J’AIME SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023

PRETTY WILDFLOWERS NOW
COVER THE AREA
sunflowers thrust confidently skyward while more
reserved crocosmia bow gracefully beside them.
Nasturtiums and valerian romp down a bank
like tumbling children. A mallow bursts with
bright pink flowers like the bows on a perfectly
wrapped gift; a privet is a cumulus of blossom
and bees. Everywhere there’s a confetti of tiny
star-like nipplewort flowers, as if a galaxy has
been grabbed from the sky and left to fall.
“After crossing the railway tracks, the path
doubles back. In a shadowy niche under the
bridge a giant fox is caught mid-pivot. Painted
by local artist Annatomix as a tribute to the
urban foxes that call the station their home,
its contours hug the graffiti-scarred old brick
wall, all angles, muscles and power. Its vibrant
orange seems to glow, imbuing what would once
have been a dreary, inhospitable corner with a
luminous energy.
“The rhythmic Morse code chatter of a blue
tit erupts from a sycamore, punctuating the
sleepy summer day soundtrack of the wood
pigeons swaying on the catenary lines above the
train tracks. Beside the path stately hollyhocks,
wearing their blooms like fascinators, chaperone
huddles of lavender heads, their fragrance
leaking into the air like a whispered secret.
Mounds of oregano, its pink, white and purple
flowers piled like produce at a wholesale
farmers’ market, draw crowds of bumblebees
and hoverflies. The bees approach purposefully:
they visit a flower then move onto the next, their
pollen baskets brimming; the hoverflies seem to
browse more hesitantly, taking time to survey the
bounty before committing to a choice.
“As the path nears the platform again, the
planting reaches a crescendo with the patch
known as the meadow. Here, the intricate
magenta and white doilies of sweet William
flowers jostle with long-tongued phacelia and the
fairytale pink and silver of rose campion. Where
the flowers have self-seeded, they’ve gradually
nudged their way down the bank towards the
front of the bed like eager commuters pressing
forwards at the approach of a train, but all
feels quite amicable, with native and non-native
species equally embraced and valued. Slender
verbena stems mingle shoulder to shoulder
with coarser spear thistles, both prized by
pollinators and, in their way, equally beautiful.
Even stinging nettles are welcomed for their vital
role as host plants for butterflies, albeit ushered
politely towards the back of the bed where they
won’t cause offence.
THE EYECATCHING FOX MURAL
BY LOCAL ARTIST ANNATOMIX
12 www.jaimemagazine.com