Discuss Plant Growing

Alright, I have a question that's been 'bugging' me for ages.... (hehe) Are wasps as important as bees for pollinating? I mean, we all give wasps a bad name, but are they actually super cool doods and I've been missing something all along, should I love them as much as bees? Big love x

We don't usually think of roses as edible flowers, but the plant can be used in many culinary ways: you can use the rosehips as a source of vitamin C or make rosewater from the flowers. Another great recipe is rose petal jelly. Ingredients • 10 large rose flowers, fully opened. • 1l. water • Juice of half a lemon • 750 grams jelly sugar (with added pectin) for each liter of liquid • Rosewater (optional) Recipe • Carefully remove the rose petals and give them a quick rinse if needed • Add the petals to a large pan and top with the water and lemon juice (the lemon juice makes sure your jelly has a nice, pink color. If you're using white roses, you can leave it out). • Bring slowly to a boil and strain the rose liquid. For each liter of strained liquid, add 750 grams of pectine sugar. • Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. • Add rose water to taste (optional) • Bring to a boil and leave to boil for about 5 minutes. • Pour into clean jam pots and seal to cool. Make sure you are certain the roses are pesticide-free. Don't use any roses from a florist or when you don't know how they have been grown. You can check if the jelly will set using a quick trick: place a saucer in the fridge for ten minutes. Spoon a teaspoon of the boiling liquid onto the cold saucer and wait a couple of minutes. When you can draw little lines in the jelly without it flowing back into its' shape, it is ready. The jelly tastes sweet and floral and is ideal on top of pancakes, ice creams or in teas and yoghurt. Bon appétit!

The decline of biodiversity isn't just a problem of burnt-down rainforest or destroyed coral. It is a problem that hits much closer to home as well. In Europe, only 23% of all species and a mere 16% of all habitats is considered to be 'doing well'. Another depressing example is the loss of 97% of wildflower meadows since world war two in the UK alone. The main causes are fragmentation of habitats, climate change and unsustainable agriculture. Yet, there is a glimmer of hope and good news and it can be found in the most unsuspected of places: the city. Imagine a bird's eye view of a city: a jigsaw of housing, gardens, streets, parks, motorways, rivers and canals. You can say much about the city, but you can't accuse it of being boring or monotonous. Now, think of that same jigsaw and imagine it to be a large, biodiverse quilt. While the countryside is dominated by monocultural planting, our front and back gardens are being planted with a vast selection of plants, most of them with pretty blooms or interesting features, for our own amusement. Add large trees and shrubs to that mix as parks come into the equation. Unkempt areas of long grass and nettles, often near motorways, are a treasure trove for biodiversity. And all that served much closer to each other than the long strips of agriculture will ever offer. Cities have become the epicenter of a more ecological approach in the last few years: bans on pesticides and herbicides, no mow-movements, urban beekeepers, cleaner water, ... Even the (often warmer) microclimate cities have and the abundance of food (natural and man-made) have helped the return of many species to our urban centers. Fox, pine marten, beaver, even wild boar seem to have booked their city trip these days. I often hear people sigh 'I don't have the space to grow vegetables' or 'I can't do flowers on my balcony' , but I tend to disagree; everyone can grow, no matter how small the space. Because even a single lavender plant in an empty bean tin will attract pollinators. Even a shallow bowl of water left out on a balcony will attract wildlife. So let's start planting up our cities, after all, it's where we live as well! Rethink our lawns, our front and back gardens. Plant some flowers in an old bucket or grow some herbs on your balcony. Why not look into the possibility of a green roof or apply for an allotment? Get growing and remember: no matter how small the space you grow in, you become a valuable part of this biodiverse urban quilt.