Lincolnshire is renowned for its flowers, exemplified by the Spalding tulip festival.
May I report the sighting of several new growths seen in a number of Spalding’s domestic gardens? These are neither annuals nor perennials, merely prolific. It is understood that the cultivation of this garden vegetation was not supported by a grant from the National Lottery.
The most common is the variegated metallic beer can, also prevalent in hedgerows and on public pathways.
More unusual is the Beko fridge shrub, an Eastern European example of which grows to about 6 feet in height and is an iridescent grey colour: however, not all such examples are this shade of grey.
A more impressive addition to local biodiversity, one that is not easy to miss, is the three seater sofa bush, frequently tucked away in a silent corner bordering a pedestrian pathway, or less frequently, a little used road.
Diligent scrutiny will, from time to time, further reward the onlooker with sightings of a stained mattress, both the double and single variants, either alone or together.
It is quite possible that these plants flourish as a consequence of the high nitrogen content of the liquid fertilizer they nightly receive, together with the absorption of the mineral content of decomposing HMRC-free cigarette filters, so creating, effectively, an organic tobacco-based mulch.
It is thought unlikely that these plants will contribute to the reduction of green house gases so aiding the UK to reach its target of carbon neutrality.
A quite new, July 2020, contributor to the flora is the blue medical mask flower: its rectangular leaves are seen adorning many pathways and roadside gutters. This plant is reputed to be highly infectious.
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