Flowers, House Sparrows and Horseflies!

It is one of those things that is just done isn't it? Be it a vase of flowers in a hotel reception, on a table in a restaurant or, in our case, a vase welcoming our guests on arrival. I always have had a love of flowers and over the years and my passion for growing them has grown over the years. My first garden was a very sheltered garden of my town house in Bude where I felt I could almost plant whatever I wanted to grow. However, since moving to Widemouth Bay in 2016 I have been somewhat challenged by the remarkably different growing conditions here and it sort of knocked me back as whatever I seemed to grow wouldn't survive. We are often battered by very strong winds (if you know you know!) and salty air not only in the Winter but often in the Summer as well just when everything is green and flowering. Most recently the strong winds battered my Achillea and I see the Cosmos have also struggled with the wind. I am slowly learning to work with the conditions and rather than trying to plant what I want I am instead adapting to planting what the garden wants. It is still a learning curve but working with the garden and the conditions rather than fighting it is showing rewards for us, our guests and nature.

A newly created raised brick edged bed (see photo) in a delightful sheltered spot saw me reaching for the packets of out of date Zinnias I bought many years ago when getting over excited when buying seeds on Sarah Raven's website. I never found a suitable location to plant them and there they sat in my seed box until this year. With a 'sow by' date of 2022 I didn't hold out much hope of them germinating but to my surprise they all did. They are now flourishing and brighten up my day when I first step out into the garden. Some may say it is a shame to cut flowers from the garden (my dad would!), but which is more of a shame - buying flowers from a supermarket that have most likely been flown many miles or at the very least been driven miles? Or picking them and walking a few steps to pop them in the barns for our guests to share the joy of them? In my mind reduced air miles is a definite positive and means we as a business can do our tiny little bit to help the environment.

What I have also noticed this year, having planted a lot more wildflowers and grasses earlier this year, is the abundance of birds, insects and wildlife generally. I read an RSPB article only yesterday saying House Sparrows were added to the Red List in 2002 having dropped in numbers by 60% in the last 45 years with almost 30 million having vanished from the UK since 1970. I am pleased to say we have seen a significant increase in House Sparrows which I believe is down to the increased food availability (insects) in our garden this year. We have also been blessed this year with Red Kites flying over us along with a Spotted Woodpecker who has taken to an old dead tree in search of a meal - another reason to not clean up and remove all things that we might think are unsightly or untidy.

On a less positive note the last month has seen the return of the Horsefly. Those of you that know me will know I suffer from a reaction from a Horsefly bite. I am often heard asking Guy - 'Have you seen any Horseflies yet?' My first 'meeting' with a Horsefly this year was June 16th whilst cutting the grass. It wasn't a pleasant meeting and I have now invested in denim dungarees so if you see me wondering around in the heat with these on then you know why! I have also taken to hanging the washing out wrapped in my dressing gown over my clothes to avoid getting bitten - not a great look but one hopefully no one will see! I am sure Horseflies have a reason to exist, like fleas, ticks and mosquitos, but I am afraid that I struggle to accept their existence as they really hinder my enjoyment of gardening in the months they are active.

So, Zinnias will be definitely be on my seed shopping list for next year and my browsing for flower seeds over the Winter will be viewed with an eye to what should grow in the garden given the conditions rather than 'oh they look pretty'. No doubt Horseflies will be there next year as well despite them not being on my shopping list!