RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted April 15, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 15, 2020 (edited) 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 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerburnie Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 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. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerburnie Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 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. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprintex Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 (edited) 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 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted April 16, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 16, 2020 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... 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted April 16, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted April 16, 2020 (edited) 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted April 16, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted April 16, 2020 (edited) 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 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted April 20, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted April 20, 2020 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 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted April 25, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted April 25, 2020 (edited) 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 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted May 8, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted May 8, 2020 (edited) 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 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium polybear Posted May 9, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 9, 2020 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..... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted May 9, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted May 9, 2020 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted May 10, 2020 Share Posted May 10, 2020 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted May 29, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted May 29, 2020 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 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted June 1, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted June 1, 2020 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted July 3, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 3, 2020 (edited) 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 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Amazing. Only 5 weeks after filling the pond with water, and I now have a frog in residence (probably very temporary knowing frogs). 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted August 3, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted August 3, 2020 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 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted September 7, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted September 7, 2020 (edited) 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted September 7, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 7, 2020 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 1 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted September 11, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted September 11, 2020 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 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted September 12, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted September 12, 2020 (edited) 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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