It has been fascinating and exciting watching plants grow in the space. It is interesting to see how much more things have grown where there is natural light getting in, other areas where the light cannot fully get to, there is much less growth. The edges are looking quite bare now compared with the lush growth in the middle, I think the floor not being totally flat has effected the soil drying out more in certain areas particularly the edges.
I’ve been watering the room every three or four days which luckily seems sufficient, it is definitely using up more water now the plants are getting settled in.
I’ve added about 100 plug plants, mostly self heal and yarrow in the hope I might get some flowers. The plants are looking happy and getting established but I think it will be the smaller annual flowers that will give flowers first if I am to see any.
It is tempting to try and fill in the gaps with plants or more seeds, I have thought about bringing in hydroponic lights to speed up the growth, that was always a possibility I thought might need to happen. However seeing the space evolve naturally, I feel it is demonstrating the fragility of life and its dependence on light and water, and the resilience of plants to occupy a space where possible and take whatever opportunity is available. There are certainly things I did not sow that must have been in the seed bank of the top soil already, bind weed for example; not an ideal species to have move in but I am letting it grow for now as it grows so fast it looks interesting. It will need to come out when the meadow turf is established outdoors however as the plant is very invasive.
I have been trying to evolve my ideas with the space, to respond to its needs and create interaction and intervention in a sensitive way. It is alive after all.
