Sherborne In Bloom!

When a tidy-minded gardener sees an overgrown plot of land their first instinct is often to weed it, cut it back and keep it under control. And if that patch of ground is in a public space, for example in a car park, they will invariably complain to the council about the weeds.

But consider the consequences if that plot of land was manicured into a neat, municipal little border of bedding plants. Yes, it would look colourful and tidy. But a whole army of bees, butterflies and other wildlife would have lost their natural habitat.  Fussy, finicky gardeners can often be the worst enemies of the very creatures they should be encouraging to share their environment.

This was the philosophy of a couple of beekeepers who decided to ‘adopt-a-plot’ of ground at the far end of Sherborne Station car park and turn it into a bee garden.

Mike Pearce and Gillian Gunner galvanised a group of beekeepers and friends to clear the plot, sow it with wild white clover (which bees love and which enriches the soil) and then to plant it through the season with a range of bee-friendly plants.

Bee-friendly weeds like dandelion, bindweed, buttercups, borage, purple toadflax, rosebay willowherb, meadowsweet and more were welcome.

The garden isn’t meant to look tidy or trim or formal: it’s not designed for humans, it’s designed for bees. It breaks many of the rules of conventional gardening, but the bees and butterflies don’t care – they love it!

Sadly, Mike Pearce didn’t live long enough to see his creation in full bloom and the beekeepers decided to name the garden in his memory.

So, when you see a piece of overgrown ground don’t whinge about the weeds – why not make it into a bee garden? You’d be doing the planet a favour!