Standish Guerilla Gardeners

Sometimes you get to the stage where you feel like packing it all in.  Why?  Because something happens where you say why bother?

I’ve been walking the line each morning looking for the first signs of wild flowers growing - I saw some signs yipee.  Some colour to the verge, some beautiful grasses with long slender feathery flowers  where looking wonderful.

Then one sunny June morning some idiots turn up employed by Wigan Council and drive up and down on a sit on monster of a gas guzzling mower and rolled over the lot!!  And this is on a part of the borough that they don’t own!!! Hey what on earth is going on!  We don’t own it, can’t put bins on it but we’ll roll all over it with a massive mower!!  I wouldn’t care if they did a good job they where environmental thugs!!!  Tufts of grass left all over the place, no cuttings removed or mulched, mowed over small fir trees and almost all of the verge leaving dirty great big tire tracks all the way along The Line.

I’ve asked this question so many times why oh why can’t people like me receive some form of subsidy to properly take care of these areas of what could be outstanding natural beauty.  All this just at the time when insects and pollinators are needing good habitats to thrive in.

Why do I do it because not many other people care!!!

Any answers anyone?

Hiya to everyone who’s visited the site in the last 12 months it’s had 1,500 visits from all round the globe (I’ve posted my Google Analytics map on the right) - strange really I only started this as a personal “because I can type thing”.  Then the next thing you know I’m on TV, in magazines, the newspapers not to mention picking up the Community Environment last year award.

Anyway I’ve not posted for some time and thought I’d better fill people in on what’s been happening.

Well not a lot of gardening sadly just a lot of litter picking trying to keep the rubbish at bay.  Main problem, Subway wrappers dropped by some of the Standish High School children as they eat their breakfast sub on the way to school - grrr get’s on my nerves, and the powers that be at Standish High School never reply to emails which is even more annoying.

However I have a new little volunteer on the litter picking front, my 5 year old girl, she’s got her own litter picking device and seems to revel in tidying the place up.  We have been given an industrial size blue wheelie bin to collect in - which we fill at least once a month.

There is plenty signs of growth now from both the wild flower seeds and indeed the trees we planted last year, we lost about 6 tree out of 20 which is really good.  So everything in the garden is rosy so to speak.

So what’s next?

Hmm I’ve decided to plant random food type plants along the path, I have raspberry canes to go in, I planted a plum tree in the winter and intend to buy some apple and pear trees to plant up and down - and plant donations would be great, esp productive edible plants.

I’ve got to thinking that it’s all very well and good planting trees and tidying the place up - great, and it seems that so many people enjoy it, but why not make the land more productive?  So that’s what I’m going to do next, plant food! - but keep it quiet I don’t want a big song and dance made about it this time, let’s face it I haven’t done anything that amazing.

I have to say though I am looking forward to Google updating the maps for this area - then I’ll be able to see the brand new sand stone path running the full mile from the top of Standish to the bottom.

As soon as we see signs of wildflowers along the path I’ll post some pictures.

Happy gardening, guerilla or otherwise.

Dx

OK - I own up it was me on the BBC so a while but it wasn’t me who puled the plug on the audio!!

One interesting thing is that they approached me, so for anyone who is thinking of doing a bit just do it as Nike would say!

Sooner rather than later someone will take note and appreciate your efforts it just seems that for some bizzare reason I have more people than I ever imagined taking note and appreciating it.

Anyway on a good news front I am being given my own wheelie bin so I can litter pick along the full mile stretch - donated by Wigan Council.  To be fair to Wigan Council they do have there hands tied somewhat with this path simply because of the fact that it isn’t a recongnised and legal footpath so can’t really do anything.  So the donation of a wheelie bin is wicked - rest assured it’s a bigger deal than most would imagine and better than a wheel barrow for picking litter.

And some more good news  I have seedlins coming up already - which is normal for wild flower seeds, they all seems to have taken quite nicely so hopefully next year there will be a bountiful amount of wildflowers.

And finally - the path has been battered with rain since it was laid but I can report that it has remained passable and relatively puddle free - more importantly it drains really really well.

BTW those who want to see the complete story that was aired on North West Tonight you can watch it again at - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7605282.stm 

TTFN

Dave