Dig the City Manchester
By Emma Kajiyama
This morning I watched a video about how planting trees now can help save the environment of future generations. This is a positive message in a world which is inundated with dire news about the downward disintegration of species and habitats. I think that sometimes it is easy to forget that we can be proactive today to help the planet's future.
Positive 'green' initiatives in urban areas take place all the time. Dig the City is one such project, highlighting the benefits of growing wildflowers, enticing our pollinators, encouraging our children to get passionate about nature and understanding that growing plants are not just for those with gardens.
Manchester city centre is, for me personally, the epitome of the grey urban city. A lot of concrete, a lot of buses and whole lot of people. They do, however, continually hold festivals, events and talks such as Dig the City - Manchester's summer garden festival.
I went along this morning to find out more about it. The organisers had transformed the paved streets into a hive of activity, where children made mud pies and people slowly meandered about, admiring the pop-up urban gardens despite the intermittent rain.
Fig. 1 This was beautifully laid out in St Ann's Square, complete with a tea table. (Photo: Emma Kajiyama, 2015)
Fig. 2 I loved the detail and effort that had gone into decorating the sheds and stalls.
(Photo: Emma Kajiyama)
 Fig. 3 Grow Wild is a summer roadshow from Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. They "inspire communities, friends, neighbours and individuals... to transform local spaces by sowing, growing and enjoying native wild flowers." - Grow Wild. I was given a free pack of wildflower seeds to plant. (Photo: Emma Kajiyama, 2015)    
Fig. 7 I was very excited to see this as I had previously attended Reaseheath College to study a land-based Access Course. They won Silver Gilt for this piece of work called Aphid Attack!! Well done! (Photo: Emma Kajiyama, 2015)
Fig. 8 Reaseheath's Aphid Attack! Beautiful creation, planted with lavender. Would love to know who worked on this. (Photo: Emma Kajiyama, 2015)
 
Fig. 10 A garden waterfall with bridge, which cascaded over concrete steps as can be seen on the left. A beautiful idea, made by the Hulme Community Garden Centre. (Photo: Emma Kajiyama, 2015)
I love seeing a green Manchester, and I realise that from the amount of visitors to the festival, many people feel the same. This gives me a sense of hope that all is not lost for urban green spaces. It would be wonderful to see more greenery, like the pop-up gardens today, take a permanent place in our city centres. It also makes me wonder what Manchester looked like before the settlement of people. Did the area on which Dig the City promotes urban gardening use to be covered in wildflower meadows? The return of nature to the city is a positive action. I'll be planting the wildflower seeds on the only space I have, my small balcony, and I'll help to grow Wild. Happy planting everyone :)
For more information about Dig the City, please visit their website. The festival is on until the 6th August 2015:
Find out more about Kew Garden's Grow Wild and enter their summer competition to win a family holiday:
Sign a letter to your local MP to say NO to the previously banned pesticides by visiting Friends of the Earth UK website:
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