Back down to earth

I don't know what this is called. Here in the highlands they call them rushes and they can be seen growing on hillsides and verges AND in their favourite place of all - our garden! A thick tough unwieldy stalk like grass that spreads and takes over everything (even as I type this it's happily advancing across the garden) and is decidedly unlovely. I decided the best way to deal with it was to attack it with a good strong weed killer. But then I saw this pushing it's way up through the tough stalks

A Scottish primrose (I've been told.) They grow in abundance in the Orkney islands and I rather feel they might like  growing in abundance here but they face stiff competition from the rushes

along with these dear little field daisies. They've fought their way through builders rubble, snow, ice, wind rain, the sheep and now the rushes

This wood aenome too. There are three of them in the garden and if it weren't for the rushes I'm sure there would be a wildflower meadow by now!

I don't know what they are peering out from behind their prison bars, but they've made it too and it doesn't seem right to zap them with weed killer.

And then there are the bees to consider. This little bee has been extremely busy. I don't want to interfere in any way with its habitat, so I have been re-thinking  my strategy for dealing with troublesome invasive tough ugly not nice bothersome rushes! Digging them up is going to take forever and besides as quickly as you dig one out another takes its place. Yesterday I felt so exasperated by it all I fiddled around in photoshop

and made a birthday card for a friend, with not a rush in sight!

But I must sort out what to do soon, maybe a compromise. Maybe it's possible to move the wild flowers, or just put down selective weedkiller in areas where there are only rushes but even as I'm saying it it seems doubtful. I just have to accept that whatever the outcome it's going to be hard work with as little disruption to pretty wild flowers and bees as possible.