds

• Tie in climbers and try to keep climbing roses close to horizontal to promote new stems