On Sun, 3 Jan 2010 16:23:55 +0000, Sacha wrote:

On 2010-01-03 15:49:39 +0000, lloyd said:

On Sun, 3 Jan 2010 15:28:47 +0000, Sacha wrote:

On 2010-01-03 09:41:14 +0000, lloyd said:

We have some large dykes, ditches and plots of apparent wasteland
around here, in amongst lots of arable farmland. What would you think
if I were to plant some sunflower seeds evry now and again on this
land?

I did read somewhere one should never plant corn flower seeds anywhere
apartf rom your own garden as they are quite prolific once they get
started and the farmers hate them. I obviously don't want to get in to
trouble.

The land belongs to somebody who hasn't planted it for a reason.
Whatever you plant may well become a weed to their crop and be deeply
unpopular. You really can't plant up land that doesn't belong to you
and especially not in farming regions.

Yes I think that's quite apparent now. Seems such a waste. However I
shall try and find out who owns the land and talk to them about
planting some wildlife trust approved wildflowers. The ditches are cut
once a year, and the verges twice, but the ends of the ditches are
left completely wild, so they may let us plant something there
hopefully which would be nice.

Good plan. I think that's the best way to go about it - talking to
them, I mean. Then, if they have a good reason for not doing it,
you'll know why and they'll appreciate being asked. OTOH, if they just
haven't go the time or inclination to plant them, they might be glad
for you to do so, if you tell them what plants you're going to use.

I'll see what the wildflower people say about what to plant before
asking the farmer/s.

They might what you to be very careful not to plant anything that would
encourage birds onto their crops. We've got crow-scarers going off
round here right now.

Yes what's that all about, they were going off even in the snow!

On Sun, 3 Jan 2010 16:46:04 +0000, K wrote:

lloyd writes
Yes I think that's quite apparent now. Seems such a waste. However I
shall try and find out who owns the land and talk to them about
planting some wildlife trust approved wildflowers. The ditches are cut
once a year, and the verges twice, but the ends of the ditches are
left completely wild, so they may let us plant something there
hopefully which would be nice.

You might be interested n the work of the Plantlife charity. Their 'Back
from the Brink' programme aims to bring 'back from the brink' seriously
rare flowers, which they do largely by creating the conditions for the
plants to regenerate from the seed bank in the soil where they used to
grow. For example, they've had some success with starfruit, which relied
on cattle coming to drink at the pond and churning up the mud at the
edge. In some sites where Plantlife have replicated this mudchurning,
they have had starfruit reappear.

http://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/plant...k-from-brink.h
tml

Being the age I am, I can remember when road verges were routinely mown
short,

I was a bit cynical when the councils started to leave them alone for
much of the year, but they are a real boon when left to grow. I notice
on the A1 Northbound last year they had about 5 miles of row upon row
of what looked like tall daisies, all different colours. Looked lovely
and I was tempted, but now I'm glad I never.

Be a nice idea if we could adopt a mile of verge all around the
country for wildlflowers. Funny how we get used to everything being
trimmed and cut.

and it is a real pleasure to see the wildflowers returning to our
verges, some of them, obviously, planted as a deliberate re-seeding of
wildflowers, but some of them reappearing by themselves (for example a
roadside colony of frog orchids which certainly weren't part of any
planting programme)

And much as I love daffodils, I do get a wee bit bored of the King
Alfred types creeping along the road verges at the edges of so many
villages.

I love everything. My best plants in my garden were the buttercups,
daisies and some flowers on the hedges for attracting wildlife. Made
it awkward cutting around the groups of flowers but lovely to see the
insects appreciate it.

*Adopt a mile of verge* has a certain ring about it

On Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:18:28 +0000, lloyd wrote:

On Sun, 3 Jan 2010 16:46:04 +0000, K wrote:

lloyd writes
Yes I think that's quite apparent now. Seems such a waste. However I
shall try and find out who owns the land and talk to them about
planting some wildlife trust approved wildflowers. The ditches are cut
once a year, and the verges twice, but the ends of the ditches are
left completely wild, so they may let us plant something there
hopefully which would be nice.

You might be interested n the work of the Plantlife charity. Their 'Back
from the Brink' programme aims to bring 'back from the brink' seriously
rare flowers, which they do largely by creating the conditions for the
plants to regenerate from the seed bank in the soil where they used to
grow. For example, they've had some success with starfruit, which relied
on cattle coming to drink at the pond and churning up the mud at the
edge. In some sites where Plantlife have replicated this mudchurning,
they have had starfruit reappear.

http://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/plant...k-from-brink.h
tml

Being the age I am, I can remember when road verges were routinely mown
short,

I was a bit cynical when the councils started to leave them alone for
much of the year, but they are a real boon when left to grow. I notice
on the A1 Northbound

Near Peterboro I should have said.

last year they had about 5 miles of row upon row
of what looked like tall daisies, all different colours. Looked lovely
and I was tempted, but now I'm glad I never.

Be a nice idea if we could adopt a mile of verge all around the
country for wildlflowers. Funny how we get used to everything being
trimmed and cut.

and it is a real pleasure to see the wildflowers returning to our
verges, some of them, obviously, planted as a deliberate re-seeding of
wildflowers, but some of them reappearing by themselves (for example a
roadside colony of frog orchids which certainly weren't part of any
planting programme)

And much as I love daffodils, I do get a wee bit bored of the King
Alfred types creeping along the road verges at the edges of so many
villages.

I love everything. My best plants in my garden were the buttercups,
daisies and some flowers on the hedges for attracting wildlife. Made
it awkward cutting around the groups of flowers but lovely to see the
insects appreciate it.

The thistle thing that turned in to a five foot tree before dying
scared me a little, I thought it was going to grow forever!

On 2010-01-03 17:11:15 +0000, lloyd said:

On Sun, 3 Jan 2010 16:23:55 +0000, Sacha wrote:

On 2010-01-03 15:49:39 +0000, lloyd said:

On Sun, 3 Jan 2010 15:28:47 +0000, Sacha wrote:

On 2010-01-03 09:41:14 +0000, lloyd said:

We have some large dykes, ditches and plots of apparent wasteland
around here, in amongst lots of arable farmland. What would you think
if I were to plant some sunflower seeds evry now and again on this
land?

I did read somewhere one should never plant corn flower seeds anywhere
apartf rom your own garden as they are quite prolific once they get
started and the farmers hate them. I obviously don't want to get in to
trouble.

The land belongs to somebody who hasn't planted it for a reason.
Whatever you plant may well become a weed to their crop and be deeply
unpopular. You really can't plant up land that doesn't belong to you
and especially not in farming regions.

Yes I think that's quite apparent now. Seems such a waste. However I
shall try and find out who owns the land and talk to them about
planting some wildlife trust approved wildflowers. The ditches are cut
once a year, and the verges twice, but the ends of the ditches are
left completely wild, so they may let us plant something there
hopefully which would be nice.

Good plan. I think that's the best way to go about it - talking to
them, I mean. Then, if they have a good reason for not doing it,
you'll know why and they'll appreciate being asked. OTOH, if they just
haven't go the time or inclination to plant them, they might be glad
for you to do so, if you tell them what plants you're going to use.

I'll see what the wildflower people say about what to plant before
asking the farmer/s.

They might what you to be very careful not to plant anything that would
encourage birds onto their crops. We've got crow-scarers going off
round here right now.

Yes what's that all about, they were going off even in the snow!

The birds are hungry and looking for food so they're settling on the
crops that are around, whatever those may be. This is what I'm told,
btw, I haven't seen it myself.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon