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A lovely article Sharon!
In the 1960's when I grew up in London, a lot of the bomb sites had not been cleared, even now some have had the building materials taken away and the area left.
So we used to play on them, finding a piece of shrapnel or a bit of a German Doodlebug was a great find indeed and was treasured!
Out of all the sadness and untold carnage, there was this strange (to me) looking plant, that seemed to grow in the oddest places, out of the rubble, near the water filled craters, I had to know what it was.
I asked my Mother and she told me to ask my Granddad, so that evening I met him from the local pub and took him to one of the sites.
I showed him the plant; he said " that is harts tongue fern, it sometimes crosses with spleenwort," so he led me around and eventually he found one that had crossed (Hybridised, as I now no), so he showed me the difference.
I asked him if I dug one up, would it grow at home, the look he gave me I will never forget, then he took me back down the pub without a word.
He bought himself a beer and me a Ginger beer: I really thought I was in deep trouble, so I thanked him and kept my mouth shut and my head down, he suddenly said listen to me; " I have fought up the front in two World Wars and seen the evil man can do to man, the bomb site you took me to, people died there, so now nature is saying sorry for our stupidness, eventually other plants will grow, you will see!"
I was a bit taken aback and indeed upset and he could see it.
He went and got another beer and lit his pipe, Son as he called me "never take a plant from the wild, nature knows better than we do."
Years later after serving in the British Army, I to followed in the family tradition and became a Professional Horticulturist, his wise words always stayed with me!
Now as I walk around my area with its Victorian Houses, you often see one of these lovely plants in funny places.
Thank you Sharon for bringing back some memories one of which I have never forgotten!
Goodness Neil,
Your words brought tears to my eyes. What a lovely perspective your Grandfather placed on this aspect of Nature. And he is right, all the more reason to leave some of our wildflowers and other plants where nature plants them.
What a beautiful story, and a wonderful concept. I hope, like me, you are saving your memories, writing them down so they won't be lost.
Thank you for sharing this.
What a lovely wonderful story.
Sharon
