August 2018

At last back to more familiar British weather!

I’m so relieved that everything has perked up with this recent rain and cooler temperatures. No matter how much you water with a hose pipe there’s nothing quite the same as natural rain to make plants thrive.

The brown crispy grass on the amphitheatre has amazingly come back to life and is looking quite lush and green again and shrubs that have been struggling over the summer look much happier. I think this rain has been the difference between life and death for some of our plants at Loftus.

The pond water level did drop with the drought but it is full again now and I’m really pleased with how clear the water has become as it indicates a good nutrient balance and healthy ecosystem with in. This is mainly due to the oxygenating weed doing its job and the water lilies spreading over the surface also helps by blocking out sunlight that encourages algae. Their pretty white flowers are an added bonus but not everything is about looks in a wildlife garden. The long grass around the edge of the pond has been deliberately left to its own devices as it provides a home for insects, frogs and other small creatures. This may look a bit scruffy to the eye but from a habitat point of view its paradise and if you take a closer look you will see what I mean. It is humming with life.

It’s lovely to see some of the children taking an interest and I’ve seen them wandering around in a gang  bug hunting. There was a lot of excitement yesterday when they found a grass hopper and even more when Paul and I showed them a baby frog and gave them a slimy pond snail to hold.

This interaction with nature is exactly what a garden village is all about. Bringing the country side into the city gives urban dwellers a chance to experience some of the wonders of the natural world they might otherwise miss out on.