Cultivate your garden

Reconnecting with the natural world

is proven to have the power to relieve stress and anxiety, whatever form that connection takes.

Every few weeks as I sit at my desk, my concentration is broken by the familiar sound of a certain vintage lawnmower being fired up. Whilst it is not unusual for someone to be taking pride in their garden, this particular bit of greenery forms the front garden and entrance to a flat and is impeccably maintained to resemble a dead looking patch of land.

Earlier this year it was left unattended (for reasons I won’t go into to protect the occupiers privacy) and the wild flowers thrived. There were butterflies, bees and all manner of wildlife enjoying the beautiful varied flora. Sadly, I now look out upon a barren brown square, cut to within a millimetre of it’s life, the flats inhabitant is regularly seen attacking any form of leaf with a spray bottle of toxic weedkiller.

Happily, nature prevails and the measly squirts of poison cannot stop the inevitable. I rejoice at the gallant fight put up by the plants as the desolate garden returns to green. Sadly though, it is short-lived and once again they are ruthlessly cut down.‌

I have toyed with the idea of offering to help the resident make their front garden a fresher, less depressing place, but I fear they will take offence to my suggestions and furthermore, I cannot afford to assist purely from the goodness of my heart. Transforming this space, other than to a wildflower patch, would be no mean feat and clearly the owner does not enjoy the natural look.

I struggle to comprehend how a dead patch of grass, devoid of any life, is more appealing and considered acceptable to so many people. I sense a challenge brewing; how to encourage people to reconsider each time they step outside with that bottle of nasty liquid? How to educate around the damage it does to the health of the soil, not to mention the health of those essential soil invertebrates such as earthworms and ground beetles?

I am very proud to be part of a larger community group Instagram (@grassrootswestcliff)  who are working hard to create greener public spaces for everyone to enjoy. Aside from the successful completion of our first pocket park (see previous post) we have recently been toying with ways in which we can help the community make their own spaces greener and more appealing; sometimes all it takes is a little offer of help and encouragement, after all, it is the community who will benefit.