Dragonfly Garden Designs

Warm weather + April showers = WEEDS!🌱

Weeds often show up for a reason – they can be indicators of compacted soil, poor drainage, or imbalances in nutrients. And while they might not always be welcome, some do bring benefits: attracting pollinators, protecting bare soil from erosion, and even helping to improve soil structure over time.

That said, not everyone wants to share space with dandelions or bindweed, and it can be tempting to reach for a quick fix – whether that’s a chemical weedkiller or a homemade remedy from the kitchen. But it’s widely accepted that using these – especially around children, pets, and wildlife – isn’t the safest or most sensible option.

Even natural mixes like salt and vinegar can harm more than just weeds. If it kills plants, it also harms the living things that keep soil healthy – like worms, fungi, and microbes. So while it might seem like a gentler solution, it can do more long-term damage than good.

The best long-term, wildlife-friendly solutions are still the low-tech ones:
• Pulling weeds out by the roots – yes, it takes time, but it’s highly effective.
• Smothering them with cardboard – a great way to block light and weaken weeds over time while feeding the soil as the cardboard breaks down. Just make sure not to use plastic sheeting or membrane, which can suffocate soil life and create long-term waste.

Let’s keep working with nature, not against it – and help our neighbourhood gardens and verges stay healthy, safe, and full of life.

⸻com

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/may/21/a-chelsea-flower-show-garden-designed-by-darren-hawkes-for-our-darkest-days?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter =1684676554

A Chelsea garden for our darkest days Darren Hawkes, garden designer and Samaritans helpline volunteer, has created a space full of empathy at the Chelsea Flower Show. By Donna Ferguson

I’m excited to see this at Chelsea this week🤩🐝

Happy ! Ever wondered what really happens inside a beehive? 🐝

Beezantium, The Newt in Somerset’s multi-sensory honeycomb at , offers a fascinating insight into the life of the bee and the role it plays in our ecosystems.

Designed to provide a sense of the world around us from the bee’s perspective, Beezantium explores how a colony shares information, reveals the art of the ‘waggle dance’, and explains how and why bees create wax, and the importance of honey production 🍯

Discover Beezantium at RHS Chelsea Flower Show from 23-27 May!