Blue hearts have been used as a symbol for a number of different campaigns. People were asked by some to put blue hearts in their windows to show support for the NHS. One of the campaigns I am most interested in, is the Blue Campaign for wildlife. https://bluecampaignhub.com/ This campaign encourages people to bring their local area to life by gardening for wildlife. We believe that each individual can change their surroundings and help restore UK biodiversity, either in their own garden or by working with councils or schools. Once one blue heart appears, others often follow.
If you would like a healthy garden full of colour and life, re-wilding is for you. It takes less effort than conventional gardening, and all of the plants are already in place, waiting for a chance to grow. You do not need to use wildflower mixes however it can be fun to see what extra plants these might bring.
There are a number of specialist websites that I have used. meadowmania.co.uk They have over 30 years’ experience of producing and supplying the highest quality seeds and plants, and they are passionate about British native wildflowers and seed. Rewilding part of your garden is also one very easy step to help restore UK biodiversity with habitats including long grass, hedges and ponds. Another company I have used is Naturescape www.naturescape.co.uk who are based in Langar Nottinghamshire. They have fields of wildflowers that you can walk around and a tearoom worth visiting.
Naturescape, Langar Nottinghamshire
You can start by leaving an area of your lawn without mowing it, when you do this, the native plants in your lawn will start to flourish, providing food and shelter for a wide range of invertebrates, birds, mammals and amphibians. You can do one mow in September once all the plants have seeded, but a completely undisturbed section will lead to a more developed habitat. The idea of the blue hearts on a stick is that if you place them in the area it tells everyone that this is being done to make a difference for wildlife and not because you cannot be bothered.
It does not matter what your blue heart is made from but whatever you use may encourage others to do the same. In 2019 St Peter’s Church Belper gave away about thirty blue hearts and packets of wildflower seeds.
