My (not yet) Wildlife garden...

[Jez]

Just like to say looking at the plan again "wow what a great change it is going to become"!

[dan-fisher]

Thanks Jez i agree with that.

Me still working on all the other stuff, will have a blast tonight before retiring.

Thanks mate. Dan

[Stewy]

Where's the veg patch Dan???

[Cotham Marble]

While acknowledging there's a toy shed - so I guess there's children to be accomodated and therefore the open lawn is needed - but if it is possible to break up that space, I would look to introduce a small 'island bed' to provide 'cover' and a stop off point for any creature crossing the lawn area. I would certainly recommend breaking up the patio/lawn boundary - a low lavender or resemary hedge would be ideal.

CM

[nightshade]

Originally Posted by dan-fisher

This is at the embrio stage of nearly beginning to put some ideas together soon in the future sometime

It will be an on-going project over time. I'm committed to it and this thread i think it will get long, proberly dissappear for a time before continuing as i get back into it.

The only thing i've done here since buying the property 18months ago (at the very peak of the housing market!) is add the birds table and the feeders. Also i've dug and installed the pond which also is only 25% done. The rest is all inherited from the elderly previous owners.

Here is the layout...







All those plants are garden center low maintenance shrubs proberly non native non seeding or non flowering rubbish. Birds, bees and butterflies were all non existant before having the feeders and table - the birds nest in the front garden and the eaves but proberly from old habits. The changing garden has took their food away from it.

EVERYTHING is comming out, except for the connifers at the bottom where only some of it is comming out to make way for a new BIRCH TREE, far corner, second picture.

The garden flower i'm having i have the following short listed...

Bramble (BlackBerry)
Barberry
Buddleia (Butterfly)
Cotoneaster
Crab Apple
Firethorn (Pyrancantha)
Viburnum
Hawthorn
Holly (tree)
Honeysuckle
Rose (Rosa Rygusa)
Dog Rose
Primrose
Hedera Ivy
Lavender


Dandilion
Golden Red
greater napweed
Milk Thistle
Tickseed
Michadmus Daisy
Marigold
Sunflower
Yarrow
Skimmia


This dosn't include the bog area. This will include shortlisted :

Wild Hemp Agrimony (native)
Cuckoo Flower/Lady's Smock
Fleabane
Marsh Buttercup
Marsh Thistle
Ragged Robin
Willow collection



Birds, butterflies and bees appear to be priority to me. Can you see ones i've missed that are quite important ??

Take the time to watch the light around the garden.put in a sloping raised bed facing south on the slope with a dry stone wall to support the raised back edge it will act as a storage heater and is a magnet for the butterflys

[Hedge Witch]

I love that suggestion, nightshade. I presume they will roost there and be ready to set off again, bright and early, each morning.

[dan-fisher]

Thanks for those suggestions, good ideas and practical ones too.

Got a horrible busy period to get through at work before it'll go quiet for xmas so that's the time when i shall start getting tucked into it.

[Fireweed]

Dear Dan,

You've got a lot of good ideas and had a lot of good advice so far.

I see sunflower on your original list. We put in a perennial sunflower this year that was a great success - lots of flowers in September with lots of bees etc. It is called Helianthus 'Lemon Queen'.

Your pre-transformation picture shows a patio area with paving squares. I assume you will want to maintain this patio area pretty much as it is. How about containers with lots of herbs? I think it's the bigger the better with containers as they don't dry out so quickly and you can always mulch them to cut down drying out. I see you are thinking of getting a subsidised compost bin from your council - have you considered whether your water authority offers subsidised water butts? Then you can "save" even more water by watering the containers with rainwater as much as possible.

Re. herbs. Marjorum vulgare is good.

Have you thought about the walls? Any possibility of growing things up them?

[Fireweed]

Sorry, Oreganum vulgare.

[nightshade]

I do recommend that any hedging you plant is planted at an angle to encourage more vertical shoots along its length (a bit like a pre-layed hedge) and plant a double hedge if you have the room.