KEMPSHOTT CONSERVATION GROUP
Seed collection………..
Tis the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness…… and seed collecting, which is now in full swing and a very important part of the conservation process. By taking wild flower seed from key sites with, of course, the owners’ permission, we can build up a store of seed of known provenance. It is vital to know where any wild flower seed comes from as some commercial suppliers sell seed imported from elsewhere in Europe or, in some cases, North America. By collecting it ourselves we can be certain of its origin.
We have already paid one visit to the Butterfly Conservation Trust’s site at Magdalen Hill Down, just outside Winchester. On 16th August, a party of fourteen of all ages drawn from both ourselves and the Old Down & Beggarwood Wildlife Group had a very productive afternoon collecting seed from spring flowers. Weather permitting, we will continue to collect seed from our own conservation sites throughout September and perhaps beyond.
The seed is being processed by our team of three ladies and, in due course, it will be distributed amongst members of the Basingstoke Conservation Network. If you can spare an occasional hour to help with this very sociable task, please contact Marion Wolstencroft on the phone number below.
……and plug plants
Last spring, our sister group at Old Down experimented with growing on and planting wild flower plugs. This is a more reliable method of germinating seed than scattering it on the ground and is something we would like to try ourselves. We do, however, need some help. We will make seed and cultivation instructions available to any gardeners who would like to germinate and grow on the more interesting perennials we have collected, such as Clustered Bell Flower, Solomon’s Seal, etc. All it requires is a modest area of patio, or a patch of bare soil in which to bury seed trays. Once the seed has germinated, we would collect the trays and plant out the plugs next spring. This is really a practical arrangement only for those flowers where we have been able to collect just a small amount of seed.
We also have a large amount of seed of the more common wild flowers. Would you like to sow and grow on any of these for your own garden? Later this month, we will publish a list of what is available on our page of the Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council’s website. Go to the website and search on “Kempshott Conservation Group”.
If you are interested in taking us up on either of these activities please give Marion Wolstencroft a call.
Group contact
Marion Wolstencroft: (01256) 470171
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