It’s lovely to see how all the wet weather of March and sporadic bouts of sunshine have made the forest garden green again.
We’re seeing new shoots emerging all over the garden.
The photos below show how we were able to get a few final leaves to eat (before it goes to seed) from the cavolo nero (kale) that has just kept giving for the last 6+ months.
I was surprised to see the succulent flat fleshy leaves of the sedum starting to appear already, as their bright pink umbrella-like flowerheads are one of the last flowers to go from the garden in late summer/autumn. (The late-flying bees and butterflies love them, making them a great late season pollinator.)
And the elephant garlic is already starting to look good too.
Not all the greenery is what we were expecting though.
We saw lots of abundant cow parsley, cleavers (aka “sticky weed” ) and creeping cinquefoil coming through at what appears to be twice (maybe three times) the rate of the plants we have actually planted!
I think it’s safe to call them weeds, even when you consider a weed “a plant in the wrong place”! 🙂
The two photos shown here show how our golden raspberry was being suffocated by some cow parsley and the currant bushes were surrounded by the cleavers and cinquefoil. ☞ ☞ ☞
After a bit of time spent weeding, here’s the difference we made to that “problem”. ☞ ☞ ☞
Although we didn’t eat any of the “weeds” we pulled up, it’s interesting to know that cleavers and cinquefoil are edible.
I’m sure they’ll be back, so we’ll save that for some other time 🙂
According to RHS, “cleavers is a common annual weed native to hedgerows, scrub and arable land, which can spread to gardens on the fur of animals and clothing of passers-by.” Interestingly, cleavers are also a good addition to a wildlife garden, providing “food for the caterpillars of many butterfly and moth species, including the impressive hummingbird hawk moth.”
Eatweeds reports how cleavers was once a useful potherb used in Medieval kitchens and renowned for its diuretic properties. Rich in vitamin C and with seeds that can be ground to make cleavers coffee, this versatile weed is said to have it’s “hook-like bristles soften when boiled”. In addition, “its chopped leaves and stem can be made into soups and stews” or you can use the tender shoots “boiled and buttered as a vegetable.”
According to RHS, “creeping cinquefoil is a herbaceous perennial native to UK grassland and hedgebanks. Although its flowers close on dull days and at night, they are visited by bees and flies when open. In gardens it can be a cheerful addition to a flower-rich lawn and a welcome source of pollen to many insects.”
Henriette’s Herbal Homepage documents how cinquefoil is “a great herb for courage” where it’s flowers can be used in salads. As part of the rose family (Rosaceae) is an “astringent: good for various skin and mucous membrane excesses like diarrhoea, sunburn, gum problems and the like”.
It’s fantastic to see the rhubarb coming through already.
The year before last we divided our one large plant into four, and now we have healthy crowns coming through in different parts of the garden.
As a little experiment, we decided to “force” one of the plants to grow it in the dark under a bucket for the next few weeks. We’ll report back with how it works in a future post…
Michael and Bob got started cutting up a few of the pallets.
Our plan is to use the pallet wood to create some miniature bug hotels and, subject to how much wood we have left over (and it being permitted by the Westbury Arts Centre board), to build some basic pallet furniture seating for the neglected sunny corner of the garden.
We’d love to hear from you with any ideas you have for our pallet wood creations, or to help our merry band of volunteers with anything in general. Feel free to add your comments below, or contact us on our website or by emailing: [email protected]
Look forward to seeing you in the garden again soon!
