Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
1st June 2024
Flamin’ June
Hello June. ‘Flaming June’, by tradition. In work, most of the weather conditions are preceded by the word ‘flaming’ (or similar) – flaming rain, flaming wind, flaming sun and so on. After putting on and taking off various layers of clothing to try and keep up with the changing temperature one day last week, one of the boys was heard to mutter “God I hate weather.” After we all stopped laughing, it prompted a site-conversation along the lines of, ‘What else could get away with being so unpredictable and spoiling so many plans, as well as occasionally wreaking total havoc and devastation and even loss of life.’ Also, what other profession could get their work wrong so often and still get paid? That question was meant to be rhetorical so I won’t share the answer from site, but it did have the word ‘politician’ in it.
I loved the comedian George Carlin and always remember hearing his own ‘weather prediction’ which advised, ‘Weather forecast for tonight – dark. Continued dark overnight with widely scattered light by morning.’
Even though most of us will associated the phrase ‘Flaming June’ with the weather, Flaming June is actually the title of Sir Frederic Leighton’s 1895 painting of a woman sleeping under a canopy in the summer heat. The woman has flame-red hair, is in a fiery-orange dress but it is unclear whether June is her name, or if the scene takes place during June, or whether the orange dress personifies warmth and sunshine. Interestingly it is also unclear if the oleander branch (which is poisonous) in the top right corner symbolises the fragile difference between sleep and death. And digressing slightly – I was told, whilst living in the Caribbean, not to use oleander wood on a BBQ as even the smoke is toxic. These things are worth knowing.
Despite a shaky start, which included being displayed in a second-hand shop, the painting was purchased by the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico in 1963, and soon became the most popular painting in their collection.
That popularity brought the expression ‘Flaming June’ into popular language and it somehow became synonymous with the month and its weather. However, in the UK June is often unsettled as a series of fronts – often called the European Monsoon – roll in from the Atlantic. Ironically, June is generally cooler and wetter than July and August – although as we well know the ‘weather lottery’ could throw up any balls! Funnily enough though, it seems that thanks to a painting of a woman in an orange dress, June will always be associated with fiery, and tiring, summer heat.
Growing for Wellbeing
Next week is Growing for Wellbeing Week, a week of celebrating the magic that growing your own produce can bring to your wellbeing, both physically and mentally.
Approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience mental ill health each year. There is strong ‘ever-growing’ evidence highlighting the health benefits of gardening and growing your own veg in particular, including improved confidence, communication, concentration and ultimately self-belief.
Gardening is a great way to improve mental health, enables better physical health, provides an opportunity to connect with others, acquire new skills and enjoy the great outdoors – and you get tomatoes (other veg is available).
And I love their tag line – “It’s not what you grow, it’s how YOU grow.”
Life at No.27 was set up by Annabelle Padwick, a professional gardener and wellbeing practitioner, who studied in Swansea and at Oxford University and also completed a range of horticultural therapy training courses with Thrive, the national gardening charity and leading course provider. Annabelle is also a qualified physical and mental health first aider, and member of the National Autistic Society, having received a late diagnosis in 2023 as an adult in her 30s.
Life at No.27 now offer a range services and classes at their therapeutic garden set in the Vegetable Garden at Craig-y-Nos Country Park, Pen-y-cae, Craig-y-nos, Swansea SA9 1GL every Friday from 9.30-11.30 am.
Annabelle says, ‘We can also deliver group and 1-2-1 support across South Powys and Swansea area in schools, colleges, care homes, support centres and where appropriate, in your own home. If you are part of a home school community, we can bring group sessions to you as well.
Life at No.27 is looking to expand and grow and have a number of brilliant and exciting paid and volunteer opportunities now available, so if you are interested in finding out more information, please email enquiries@lifeatno27.com. Or find out more about Life at No.27 at www.lifeatno27.com
Social Salads
Next week is also National Salad Week, which ties in nicely with growing your own. The ‘awareness week’ has been launched this year by Unbeleafable (great name) and you are encouraged to create your own super-salad, experimenting with colours and flavours – and not to follow the rules. You could also hold a Salad-soiree – a salad party (sound like an oxymoron to me) with friends or of course you can take a photo of your salad and share it as a ‘Social-salad’ on social media, tagging #NationalSaladWeek.
Flutterbys
And the final date for your dairy is Butterfly Education and Awareness Day (BEAD) on Monday 3rd June. It’s a day dedicated to celebrating the wonder of butterflies and the vital role these winged creatures play in pollination and maintaining the balance of ecosystems. Of course these things should be remembered and respected every day and there are a few ways of encouraging butterflies into your garden and helping them out with some hospitality.
Create a butterfly drinking station by putting out shallow saucers or dishes of water for them. Put small stones or coloured marbles in the water so the butterflies can stand safely on them to drink the water. Like bees, they can’t drink from deep water as the surface tension won’t hold them, so they need shallow drinking stations – which will need regular topping up.
Celebrate BEAD by something that will encourage butterflies – the single best choice is probably a Buddleia – it’s not called the Butterfly Bush for nothing. And possibly the most important thing to remember with butterflies is that ‘weeds;’ are often essential butterfly food. ‘Nettles, for example, are the food of choice for the caterpillars of red admiral, small tortoiseshell, painted lady and comma butterflies. So leave a patch of nettles in your garden for them, cutting sections of them regularly to get good fresh growth.
It is easy to forget that in order to have butterflies we need to have caterpillars, and therefore their habitat is essential too.
As kids, my brother and I used to call butterflies ‘Flutterbys’ and King Charles told me that he always refers to them as ‘flying flowers’. Maybe you have your own name for these fabulous insects? Thankfully, after butterfly numbers being at an all time low in 2022, they are now gradually increasing, so whatever we call them, lets take care of them.
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