The flower bed started as a result of reading a quote in a magazine, something along the lines of if bees disappear from the surface of the earth, mankind would have no more than four years to live.

Shadwell in Bloom supported the idea of a raised bed dedicated to successive flowering of pollen-rich and insect friendly wild flowers that provide a regular and reliable food source for birds and bees.

In the first year (2011), Sue Fallon planted an assortment of seeds including Field Scabious, Cornflowers, Oxeye Daisy, Borage, Nasturtium, Marigolds, Poppies, Sweet Peas, Fennel, Nigella, Cosmos, Red Campion, Aquilegia, Musk Mallow and Forget-me-not. Each year after flowering she has collected and dried the seed heads and replanted in Spring. The plant thrive.

From 2018 the groups in the bed seemed even taller and were again a real show.

Sue has started the 2021 planting during March and reports below with some information:

For anyone of your ‘Shadwell in Bloomers’ that may be interested the seeds I plan to sow in the wild flower bed - Colliers Lane this year are:

Hollyhock - Thompson and Morgan

Larkspur - Thompson and Morgan

Ox Eye Daisy - Mr Fothergills

Ridolfia ‘Goldspray’ - Sarah Raven

Poppy ‘Falling in Love’- Sarah Raven

Bee Attracting Garden - seed scatter collection Tesco £3!

Not exactly being Monty Don’s ‘right hand woman’ my methods have no logic only madness! Basically each year I pick a few packets of wild / ‘wild looking’ flowers that I like the look of and see how it goes. Hope this confession will not get me drummed out of SIB! What also seems to happen is that Marigolds and Nigella self-seed so they should appear as well, which always look jolly and bright.

Apologies if this is not very ‘horticultural’ but it gives me a lot of joy and hopefully does the folk who pass by.

Yours in the love of gardening

Sue xx

Sue is of course also well known for her front garden- including the apples tantalisingly displayed.