Since mentioning in my last blog this government’s allowing lowering of food standards (since break with EU) meaning such awful stuff as chlorinated (and diseased) chicken about to be made available for sale from non European countries (such as USA) I’d like to redress the balance a bit…
Despite our Govt’s deliberate failure to protect our food standards and our countryside (with #HS2 and many awful “developments” destroying precious green spaces unnecessarily for housing) and despite big “pharma” business holding sway here as well as overseas – well despite all of that there is a huge groundswell I’m aware of (and I hope you’re aware of too) here and across the pond with many dedicated farmers practising sustainable and wildlife friendly farming agroforestry (without getting subsidies), cooperatives producing organically produced food and gardeners gardening organically too.
Am not sure if these forces pitted together – ‘us against them’ would ever mean big business or corrupt governance can ever be totally beaten – but the good fact is that this green, climate change combatting carbon footprint reducing and wildlife friendly movement is happening anyway…
Even tho in other places wildfires rage, rainforests are being torn down and million year old species are being made extinct – by humans. (Got to wonder if humans won’t make ourselves extinct at the rate we’re going?)
Still right now gardeners have a choice and can choose #peatfree compost reducing their carbon footprint (battling big businesses here and in Ireland which will surely lobby for the complete ban to be delayed) Only consumer forces will help win this battle. So it’s a useful one to join.
Not only can we choose this with help from @dogwooddays_nic ‘s wonderful #peatfree nursery list https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1X5D6mm_BDQrNqiUv2-BcWSKZPzALwBHq&usp=sharing
But also by choosing organically produced (and plastic free!) plants!
Not from many commercial, royal or even privately run garden centres though, as I’ve discovered to my cost. Even reputable companies “doing what they can” are condoning undeclared use of fungicides and pesticides which mean the #beefriendly plants are no such thing at all. They could be killing off insect biodiversity.
Now this is a bit of a blow – especially this very week having been tempted back to those very local garden centres instead of ordering peatfree etc online….Ouch.
One promised that it doesn’t use chemicals and does it’s only propagation totally insecticide and fungicide free (just not completely peatfree).
I can explain – having been lucky enough to get to see Sissinghurst (famous and truly fabulous White Garden, even in the gloom)
And Great Dixter nearby – truly organic with its fantastic nursery: and
Had to come home by train so was not able to bring beautifully propagated plants from there. I got desperate to see and buy! More colour and buddleias for my garden after seeing those colourful beautiful places. But there are no peatfree nurseries near me here … I could have ordered online, and Great Dixter has a catalogue… but didn’t and in a moment of weakness thereby failed! I do hope my #wildgarden and the insect populations there won’t suffer. You can’t be too careful!
But you can do better than me!
Here is the research into “bee friendly” flowers by Sussex Uni Prof Dave Goulson http://www.sussex.ac.uk/lifesci/goulsonlab/blog/bee-friendly-flowers
annie's wildlife gardening 