I was horrified to look out my window on Sunday and see my neighbour pruning back a huge Lilac Tree which was just coming into full bloom.

Do people really not know that they shouldn't cut down plants when they are flowering? Not only does it starve the butterflies and bees etc. of vital nectar and pollen needed to survive but also that the flowering period is the best period as far a looking at goes.

I am astonished that people do not know even this basic fact and it annoys me that this guy only goes out in his garden once in the year and he chooses now to start hacking away at stuff.

It now just lies there on the ground and will probably stay there for the next 6 months until he works out how to put it in the wrong bin.

I would say something to him but what's the point, the damage is already done.

I have seen this time and time again and so I can believe that people really don't understand this basic stuff.

The guy next door to me did exactly the same thing last year. He went out in the garden, I think once in the whole year (but his wife had been out to mow the lawn a few times) just as his buddleia went into full flower, and he chopped half of it down.

The birds, bees and butterflies went hungry that month I can tell you. But not only that, we (his neighbours) were all denied the beauty of this glorious tree (it’s that big) in its full bloom and were instead left to admire his sad handy-work with the uneven cutting and broken limbs (the tree’s not his) hanging there slowly dieing, turning brown.

My heart races every time I see him out there now (which is very rarely). This year I will step in and give him some friendly, neighbourly advise.

You should too - I am sure they don't mean it, they probably think "that's what you do". If you mention to your neighbour that the butterflies rely on these plants to stay alive then perhaps he might be enlightened.

It is worth a try.

This is par for the course I'm afraid

I'm with you on this

It would be helpful if the council put leaflets through peoples doors explaining this sort of thing and also encouraging people not to rip out their gardens to put in a concrete garden. Or at least leaving some of the front for some shrubs/flowers etc. This might help with all the problems they are having with flooding.
Maybe even have a government broadcast like they used to have years ago. What ever happened to the green-cross code man or that fellow who used to tell you to turn off your fog lights in the rain?

Oh dear. This sounds a bit like the sort of thing I would do.



I know this is gonna sound a bit thick but I had never really thought about the flowers being nectar for bee's. I know it is and always have since school but it still didn't really occur to me not to cut things down when they are flowering. I probably wouldn't because I like looking at flowers but I don't suppose I am the only one who doesn't always think things through before doing them. I just wait for the nice weather and then go and do things out in the garden that look like they need doing.
I am not at all 'green fingered' so it's mostly guess work.
I promise to be more thoughtful in the future.

I suppose if you know about these things you just take it for granted that every body knows.
 I have seen a school on an allotment near where I live in West Harrow. I think the way to educate everyone in all things green would be to start at school level and get them involved as early as possible.
 I am sure we learned these things in biology when I was at school. Perhaps they have just stopped teaching it.