What do you see?

One of the big reasons we don't have more urban meadows is that they're not 'beautiful' 365 days a year. At the end of summer they go to seed, so they start to look like this.

It's this 'ugliness' that stops many local councils from planting meadows at all. Or they cut them down before they can spread their seeds to grow again the next year. But that's a question of perception. Do you see an unsightly eyesore here? Or do you see a new beginning, and the start of next spring's flowers?

OK, those are some pretty leading statements. But we're a Community Meadow. So what do you really think? Should we cut the seed heads down to tidy the area up (then buy more seed for next year)? Or should we just let nature run its course? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

In the mean time, avert your eyes, because here are some more pics of our unsightly wildflowers!

Late bloomers

We've had an incredibly hot and dry summer this year. Which is great news for everyone who likes picnics, bike rides and eating ice-creams. But it's not such good news for our rain-loving flowers. So as the drought set in, the new plants that would ordinarily have grown up through the initial burst of blooms to replace them didn't really get going. Still, we had a couple of late arrivals - less than we'd have liked. But amazing all the same!

Let's go on a wildflower safari!

A bit late, this one. But I thought I'd post some pics of the fantastic activity packs we made up to keep the kids busy on our picnic. As it turned out, they were happy exploring and planting on their own, but these were a great addition to the day.

We had a colourful guide to all the amazing flowers and insects in the meadow (complete with tick boxes for dedicated safari-goers).


Plus a pair of 'fold it yourself' binoculars to help with the hunt!