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Through the eye of the oxeye daisies

16/6/2020

In his book "The Seventh Sense: Power, Fortune, and Survival in the Age of Networks.", Joshua Ramos
talks about a seventh sense, “the ability to look at any object and see the way in which it is changed by connection.” This sense is entirely dependent on our ability to see through our imagination. I find the idea of imagination as a sense to help us transform the objects and materials in the world around us really exciting. Perhaps also the seventh sense that JR refers to is also "the ability to see the world as any object sees and experiences it."riences it and see the way in which we are changed by connection.”
I think my garden videos are about me trying to see the world from the persepctive of the living things that are my subject. In thelast few weeks we have been blown away by tye beauty and grace of the oxeye daisies that weem to sprout from the lawn if I do not cut it.

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Celebrating daisy's

3/6/2020

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The most prolific and modest flower in our garden is the daisy. At any one time during the spring and summer months there are tens of thousands of them on the lawn. They are also the most resilient flower. If I cut the grass and chop off the flower heads within a few days they are back again in abundance.

The name 'daisy' is thought to come from the Old English 'daes eag' which is thought to mean 'day's eye', after the way in which it opens at dawn. A daisy is actually two flowers in one. The (usually) white petals count as one flower and the cluster of (usually) tiny yellow disc petals that form the 'eye' is technically another. Ox-eye daisy is found in meadows and moderately grazed pastures as well as waste ground, railway banks and road verges. It prefers, but is by no means restricted to, well drained, neutral to base rich soils but is absent from wet sites. This daisy is limited in its capacity for vegetative spread and so is reliant on seed for regeneration. Whilst it has the capacity to produce many seeds, which can remain viable in the soil for many years, regeneration from seed does require openings in the sward if its seedlings are to be successful. Oxeye daisy readily colonises open and disturbed ground from seed as a pioneer species, but over the long term only persists in established closed vegetation on sites where potentially more dominant species are kept in check either through lack of soil fertility, or following disturbance such as hay cutting and moderate grazing. The open flower heads of Ox-eye daisy attract a large range of pollinating insects particularly bees, butterflies and hoverflies.

Apparently daisy leaves are edible (they're closely related to artichoke and are high in Vitamin C). They have lots of medicinal properties in homeopathy, they known as the are known for their ability to ease an aching back. They thrive in generally inhospitable conditions and are resistant to most bugs and pesticides.

I don’t cut the grass at the edge of the lake from the end of April to the end of June and it allows the Ox-eye daisy’s to grow to about a foot. They look fantastic as they bow in the wind. It makes me want to lie down amongst them and see the world from their perspective.

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Garden Notes
My garden keeps me busy and gives me the exercise I need to keep fit, although it does damage me from time to time. But more than anything else it gives me pleasure, happiness and a sense of belonging and of doing something useful and worthwhile. It enables me to express myself creatively and draws my attention to the beauty and ecology of life. In this blog I am telling the story of my garden and my involvement and experiences in it through my writing and the photos, movies, music, paintings and other artefacts - it inspires me to create. I know that one day soon I will not be the custodian of this beautiful landscape we call our home. I must make the most of it now and preserve its presence in my memory knowing that it will carry on long after I am gone and that someone else will care for it and call it their home.

Useful Links
Wildlife Garden Forum
Surrey Wildlife Trust
Habitat Network
Plant Identification UK

Through the eye of the oxeye daisies

Celebrating daisy's

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