 
Stonecrop in the CityWednesday 7th June 2000
 
 EVEN HARD LANDSCAPING, like the pebbles set in concrete at the side of the Ings Road roundabout in Wakefield, is eventually softened as plant life moves in. Cushion moss has colonised the little valleys between the pebbles and now Stonecrop is well established. With its waxy succulent leaves it is well adapted to this urban desert.
|
A Mistle Thrush feeds its fledgling chick on the grass by a block of flats in the centre of town.
On our patio the old plant box is on its last legs. I made it from timber recycled from an old bed. It soldiered on for another season thanks to a quick coat of garden paint last year, but now its falling to pieces. As we dismantle it spiders and woodlice run for cover and we uncover two Frogs that have made themselves at home beneath the crumbling slats of the base.
After the rain, a pool of water no bigger than the average back garden has reappeared in the middle of a wheat field between the canal and the river. But it's big enough to attract a Heron, which wades across this temporary paddling pool.