Hi from County Durham

[Purplesmum]

Hi everyone
I found your site while looking for ideas as to what to plant that will grow thro a scrapy privet hedge. I have tiny postage stamp size garden with nothing but the hedge and weedy grass.Beyond the little garden is a public path which is'nt used much, then there is a metal fence and a few shrubs. A hazel is directly in front and its from this I hang my bird feeders. My daily visitors are all the tits, loads of them,apart from the long tail tits, three pairs of bullfinches, wrens, a robin, blackbirds, a whole host of sparrows,the odd starling. Oh yes and a kestrel paid a visit one day in the hope of catching her lunch!

So with my birds in mind I need some ideas of what to plant n grow for their benefit and also bees. I have hardly any money to spare so a garden on a shoe string budget is the project.

I have recently moved into this rented terraced house and love it to bits its so quiet n peacful and I love watching my birds and making sure they are well fed. I have brought with me two mini apple trees, a very small but lush bay tree, a couple of small lavenders, a clump of ladies mantle and loads of strawberry plants.

Any advice or idea's would be very welcome indeed
Liz

[Deb London]

It's totally free to collect seeds from wild plants and to see if they grow in your garden. One that seems to grow easily for me is Teasel, and I haven't spent a single penny on it. I also collected a few Hemp Agrimony seeds and some Lesser Burdock. I still need to mix these with damp sand and leave them in the fridge for a couple of weeks in case dormancy needs to be broken - getting things for free means you have to put in more effort than opening a packet of seeds. Of course, you probably want to invest in a few packets now as no doubt you are wanting to do something this year.

As I learned a little more about gardening I came to the decision that I had spent a fortune needlessly. What I really should have had was patience. A little more tricky in rented digs though. But you can acquire some pots and plant the same there in case you are uprooted again.

No need for your landlord to go spare by the sight of all those "weeds" either. There is no reason why you can't plant in rows, use fences and divisions, basically design your new garden. Incorporate your pots into this design, researching heights colours and timings of any new additions.

Shrub-wise you can take cuttings (you can't stop things like dogwood and willow from rooting at nodes on the stem). A Rowan might be a good tree to try, or a Silver Birch. More pricey options though and the best choice depends on your soil and climate.

Do you have a camera? If you take some pictures and upload these then start a thread in this forum:

Outdoor Activities - Wildlife Gardening at wildaboutbritain.co.uk

Be specific about the question you ask and you should get loads of useful replies.

Welcome to WAB Liz, and good luck with your project.

Deb

[Tursiops2]

Hi purplesmum, welcome to the forum.

I second everything Deb has said about your garden (particularly abut photos - can you take some from an upstairs window?). If you start a specific thread in the Wildlife Gardening forum you should get plenty of advice.

T2

[Purplesmum]

Many thanks for your welcome replies. I know where there are some teasles growing but I doubt there will be any seeds to spare now.
The Rowen tree are one of my fav trees but I doubt I will have room for one plus buying one is out of the question.
I will try n take a photo of my tiny plot at some point ......I also love herbs and being a roman re enactor I will be growing some for my demo's.

I do have gardening experiance, started my working life in a garden centre 40 years ago. I once had a very lush garden many years ago based on feeding the wild life and made a lovely dogrose and hawthorn hedge which I am very pleased to say is still there but that was when I had lots of money....long story won't bore you all with it.

Right upwards and onwards

Kind regards
Liz

[artdemole]

Build up the garden with herbs will attract a lot of insects as you probably know from experience.Wellcome to Wab...

[Outney Bill]

Howdy Purplesmum !.

[nursiebernard]

Hello and welcome, from someone also in the same county

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by Tursiops2

Hi purplesmum, welcome to the forum.

I second everything Deb has said about your garden (particularly abut photos - can you take some from an upstairs window?). If you start a specific thread in the Wildlife Gardening forum you should get plenty of advice.

T2

Welcome. Yes, as mentioned, there are long threads in the Wildlife Gardening section so if you can add pictures and stuff t there then there are lots of folk to help!

[Davy Crockett]

the best thing that's happened to you this year joing WAB, it's great. Welcome

[Purplesmum]

Thank you Davy for your welcome message ...I am due some good luck .... after an awrfull seven years of bad luck