Wild flower patch

Sock it to 'em ethel!

I live in an ex council house and have a very small wild 'area', I have always planted to encourage wildlife but how do you convince neighbours that my garden is not just a mess.

My next door neighbour always asks when Im going to 'tidy up' my garden, those at the back said it was like a forest. Several people have said what a disgrace my trees are.

In an area that has neat lawns with borders (sooo boring), no hedges,no wildlife areas at all, I feel like I need my privacy and my wild garden.
I cultivate my plants, I feed, weed and deadhead like any gardener but because I have some of my garden wild the neighbours only see the 'wild' bit. I would live in a field if it were possible but in reality I have to put up with ignorant people who don't see beauty in wild flowers.

If anyone is planning a trip to Trentham Gardens soon there is lovely wild flower meadow that will hopefully flower until the Autumn. It has been planted as part of the restoration programme. Sadly I don't know how to do a link but there is more information on the Trentham Gardens website, Estate Restoration project.

I had the housing officer here yesterday and she told me that because my back garden has long grass in it (not really overgrown, just long grass), then I have to sort it out and get it cut. Firstly I told her I am not paying out any more money on this house until I am a permanent tenant and secondly, I wanted to convert it into a wildflower garden for the environment.

She is about early 20's and so thinks in a different way. But it takes all sorts to make a world and she should have been a bit more accommodating seeing as the garden is not overlooked by anyone and she could only notice it because she was standing in my living room. From the front or back, she would have been none the wiser.

Autumn crocus

It depends where you are but up north sweet rocket and phlox haven't flowered . Meadow sweet is wild and I haven't seen it in flower yet

Today's view of above patch.

Yesterday I removed the dead aquilegia and ox eye daisies from the rubbly wild patch in the car park where I live. So far there has been a succession of attractive flowers, but currently it is in a sorry state. All that remain are some straggly rose, perennial wallflower, mallow and border geranium plants.
Can anyone suggest some seeds/plants that I can introduce to give colour from now onwards?

Yes, ga it was along there, it really lifted the area.

Lona - one of my brother's has just emailed me a photo of lovely wildflowers in place of a grass verge at Mersey Bank on Princess Parkway, I wonder if it's what you're describing?

I so agree with you Elred - about most of us being somewhere on the spectrum.

Red poppies and blue cornflowers make such a lovely combination. It's good to see these wild flower patches springing up everywhere.

Just realised - just left thread about children's names to do housework but strayed onto here instead. Definitely a morning for herbs!
Love the Autistic Gardener, as intended, it's a refreshing change from the usual makeovers and a real showcase for the talents and strengths of people who are marching to a different drum. I reckon many of us are somewhere on the spectrum anyway.

Oh dear, found wild borage in urban setting, took it to daughter to put in Pimms, somehow she tasted it, I hadn't. It was then known as NOrage until at a flower show we learned it was indeed alkanet.
Who knew? Pretty, innocent vetch has vicious needlesharp seed pods as my son discovered when mowing my overgrown lawn.
Lovely wildflower patch near a big hospital, calms the worries on the way in!

There's a beautiful wild flower sward in the centre of a dual carriageway, on the way into Manchester, which I saw yesterday. Full of red poppies and blue cornflowers, absolutely gorgeous.

I went to a Herbalist during the menopause. Not sure if it worked but it was nice talking to her and watching her make up the concoctions.

I once made myself some Yarrow tea (it was growing in the garden) and had terrible diarrhea next day. The dangers of self medicating.

I used to drink a lot of Chamomile tea and took Evening Primrose Oil during the menopause. Again - not sure if they worked really but as my OH used to say what would you be like if you didn't take them.

all edible though. but watchout for quantities ;) I often make Taboulé (couscous or cracked wheat salad) and the borage flowers with marigolds make it look so beautiful. Comfrey is great for making fritters- with goats cheese inside, it's fantastic (and of course all are good compost accelerators). The flowers of alkanet are just like large forget me nots, or brunera.

Highlights the dangers of self-medicating with herbs anno - if they do have a useful effect in some way they may well be toxic in the wrong one.

If When it stops raining I'll pop out and examine the petals and pull one up to see what kind of rooting system it has.

Alkanet has rounded blue petals, Borage has pointy petals - like a blue star. Borage does have a tap root, so not great for transplanting, not that one would need to so as it self seeds v. easily.

My ex heard that borage was good for treating catarrh - the stronger the brew the better, or so he thought. However, what he discovered was that, at that concentration, it was also an excellent emetic.

Borage is Borago officinalis, alkanet is Pentaglottis sempervirens. Both are members of the Boraginaceae family. I get comfrey and borage mixed up.

So my borage IS borage.

not shouting

No, it's not borage. the roots are the giveaway. In clay soil, alkanet is an absolute thug as you can't pull up the whole root, which is a bit like a long thin parsnip. In light soil it's far easier. Borage has a normal spread of fine roots, so is much easier to get rid of.