wildlife Gardening for nature and wildlife

[jbqfc]

this started back at the start of 2018 when watching a nature program about how to help nature in your garden (may have been springwatch)

so Clare the wife asked me if we could make a small part of the garden nature friendly (not that it was nature unfriendly) so the small area behind the bird feeders was to be made over 

so a trip to the garden centre to look for some plants first was a pyracantha as the blackbirds love the berry's (at the back of the picture below)

the next two plants had to be bee friendly so we picked centaurea (middle of below picture) and a Salvia (front of below picture surrounded in netting to stop the pigeons trampling it to death) they where picked as they seemed to be the ones with the most bees on them in the garden centre 

garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

now that is not the end of the story i then caught the wildlife gardening bug which  has lead to a large garden make over 

next came a pond after seeing an a program about a pond in a washing up bowl 

so ta the start of 2019 this what i ended up with 

pond by john brace, on Flickr

i was not very happy with this so the next chapter will be pond MK 2 

Please feel free to add your own photos and ideas to this thread 

John 

 

Edited April 16, 2020 by jbqfc
my hopeless bad spelling

[tigerburnie]

This is my new pond under construction, I'm now adding native plants both in and around the edges, hoping to get some amphibians and dragon flies if I'm lucky.

[tigerburnie]

That's an old bath tub sunk in the middle with the idea it will stop any wayward tree roots making a hole in it.

[Sprintex]

4 hours ago, jbqfc said:

so a trip to the garden centre to look for some plants first was a pyracantha as the blackbirds love the berry's (at the back of the picture below)

 

 

If that pyracantha is the same thing we have down the bottom of our garden (has thorns on, and grows loads of berries that we used to call "Action Man tomatoes" ?) then yes the blackbirds and many others love them!

 

The one in our garden is about 8 foot tall and over 5 foot across 

 

Paul

 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Sprintex

[chris p bacon]

19 hours ago, jbqfc said:

so we picked centaurea (middle of below picture) and a Saliva

 

Eeeeeeeww...I think you mean a Salvia....bit of a mess if not.

 

Excellent, our whole garden is put together with wildlife in mind, we have 2 ponds, one ornamental and the other wildlife friendly, we get frogs, newts, water boatmen etc. Most of the plants have been chosen for their benefits rather than looks. So far we get, Rooks, Jackdaws, Blackbirds, Magpie, Collared Dove, Wood Pigeon, Robin, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Longtail Tit, Greenfinch, Wren, Dunnock, Sparrow, Starlings, Sparrowhawk (visiting and passing through) Hedgehogs plus a host of other visitors. We're a large garden but we are in the middle of town.

You might spot the odd piece of railwayana as well...

 

 

[jbqfc]

1 hour ago, chris p bacon said:

Eeeeeeeww...I think you mean a Salvia....bit of a mess if not

 

not sure if that is my bad spelling or auto correct 

 

that's a very nice looking garden 

 

John 

Edited April 16, 2020 by jbqfc

[jbqfc]

so at the end of April 2019 i put in a new pond a 70 litre preformed liner 

 

pond by john brace, on Flickr

 

June 23rd after some planting 

the large plant at the back left is euonyumus fortunie emerald and gold in front of that is a potentilla round the pond is a bee and butterfly seed mix mainly of poppy's and Calendula along the right hand side is a fuchsia hellebore and a hardy geranium with violas along the front also to be seen is a lavender at the bottom left 

pond by john brace, on Flickr

 

July 25th things have grown a bit and buzzing with bees and insects 

garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

next the front gardens turn

John

Edited April 16, 2020 by jbqfc
don't know my right from left

[jbqfc]

the front garden is already quit wildlife friendly

 

front garden by john brace, on Flickr

from left to right
spiraea snow mound gets lots of small white flowers loved by insects 
pittosporum tenuifolium get to odd bird using it to roost in 
forsythia flowers early to get a prune in the next couple of days 

they is also a small Pieris that is not in very good health and next to that a small peony 

 

front garden by john brace, on Flickr

from left to right 
Crocosmia or more commonly known as montbretia. 
berberis media red jewel in the back corner with euonymus silver queen in front the Berberis get berries the the birds like 
Mahonia charity flowers late on 

 

the other side of the garden is a large hydrangea 

FRONT GARDEN by john brace, on Flickr   

 

now last September Clare said she was tired of the hydrangea  and could we replace it so out it came the branches have been cut up and left in place as a home for insects 

front garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

[jbqfc]

back in the back garden the area between the feeders and the pond was lawn but i dug this up and put some spare slabs under the feeders before and after pictures 

garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

plants  from left to right helleborus double queen mixed behind that just starting to come up is a hardy geranium and a peony in front of that 
then a large bay tree and gooseberry bush under the feeders are pyracantha centaurea and a salvia 
with a rosemary and weigela at the back

 

this morning i noticed that some of the holes in the bee hotel have been filled in in the last couple of days 

Edited April 25, 2020 by jbqfc
my hopeless bad spelling

[jbqfc]

to give you some idea of the changes made to the garden this is what i started with in 2007 some tidying up work had already been done before i took these photos 

this now the veg plot 

back garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

main part of the back garden to give you some idea how bad it was the paved area was completely hidden under soil and leaf litter 

back garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

back garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

front garden 

front garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

front garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

front garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

Edited May 8, 2020 by jbqfc
bad spelling

[polybear]

On 15/04/2020 at 18:37, Sprintex said:

 

 

If that pyracantha is the same thing we have down the bottom of our garden (has thorns on, and grows loads of berries that we used to call "Action Man tomatoes" ?) then yes the blackbirds and many others love them!

 

 

....and burglars hate them.  Great for growing up fences etc. you don't want anyone climbing over - the thorns are right b*stards.  I know some other words for them too, including some I've invented, which usually come out to play whenever I'm pruning it.....

[jbqfc]

21 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

....and burglars hate them.  Great for growing up fences etc. you don't want anyone climbing over - the thorns are right b*stards.  I know some other words for them too, including some I've invented, which usually come out to play whenever I'm pruning it.....

i have berberis in the front garden you could use the thorns as needles 

i have plastic anti cat spikes on the top of all my fence do's not stop the cats but make it impossible to clime over the fence i found this out when i locked my self out 

John 

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

We don't have to make any effort at all, the nature and wildlife simply invades from the SSSI woodland immediately to the rear of the garden! (The bigger inanimate lumps we throw back in.) The missing species of insect this spring has been the hornet, not seen a single one yet. All the usual bees present, and started seeing damselflies from the middle of last week.

[jbqfc]

the area round the pond this year is been left to see what comes up from last year it is coming along well 

garden by john brace, on Flickr

[jbqfc]

i have planted out the old lawn area with some bee butterfly and bird friendly plants 

including teasel calendula and some trefoils we had to get the trefoils as we live in trefoil crescent and have lots growing on the local grass veges 

garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

we be interesting to see how it looks in a couple of weeks 

 

John

[jbqfc]

things are coming along well 

the old back lawn area has come on in leaps and bounds over the last 4 weeks to the back  the salvia is in full flower the pink flower is Astrantia star of love an impulse buy a couple of weeks ago that has replaced the gooseberry that has been move on to the veg plot behind that is fushia flash with a good crop of self sown sunflowers under the bird feeders 

back garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

the pond area is coming along i have dug up the Marguerite daisy's from behind the pond and moved them to the front garden the white flower is Achillea 

pond area by john brace, on Flickr

 

bee and butterfly friendly plants in the front garden the border is a bit thin as i did not have enough plants 

front garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

some of the front lawn dug up for the Marguerite daisy's from the back garden 

front garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

the last bit of space in the front garden now has a ceanothus blue mound  planted in it 

front garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

the veg plot with the newly moved gooseberry 

veg plot by john brace, on Flickr

 

all ready making plans for next year the area behind the pond in going to be filled with a mix of four type of primulas (drumstick candelabra Pagoda cowslip)  with the white Achillea and blue and white scabious all of which i have sow seed for 

also next year will getting single seed type as the mixed seed is a bit hit and miss trying to get it to grow  

 

 

Edited July 3, 2020 by jbqfc
spelling

[jonny777]

This is my new pond. I dug the hole at the end of May. It is only a small preformed affair, but I have backfilled around the edge with primroses and a flag iris that were there pre-hole digging.  I have placed the pond deliberately in a place surrounded by well established plants, in order that the frogs I hear croaking in the undergrowth may find it when they need to. 

 

Since that photo I have bought a couple of pond plants (Water Hawthorn and Sweet Flag) but due to virus restrictions these have only recently arrived by mail order, as my local water garden centre had virtually nothing in stock. 

 

I am hoping for the wildlife to move in over the next few months; so far only hoverflies and mosquitos are enjoying the tiny micro-environment, but even they are fun to watch as they skim around the surface. 

 

 

[jonny777]

Amazing. Only 5 weeks after filling the pond with water, and I now have a frog in residence (probably very temporary knowing frogs). 

 

[jbqfc]

well things are coming along well noted six types of butterfly's in the garden including a small blue 

front garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

wildlife garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

pond by john brace, on Flickr

 

i have already ordered some seeds for next year 

[jbqfc]

i have had a busy time in the garden tidying things up and moving plants around i have also painted the front garden fence 

 

the patch of Marguerite daisy's  moved from the back garden to the front has had more added and seems to have taken well

garden front by john brace, on Flickr

 

the front bed has been mostly striped out with some plants been move elsewhere plants to be seen are newly planted Abelia bumblebee a impulse buy as it was cover in bees at the garden centre (bottom pic left end) the tall yellowed flowered plants are evening primrose with have been left in with teasels along the back    

garden front bed by john brace, on Flickr

garden front bed two by john brace, on Flickr

 

the area behind the pond has bean partly cleared out and planted partly up with a mix of primula denticulata or drumstick primulas primula vialii and scabious also to be seen are a newly planted echinacea sensation pink

pond by john brace, on Flickr

 

the old lawn area has been mostly striped out with some plants been move elsewhere plants to be seen are a newly planted echinacea sensation pink along the front i have planted two clumps of hardy geranium that has been move form under the bay tree seen at the back of the bed along the front is sweet Williams that have been moved from behind the pond the tall yellowed flowered plants are evening primrose that have been left in  hard to see is a row of teasels along the back    

wildlife garden by john brace, on Flickr

 

i have also planted some daffodils and grape hyacinths bulbs in both the front and back gardens 

one thing i have learned this year is not to buy mixed seed packs as they are mostly cheap filler plants i already have a long list of plants for next year in fact i have so many ideas i could do with another garden

 

John 

 

 

Edited September 7, 2020 by jbqfc
replace a wrong picture

[russ p]

If people have hedgehogs about its important to have either a ramp out of a pond or stepping stones. 

They also like holes under fences to get to adjoining gardens 

[jbqfc]

i have been doing lots of research i have come up with a list of plants all that that beneficial to wildlife  that i want to use in the garden giving flowers from march to October 

Astilbe

lady's Bedstraw

Bergamount

Betony (Common hedgenettle)

Campion red/white 

Corn marigold

Corn poppy

Cornflower

Foxglove

Hawk bit

Hylotelephium

Knapweed greater and lesser 

Loosestrife purple 

May weed (chamomile) 

Meconopisis poppy 

Penstemon

Primula candelabras

Primula drumstick

Primula veris (cow slip)

Primula vialii

Pulmonaria (lungwart)

Ragged robin

Scabious field

Spike speedwell

Teasel

Toadflax yellow and purple 

Verbena bonariensis

Vetch kidney for small blue butterfly's

most can be grown from seed 

John  

 

[jbqfc]

i have planed out work for the next two years i have now done a spreadsheet with lots more details including flowering times/colour  height life time placement and if it likes it wet or dry 

the ones in red i have already bought the seed for 

 

gaden plants.docx

 

other wildlife friendly plants i already have in the garden 

cotoneaster queen of carpets

centaurea amethyst snow

pyracantha rogersiana flava

salvia blue hints

lavender loddon pink

Astrantia star of love

sisyrinchium rocky point

Aquilegia

 

John 

Edited September 12, 2020 by jbqfc

[sb67]

I've just found this thread, I'll be following this with interest. One of my favourite shrubs for bees is a Buddleia Globossa. Mine didn't flower too long this year but was buzzing throughout May/July.

 

 

[jonny777]

On 11/09/2020 at 16:15, jbqfc said:

i have been doing lots of research i have come up with a list of plants all that that beneficial to wildlife  that i want to use in the garden giving flowers from march to October 

Astilbe

lady's Bedstraw

Bergamount

Betony (Common hedgenettle)

Campion red/white 

Corn marigold

Corn poppy

Cornflower

Foxglove

Hawk bit

Hylotelephium

Knapweed greater and lesser 

Loosestrife purple 

May weed (chamomile) 

Meconopisis poppy 

Penstemon

Primula candelabras

Primula drumstick

Primula veris (cow slip)

Primula vialii

Pulmonaria (lungwart)

Ragged robin

Scabious field

Spike speedwell

Teasel

Toadflax yellow and purple 

Verbena bonariensis

Vetch kidney for small blue butterfly's

most can be grown from seed 

John  

 

 

I would be rather wary of some of those plants, even if you do fancy a 'wild' garden. Red Campion, Greater Knapweed, Ragged Robin and Teasel will find the conditions pretty favourable after a year or two; and your main problem might be to stop them seeding themselves everywhere until infinity.