BSBI Garden Wildflower Hunt - 2nd Survey

It's two weeks since I did the first BSBI Garden Wildflower Hunt. Then I found 48 wild flowers (including trees, grasses and ferns).  Since then, the weather has been fine and dry, causing the Spring to race forward.

English Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)

In my first survey, the Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) were just beginning to come out. Now they are fully out and some are beginning to fade before we have even reached May.

Bugle (Ajuga repans) and Thyme leaved speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia)

I haven't been mowing the grass on the slope so the previously inconspicuous wisps of Thyme leaved speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia) have filled the grass with tiny white flowers.

Hairy-footed flower bee on Bugle (Ajuga repans) 

After some indecision, I decided that our Bugle (Ajuga repans) was a wild plant rather than the darker-leaved garden variety that we introduced. As you can see from the photo is popular with bees.

Cuckoo flowers (Cardamine pratensis)

A number of spring flowers such as Cuckoo flowers (Cardamine pratensis) and Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) had gone from tight buds to full flower.

Field Forget-me-not (Myosotis arvensis)

The Field Forget-me-nots (Myosotis arvensis) had progressed even faster, going from insignificant bunches of leaves to full flower in just a fortnight.

Welsh Poppy (Meconopsis cambrica)

Other plants that had made dramatic progress in the two weeks included Welsh Poppies (Meconopsis cambrica), whose ancestors came from seeds given to us by a neighbour.

Grasses and Sedges

I also found a number of grasses including Sweet Vernal Grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum) and Meadow Foxtail (Meadow foxtail).

Combining my two counts, I found 65 wildflowers of which:

• 50 probably occurred naturally in our garden
• 15 were sown or planted.

Hempstead Meadow in May

An unexpected bonus of today's visit to the dentist was a walk through the Uckfield Town Council owned Hempstead Meadows Local Nature Reserve. I didn't have to go out of my way or take much time. I just swung through Waitrose car park and walked though to the Hempstead Lane playing fields.

Jack-by-the-hedge growing on the railway embankment.

As if to emphasise how close this little oasis of nature is to my normal working life, a London-bound train left just as I was walking through the reserve. It was partly screened by ash trees that were just starting to come into leaf and its emerald green Southern Rail livery contrasted with the fresh yellow greens of the surrounding spring foliage. Even so close to the train, I could see Jack-in-the-hedge, cuckoo flower, forget-me-nots and wild garlic.

Spring blossom.

There are so many other flowers to see now. Tiny jewel-like germander speedwell flowers vied for my attention with startling white greater stitchwort. The last of the king cups were fading out but there were plenty of buttercups and, I think, lesser spearwort, coming. The more subtle tones of ground ivy and crosswort added to the rich tapestry.

As I admired a clump of cuckoo flower growing in the stream, I noticed pond skaters and whirligig beetles on the water surface. Above birds flitted and twittered amongst the branches.

Wild garlic by the notice board, near Hempstead Lane playing fields.

The Uckfield news tells us that plans are afoot to tackle the pretty but thuggish Himalayan Balsam. A notice on the board says:

Task days will be held every Saturday morning in June,

from 9am to 1pm

If you want to help, you can come along to one of the task days and do as much or as little as you can. Meet at 9am Waitrose car park entrance to the reserve.

Full training will be given.

You can also support the Nature Reserve by coming along to the Advisory Committee's AGM on Thursday 6th June from 7.30pm, in the Green Room, Uckfield Civic Centre.

I hope to get along to some of the task days. It should be good fun and will help preserve the variety of damp-loving wild flowers by removing some of the Balsam.

Views Wood - spring on fast forward

We took advantage of the lovely spring weather and the May Day bank holiday to walk though the Woodland Trust's Views (Williams) Wood today. The much delayed spring is now on fast forward. 

Wood anemones and bluebells in Views Wood

Because of the cool spring, the last of the wood anemones have hung and are now combining beautifully with the first of the bluebells.  Other flowers such as yellow archangel and cuckoo flower are appearing too.

The lovely carpet of wild flowers was animated by little birds - wrens, robins and blue tits - flitting around as they collect food for hungry nestlings.  Amongst the gentle spring colours, there's the dazzling flash of an orange tip butterfly's wings.

King cups in a soggy dip

One of the hidden treasures of the wood is the gold of king cups that gleams from the bottom of a soggy dip. They are surrounded by banks of bluebells.  

When we reached Buxted Park, this sunny bank holiday had one more treat for us. The sound of cuckoos, who must have recently arrived from Africa.

Stealing ideas from nature

It's true confession time. When gardening, I steal most of my best ideas from nature. When walking through Views (William) Wood near my Manor Park home I see many pretty sights.  One of my favourites is the mossy old stumps and coppice stools surrounded by dainty wild flowers and ferns.

Wood anemones around the foot of a coppice stool, photographed 14 April 2013

I wanted to make something similar in my garden. Wood anemones, bluebells and wild arum grow naturally there. Maybe the woodland once extended as far as the location of our 1960s home.  

Here's one I made earlier, photographed 14 April 2013

We asked a professional gardener to remove some laurels, giving us a clear space in the shade of our tall birches.  Next, I bought a couple of old coppice stools from Wilderness Wood. My family are always amused by my habit of buying manky old bits of wood but I find they make good garden ornaments without the worry that some light-fingered so-and-so will take a fancy to them.  I got most of the plants by taking pieces of what we already had in the garden. I transplanted seedling wild arums and sprinkled seed from bluebells, cuckoo flower and foxgloves. I supplemented these with ferns, hardy geraniums and a red campion-like plant that I bought from local nurseries and open gardens. I don't stick rigidly to native plants. Sometimes I choose garden species that are similar to local wild flowers. I find that these cope just as well with local conditions, including greedy deer, and extend the options available to me.

The final step was to wait. It will be a year or two before the bluebells are flowering properly but the other flowers and leaves are giving plenty of interest. So that is how I designed my little woodland garden.