The reasons are varied - but lets just say one person can’t put up with the knock backs you get when you try and make a difference.

I will operate without report from now on in as I first intended and develop a true Guerilla Gardening ethic - stealth.

Suffice to say the wild flower plot - was murdered by Wigan Council Gardeners with deadly weedkiller if anyone would like anymore info I’m happy to provide it!

So far I haven’t had any more wild flower seeds to replace the ones murdered - so officially the project has stopped!

I’ve seen people take trees and plants (newly planted) and had the farce of council workers cutting down wild flowers.  Today I’ve noticed that almost half of the area I had designated as wild flower cultivation area for seed has been flattened by - well, people, (I assume youths) simply lying in it and flattening it all.  My first emotion was rage and despondency, my second and much more (I hope) balanced - which was, how where they supposed to know and anyway it is a public space.

This got me thinking about Environmental Ignorance and how the message about environmental concerns isn’t really getting through at grass roots level, ok we recycle more and it’s become quite hip and cool to grow your own veg.  But how much do the youth of today really care about environmental issues, wild flowers, the demise of the honey bee and the actions we can take to at least slow the whole process down.

I figure very little.  And although there’s a part of me that says hey the flattened grass at least shows the small group of trees and wild grasses is appreciated - if only to sit down comfortably.  As you eat chips out of a polystyrene carton, chuck it on the ground, forget to take your coat home and the leave litter everywhere - but appreciated for it’s comfort.  But maybe a memory could be retained in the person that did that, for them to ask sometime in the future - where the hell has all the wild areas gone?  And maybe that very person could decide to restore a little patch somewhere.

OK, all shout together - YOU’RE DELUDED!

And maybe I am, and you’re more than likely right.  So what should we do to stop it, how can we change the ways of so many, stop litter and properly educate them about the way they can make a difference.

I believe the only way we can do this is to build a youth community service right into the curriculum!  Simple solution to show young people of today that everything doesn’t just happen, there’s a cause and effect with everything we do.  Making positive community service a compulsory part of the curriculum - “you’ve not done your 100 hours this year so don’t tick that box on your list of qualifications” - type of thing. This I think would make such a difference to the environment and communities in general.  At very least it would show how your actions can have a detrimental effect in so many ways.  And I’m not talking about just the environment there’s hundreds of ways the youth of today could make a difference and make them and use proud to live where we live.

This isn’t about youth bashing, it’s about bringing about a sea change in the way we all think, outside the bubble of our houses and more into the community.  Building a community spirit rather than isolating the old from the young the families away from the singletons.  Allotments aren’t just popular because you can grow cheap and tasty veg, they are a micro community where people share the same values and goals, help each other and pass on wisdom, where the old meet with the young and one elderly lady shows a young 4 year old the right way to prick out seedlings.  That’s the real reason why allotments are popular - it’s community, valuing the energy of youth and wisdom of age and everything inbetween.

Ok I can rattle about Environmental Ignorance all I like but we won’t ever jump over that hurdle until Communities start to integrate properly.  We should harness the energy of the youth to build the communities of tomorrow.  Leave them alone at our peril because they will be the next generation of leaders and workers - and at the moment all I see is an ‘I want attitude, where celebrity is supreme, shopping centres are the new places of worship and the everyone will become famous one day mentality.   OK some may say I’m as deluded as they are, but the youth of today can become the new breed they can be proud to live real and stop living ‘their lies’ - the lies of marketing, propaganda and consumption!

What do you say?

I have a bush/tree in my garden and each year it flowers with some beautiful and quite fragrant blue flowers - I love it and it really adds a mass of colour to the garden.

BUT it attracts bees in their thousands, each year it buzzes to the sound of bees.  So much so we’ve called it the buzzy bee tree! It’s great!!

I want to encourage people to get one of these trees because if nothing else the bees really need as much help as they can get and they obviously love this tree for sure. All that said I don’t know what it’s called!!!  Like I mentioned it’s a bush/tree, stands about 6ft tall and is about 6ft wide, has beautiful clusters of tiny blue flowers on it with dark green evergreen foliage.  Once the flowering is over it produces dark almost black berries also in clusters.  Stupid thing is, I actually planted this about 8 years ago and failed to write down the name - so can anyone help?  If you know please email me using the contact form and hopefully we can promote the Buzzy Buzzy Bee Tree and give the bees a hand!

See pictures below.

Mission accomplished - thanks to some friends down in London village the plant in question is a Ceanothus or Californian Lilac!!!  Buy one now - Bees love them!!!

Now then which variety is it and does anyone have a spare bee hive - mmm hunny???

Ceanothus Dark Star??

I have received a reply from a Local Councillor who is investigating it.  Some people may find this an insignificant kind of action, but I believe it is these types of inconsistent and blind actions that smacks of disconnected councils and I believe could prove to be the tip of the iceberg in terms of ludicrous and poorly considered policies.  One minute we are told the Mineral Line is private land and the next the Council mow it?  One minute we are told we can’t have litter bins because the land is private and out of the Councils control and the next they flail down indiscriminately chopping up litter, leaving it blowing in the wind, leave a mess everywhere, kill many wild plants, cut down saplings and do a very poor job in the bargain.

As I have stated time and time again - either do a job properly with care or don’t bother.  The public grass that has been cut would have been better left to go to meadow, many commented on how great it looked before it was cut.  Then in the Autumn cut it down - bag the hay and sell it to pet shops or farmers - at very least compost it.  That’s a much more natural approach to public space maintenance.  And if not that - let’s have the job done regularly and properly and have it left presentable.

It would be a far more professional job if it was left to someone who cared and made it there business to tend it.

It’s about time, in my mind councils took notice of how the volunteering force can be assisted in making this borough a more inclusive and empowering place to live - rather than ignore the underpinning and valuable work they do.

Anyway here’s the pictures, notice the chopped up litter, and the tyre tracks down the verge next to of all things a nature reserve!!!  Don’t understand!

The last pictures shows the dead poppy heads - just ready to come into flower.  OK so they are ornamental, all the same they add a vibrant touch of colour to a track that needs much more tlc than I can provide.  Pic4 shows the ‘beautiful’ chopped up litter - how many bin loads of litter have I picked over the last year or so? - erm at least 9 blue bins full!!  Pic 3 shows the nature reserve and the tyre tracks left by the mower.

More’s the point as I live so close I watched the operatives attitude as they did the job - slap dash and get it done quick was most certainly the aire they had and they hurtled up and down.  Should I have challenged them? I doubt I would have received a fair hearing really.

OK nothing I can do about that now, sad though it is but nature has an uncanny way of eating this stuff for dinner - all this said I really think it’s about time that something more positive was done to develop community spirit and give people a vent to build something together.  It’s all very well and good one renegade making the TV for his work as a Guerilla Gardener but it’s not the type of thing your average person wants to be involved with.  It would be superb if Standish developed a proper community garden, get the schools involved, the older people and the kids, get them to grow community veg and get close to nature.  There’s a massive move towards allotments again what better way to bind a community than for us all to share the fruits (and veg) of our labour.

Take a look at this site - just one I found in Islington - it’s cool, really cool.

Onwards!

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?

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

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

With the kind assistance of many, the pathway is now ready to be used by the communities of Standish and Shevington Moor a like.

Some may say I was the inspiration for this project to be completed - but to be fair I was only the initial catalyst.  Many had dreams of making this happen for many many years, all I did was dedicate manpower and a sure foot in the right direction to make my own personal community project dream come true.

Now with the path resurfaced in sandstone from top to toe and 1 kilo of wild flower seeds already sprouting the Standish Line can be enjoyed by many thousands of people over the coming years.

But…

In my mind this is just the start, we can all be Guerilla Gardeners, we can propagate a shrub, buy a new plant or scatter a few seeds to help make the Line not only a practical path but a beautiful path!  One which could become an oasis of flora and fauna a like.  Indeed we can all pick up a little litter as we meander our way.

In the past 12 months I have seen an increased incidence of butterflies, bees, frogs and indeed wildflower all down to encouraging the habitiat to grow.

So why not do your bit now - plant a tree, shrub or even spread some seeds.  And if you can’t do that why not give a donation large or small to the Standish Community Forum one things for sure they do a great job and obviously help make a difference.  The Community Forum are always looking for volunteers and forum members - it’s your forum so why not use it!  Meetings are held at Standish Community Centre every month.

And on a final note if anyone does want to join me in keeping things tidy and encouraging wild life - then drop me a line, you can do it on your own but if you would like a bit of direction get in touch.

When the Romans came to England if during there first summer they’d have experienced the weather we have had over the last few months they would have issued one order - GO HOME!!!

I visited the bottom of the track today to see a few desconsolate blokes sat having lunch in what could only be described as a mud bath. The rain we have had over night has flooded all that they did yesterday and made the job a whole bunch harder. The decision has was taken though to work with the water problem and lay a 5ft track through the middle, that way the water would be able to run off and the centre section remain dry.

So with a broken bike now with a buttled wheel due to sinking in a rather deep muddy puddle (I know I don’t have much luck with bikes!!) I returned to show everyone the pictures of a rather sorry, wet and muddy Standish Line.

So tomorrow 200 tones of Sandstone arrive and away we go - more pictures and a perfect path over the next few days!!

Watch this space.