It was great to volunteer on the Plantlife stand!
Alison Craig – Membership Manager on the Plantlife Stand at the show.
Alison Craig – Membership Manager – gives her advice to some of the wild plant enthusiasts on the stand.
Alison was looking to enlist some new members. The eye-catching exhibit of wildflowers and wild plants was created by Andy Byfield – Plantlife’s founder. He gave lots of technical advice to the enquirers. It was amazing how many wild plant enthusiasts there were! I really relished talking to some of them and discussing our vanishing wild plants and the availability of wildflower seeds. Many of them were so well- informed and obviously follow what Plantlife does in the world of wild plant conservation.A great show and a pleasure to help out on the stand.
Plantlife state that 95% of wild plants have already been lost and we need to conserve as many wildflowers and wild plants as we can. Planting your own wildflower meadow is one way to create a haven for wildlife especially bees and birds and to ensure that wildflower meadows are not a thing of the past. Use native plants to your area where you can. Plantlife ask you not to introduce commercially grown seeds into the wild especially if they are non-native to the UK but you can use them in your garden. Plant perennials and add annuals each year for more colour. It may take a few years to create a natural looking habitat and a spectacular wildflower meadow display. There are some shortcuts you can take. Call or e-mail and ask for advice if you are unsure about whether the plant is native and where it grows best. We will be happy to give you the advice.
For Plantlife new members go to: http://plantlife.org.uk
Andy Byfield writes about wild plants for the Guardian Gardening Section http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog
