World Earth Day

Lesser Celandine & Dandelion

Forget-me-not & Bluebells

Nettles & Wild chives

Wild primrose & Lady's Smock

Bay Tree

Wild Garlic

Wild violet & Angelica

Angelica

Angelica

In the last few weeks we've been blessed with a world of overflowing colour, pattern and form. So much is taken from the earth but it just keeps giving. I've got an abundant, organic deli on my doorstep where everything is free. Dandelion and nettle leaves are at their best this time of year when they're fresh and young. Wild garlic can be used to make pesto or soups, and when mixed with butter can be used to make garlic bread. You can't mistake it and end up eating something poisonous because you will know when you find it; the strong garlic smell pierces the air when the leaves are walked on. Am I worried that dogs have peed all over this woodland salad bar? No. I walk my dog here often and he has never peed anywhere near the edible plants. And I think a bit of pee is far less disgusting than a vat of poisonous spray. The other day I noticed someone at the allotment had sprayed their plot. The beds were surrounded by paths of collapsed, yellow, dying grass. Fortunately the plot is quite a distance from mine and the majority of allotment holders these days grow organically, without dangerous chemicals. The rules and regulations, issued by the Council, that are there to insure everyone enjoys their growing experience and gets the best from their land, do not include a ban on herbicides. Why? What kind of crazy world are we living in?

 I used to hate dandelions. I'd had years of indoctrination. "Pick a dandelion and you'll wet the bed" I heard often as a child. The French name is pis-en-lit. Taraxacum officinale. It wasn't long ago that I discovered the myth comes from the use of the dandelion as a diuretic in herbal medicine. Bees and beneficial insects love them. The use of herbicides to kill dandelions and other wild plants has been linked to Parkinsons disease, cancer, embryonic cell damage, infertility, genetic damage and a decline in bird species in the UK. There's no need for herbicides and it's a disgrace they are still being used with abandon. It's time to start loving our wild plants and flowers. We need them more than they need us.