WAB Members' Garden Photos

[Lords and Ladies]

I've been thinking it would be nice to have, perhaps, an on-going stickied thread in the Wildlife Gardening forum where people can post pictures of their gardens. Of ponds and bogs, flower borders, meadows, log piles, hedges, newt caves and toad holes. Whatever they may be doing or whatever may be happening at the moment.

The kind of thing that doesn't really merit starting a new thread but could still be very interesting/educational for most of us to see. I love seeing what other people are doing with their gardens and nicking their ideas.

It would be great to have more idea of what people are doing (see goosey) and be able to see things develop. A chance too for the truly hopeless WAB photographer to show off their skills.

All in favour say chrysanthemum.

[FungiJohn]

Originally Posted by Lords and Ladies

I've been thinking it would be nice to have, perhaps, an on-going stickied thread in the Wildlife Gardening forum where people can post pictures of their gardens. Of ponds and bogs, flower borders, meadows, log piles, hedges, newt caves and toad holes. Whatever they may be doing or whatever may be happening at the moment.

The kind of thing that doesn't really merit starting a new thread but could still be very interesting/educational for most of us to see. I love seeing what other people are doing with their gardens and nicking their ideas.

It would be great to have more idea of what people are doing (see goosey) and be able to see things develop. A chance too for the truly hopeless WAB photographer to show off their skills.

All in favour say chrysanthemum.

Chrisandthemum ... never could spell

Ok Lords and Ladies, lets see how the thread progresses.

So, how does your garden grow?

Send some information about your patch. What wildlife visitors frequent your garden. What you did to attract the species. What advice can you give to others. How you transformed a sterile space into a wildlife sanctuary!

Right, where’s my garden diary

PS .. where in Sheffield are you

[Susie]

Great thread! Ha, you try and stop me posting once my garden gets going.

[Ann2]

Yes, good idea as I too enjoyed looking at goosey's website.

Susie, can we have some "before" and "after" photos then?

[Susie]

This is the garden not long after we moved to the house in December. The pots and bird feeders are mine. The conifers were cut back very hard before we moved in, they were over 25 feet high when we viewed the house and cut out a lot of light but what was left was just unattractive stumps. They had to go.



About six weeks ago we started work on the garden. It was a mud bath for a while.



There was a lot of stuff to shift to the dump. Then it was time to repair and paint the fence - the only thing holding it up had been the trees.



Basic planting in (trees and such like) and flower beds dug. Time to start work on the wildlife pond.



Pond completed.



Finally, the main work is done and I have somewhere to sit and watch the garden grow.



Funnily enough, I still haven't sat on the swing seat though!

Now I just need everything to grow and hopefully bring in plenty of wildlife.

[Ann2]

Blimey, that's a fair amount of work to have accomplished in six weeks. I think you deserve a sit down on that new swing seat!

Ann

[Kayleigh]

Here are my before and after photos.

[smartie]

Here are a couple from me. The first is a view down the garden from the house. Pond is just over the slate topped wall. Some of the trees that show at the end of the garden are on the railway embankment. We're waiting for moss to colonise the rather grey wall you can see. It is taking its time



The second is across the pond at the beginning of May last year. Note the early season's growth of the rampant native water lily.

[Lords and Ladies]

Some great gardens and some great lumberjacking! Smartie, that looks like paradise

Originally Posted by FungiJohn

PS .. where in Sheffield are you

I'm in the 'lovely' side of Sheffield Ecclesall area, not that close but not a million miles away from Ecclesall wood.

[Lords and Ladies]

My garden is of the back-to-back terrace variety. The greatest gardening difficulty being somewhat restricted sunlight. In the height of summer half of it gets sunlight and none gets any early morning of evening sun. In the depths of winter, almost no direct sunlight at all. Good for ferns. They really didn't think of wildlife gardening when they built these things. Most of the gardens are seperated by inpenetrable brick walls so anything that doesn't fly or climb well has a bit of a struggle.

This is the dark side of the garden. Pond infront, bog garden behind, obligatory log pile, cat for scale.



The pond has ended up quite formal looking, not exactly planned that way but it fits in. It's mainly home to ramshorn snails and the clumsy collared doves come down to drink from time to time. I did get a couple of dragonfly visitors last year though I didn't see them land. I'd love to have dragonflies crawling out of the water. There's the native marsh marigold in one corner and what looks like a different type of marsh marigold with white flowers in another. There's also a blue iris which flowers well and a bulrush/reedmace type thing that has singularly failed to do anything of note. No pond skaters though, it's probably a little too small.



Here's the bog garden. Don't be fooled by its weird looking green blobbyness, it is infact 'an authentic moorland peat bog' (if you ignore the primula, cowslip and pitcher plant.)



I'm afraid it is real peat, I can't really justify it but it's hard to do without it and I don't use peat anywhere else. The blobby greeness is sphagnum moss intended for hanging baskets. I hoped it would either root or contain seed. No sign of either so far but it helps the hillocks from washing away in heavy rain... There are a few strands of living sphagnum in there which I hope, in time, will spread as much as possible. The tall spikey plants are some type of rush (they make nice reed lights) and the plants you can't see are cotton grass (sorry the picture is pretty bad). There's a bilberry/whortleberry cutting in there too that seems to have taken, or at least not died. I'd like to grow some sundews there but it really doesn't get enough light.

Apart from getting some odd looks, it has greatly increased the number of midges in the garden and it attracts wasps, who land there to drink. I cannot see why they aren't more popular.

That's the dark side of the garden.

And then I was attacked by the Beast of Bodmin.



...arrrgghfguaar

[Susie]

I want Smartie's garden!

There is certainly some variety in our gardens, but big or small they are all wonderful.

[smartie]

Originally Posted by Susie

I want Smartie's garden!

I wanted it too, which is why we bought this house. The pictures cunningly cut out the really messy bits we haven't got around to doing anything with yet - though since they are probably the most wildlife-friendly bits, maybe we won't do too much more.

[John]

I must admit I am a tad bit envious of your garden Smartie but am relatively pleased with mine as well. The following photos were taken last summer of ours. I have a back, side and a front garden. All have feeder stations in them.

Back garden.













Side Garden



Front Garden



John

[nightshade]

These are some gardens!!Lords and Ladies making good use of a small space
John having enough land to build a new housing estate
I have some shots inthe Gallery taken a while ago
http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/ga...mage-2763.html
http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/ga...mage-2762.html

I did not notice any Bat Boxes

[smartie]

It's lovely, John. I'm impressed that you can find the time to do all that and go birding as often as you do.

[Kymba]

My garden under developement
First two are going to be paved and is the Dogs area( to Picket Fence)
With bamboo planted up oneside to stop Dogs jumping at fencing trying to catch next doors 11 cats!
Other Photo's beyond The Picket fence is for us. Pond is going to be for Koi. With sitting area on the other side of the path.
Behind the wall with the trees in I am going to have Small wildlife Pond and a Bog garden.

[Kymba]

Yessssssss I have finally managed to up load some Photo's in the Gallery and in a thread.

Thanks Gill

[nightshade]

That is coming on nicely,another good use of space Kym

[John]

Originally Posted by smartie

It's lovely, John. I'm impressed that you can find the time to do all that and go birding as often as you do.

Now there is the problem. I had a partner last year and she has moved on to new pastures. I am having to do it all myself so I doubt if it will look as good this year. Having said that apart from possibly three hours tomorrow I am spending some of tonight and the rest of the weekend in the garden.

I have just pruned down a Tamarisk because it was pushing over a fence so I have got that little job out of the way. Next is dead heading the daffodils then after that there are loads still to do.

John

[goosey]

I thought I would add some pictures of my garden. It's not so grand or big but I'm pleased with what I've been able to make with the limited space of 4m x 3.5m.
These views were taken in September and shows practically the whole garden.



The Pyracantha is such an important part of the garden and is where I hang all the feeders. The birds love the berries and the butterflies love the flowers.



This was my butterfly border in July, everything which was planted was for butterlies, moths, bees, hoverflies and aphid eating insects.



I have my pond, water feature and log pile - all must haves for a wildlife friendly garden even on a small scale.







This photo was taken today, all the perenials are growing like mad and in a months time will look alot different.




I thought I had included everything but seeing Lords and Ladies bog garden has given me another idea to work on - thanks!

[Kayleigh]

Goosey What a wonderful little space you have made. I can see you sitting there in the heat of the sun glass of wine in toe.

[Lords and Ladies]

Originally Posted by goosey

I thought I had included everything but seeing Lords and Ladies bog garden has given me another idea to work on - thanks!

That sounds intriguing goosey..

If it's anything to do with growing sphagnum moss, I wouldn't bother too much with the hanging basket stuff. But if you find a good way of growing it please let me know!

I hoped that today I might be able to buy one or more of the three native sundews, as I went to a plant sale where a carnivourous plant guy had a stand (at Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, not far from Sheffield). He was there but didn't bring any of the natives he has...

Anyway, I've now got some pics of the opposite, sunnier side of the backyard.


The insect border is coming along now. There's a few more early flowers and some more colour. The leek-like looking thing in the top right of the border is an ornamental onion (allium aflatunense - 'purple sensation') and is now shooting up flower spikes nicely. Between the fence and the back wall of the border are lots of pots:- teasel is in there, the globe thistle is shooting up, the long green grassy mass near the centre of the picture is a pot of planted birdseed; other thistles, alliums and nettles are back there too. The thing trailed up the fence is a grapevine, just now starting to get its leaves.


This one almost looks like a flower border . Hopefully, the grape hyacinths will multiply.


Everything needs to 'grow out' a bit. I'd like to get to a point where I can't see soil, eventually..

[john4760]

Lovely garden john,im very impressed

[thunder]

As promised, a picture of the orchard now that some of the blossom. This is taken diagonally across the orchard. As you can see, the Nettles are growing, and I shall have to take the scythe to them soon, but they are interspersed with lots of Lords and Ladies, and I don't really like to cut them down as well.



If we get a sunny day before the blossom drops, I'll post some more.

henrya

[thunder]

A bit more of my orchard, taken looking down the centre. You can see, I think, where I have been scything the Nettles, leaving little islands for some patches of Lord and Ladies.



henrya