COUNTRYMAN

What did surprise us was the amount of maintenance required to keep it from returning to its original state, and a serious shoulder injury last spring resulted in my being unable to carry out many of the regular jobs.

The grasses, ox-eye daisies, and vetches grew in profusion, and all seemed reasonably well, though we noticed that one or two undesirables were making themselves at home.

We weeded out and burned some ragwort which had taken advantage of the lax regime, and pulled numbers of thistles before they got to the flowering stage.

I find it regrettable that landowners no longer have a legal obligation to cut thistles, and those of us who keep them down often suffer as the late summer breeze carries clouds of thistledown from nearby fields. To date, we have never resorted to chemicals, so the young plants have always been removed manually as they have appeared each spring.

We have managed to limit the spread of the ever present sorrel, but the St John’s Wort, which mysteriously appeared five or six years ago, multiplies at such a rate that it would take over if allowed, and therefore needs to be kept in order.

One solution to some of these problems, in the form of an annual hay cut, is not possible, as the meadow ant colonies which thrive in parts of the field would be destroyed in the process. So, as a result of one season’s inactivity, the area began to revert to type, and we are attempting, this year, to regain control. The amazing growth rate of brambles was revealed when we cut and raked last year’s grass thatch, and dug out rooted parts of the same plant as far as six metres apart. Young blackthorns have appeared from hedgerow roots extended well into the field, and we have found numbers of small first-year hazel and oak saplings, presumably the result of forgotten squirrel hoards.

Unfortunately, the main, and mechanically insoluble problem, is that of nettles, which have found their way into several previously uncolonised areas. Having always allowed a patch of “stingers” for butterfly habitat on one side of the field, we controlled any spread by cutting, digging and removal, but they have clearly taken advantage of just one wet summer’s neglect.

It appears that last year’s conditions encouraged rapid growth of their sub-surface runners and we now find them some distance away from their allotted space. We are trying our best to remove them manually, but it’s an uphill battle, and, much as I might regret it, selective spraying may be the only solution.

While I can’t make any great use of them, stinging nettles have not always been treated as a pest, and have been harvested for numerous purposes over the centuries. The recent renewal of interest in “food for free” has reminded us of the plant’s edibility, and, always prepared to try anything at least once, I can confirm that nettles do provide a bland alternative to spinach when properly cooked, though only young leaves, up until the end of May, should be used. I have drunk nettle tea, and also found a friend’s nettle wine quite palatable, though I think its other ingredients contribute more to the finished product. As well as supplementing our diet, the tough fibres of nettles, or ettles as they were sometimes known in Herefordshire and neighbouring counties, have been put to use in the manufacture of paper and ropes, and have been processed in the same way as flax to produce soft fibre for cloth manufacture. It is reported that during the First World War, when Germany could no longer obtain cotton, vast amounts of nettles were used in the manufacture of military clothing, and I understand that the cloth is undergoing a revival among artisan producers in parts of Europe.

Add to this its use in dyeing fabrics, the value of its vitamins and extracts in the treatment of a range of ailments from arthritis to dandruff, and this invasive and painful plant might just be seen in a different light. I still, however, reach the same conclusion – while I am prepared to give it a corner in which to exist, I just don’t want it abusing my hospitality by taking over the whole field.

– JOHN WESLEY