This year, for various reasons, we have done almost no gardening. The garden is full of wildflowers. Wild, as in wild and out of control. More...

Most spectacular are the seven foot high stands of Common Ragwort, Senecio jacobaea. Like most people, I grew up with the belief that Ragwort is so toxic if you look at it you will die. It isn't, although I wouldn't want to eat a whole plateful. The Ragwort is a joy, constantly buzzing with insects around the clock - a couple of nights ago after dark I counted 12 species of micromoth on it in under an hour. A family of hedgehogs has moved in, returning to our garden after a 25 year absence.

What do you think - is wildlife gardening neatly manicured with the addition of a few nectar sources, or is it leaving nature alone to do what it wants - as in wild and out of control?

AJC