Friday 1 July 2011

William Robinson The Wild Garden

William Robinson wrote his influential 'The Wild Garden' in 1870. And 140 years later his ideas are as fresh and radical as they were then.

Last night I read his comment about privet (ligustrum officinalis) of which we have inherited several hundred yards:
'It is necessary to avoid bad fencing plants. The worst is the common privet, the ghost of what a fence plant should be'.
And how right he is!


Here's a homage to his ideas in our unruly and exuberant allotment.


In the photo, phacelia, borage, scabious, comfrey, calendula and foxgloves jostle together providing rich sources of pollen and nectar for bees and other insects.


These, in turn, provide food for creatures further up the food chain, like birds and bats.

No comments: