Last week, I wrote about some planting I've been doing in the grass verge between our garden hedge and the road.
I've been adding to the existing daffodils and ladies smock with snowdrops, bluebells, aquilegia, wild garlic and bistort. I even went so far as to plant out a spare bit of red hot poker, but the local dogs have adopted this as their main message board, so I'm not sure if it will survive!
Since this verge doesn't belong to us, I suppose I might technically be accused of guerrilla gardening' - not wearing a monkey suit to garden in, but reclaiming and caring for an unloved piece of land.
Guerrilla gardening is a term that has been around for a few years now; it is usually applied to activists who take over unused, abandoned or just plain boring spaces in order to grow crops or plants.
They transform roundabouts, derelict housing plots, traffic islands and scrubland, turning areas of desolation into vegetable patches or flower beds. They clear up litter and use wildflower seed mixes, tough plants such as geraniums, lavender, and sea-holly, vegetables like pumpkin and squash, or fast growing annuals like nasturtium, sunflowers and forget-me-nots to transform the area, often quite literally overnight.
The guerrilla gardeners' philosophy is all about taking responsibility for the open spaces around them, without wading through red tape in order to gain permission. Theoretically it's illegal but, as long as the land is unused or unwanted and as long as they leave it looking better than it did, who would complain?
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Now I'm not suggesting that Westmorland Gazette readers should don camouflage gear, rush out and reclaim all of Cumbria's waste areas under cover of darkness, but surely there is a lesson to be learned here. If we all took some responsibility for a piece of common land near our homes (like my grass verge for example), kept it clear of litter and planted a few things to brighten it up, wouldn't the world be a better place?
Talking of better places, the gardeners of Cartmel Fell have come together to organise a garden open day, on Sunday (May 11), from 10.30am to 4pm. There are ten gardens open in total, with stalls selling local produce and plants, and refreshments available in the parish hall. The church will be open all day, with evensong at 5pm, and there will be bluebell walks through nearby woods and valleys. The cost is a mere £4 for adults (children are free), with proceeds going towards the Cartmel Fell Community Trust and St Andrew's Church roof. For more details contact Kathryn Keith on 015395-52595.
Jobs for this week...
If you have a greenhouse, conservatory or garden room, plant up hanging baskets now for a head start. Keep them indoors at night until the end of the month.
Lower the height of cut on the mower after the third or fourth cut, but don't be tempted to cut too low. If the weather turns dry, short grass will quickly turn brown.
Clip lavender bushes back hard as they come into growth this month. Cutting down to the old wood will prevent the bushes dying out in the centre.
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