Wild and Cultivated

I don't expect everyone to agree with my being less than happy with the daffodils growing near the bench below Lenny Hill. Who could possibly be less than enchanted? The problem is - and it's a growing phenomenon- people are increasingly planting bulbs in wild areas that do not fit in with the character of the place. These flowers are anyway double bloomed daffodils, quite different to the wild daffodils that captured the imagination of Wordsworth.

I find I agree with Natural England's website on this. The cultivars can be magnificent in gardens and parks but, for me, not here. The thing is that there is so much beauty around here at the moment, quiet beauty and informal, that demands close attention; and we can miss it by being overwhelmed by large and showy introductions.

At this time of year the pushy more invasive native plants are slow at getting started while the more delicate species have their chance and these are responsible for superb cameo 'arrangements' where numbers of different plants achieve a temporary balance. You do sometimes have to bend down to appreciate them best.