My Wildlife Garden Project Thread

[citychick]

Hi

If you read my intro thread then you will know about about me already if not here is a quick low down.

I live in Gloucester City Centre, I've been here for 3 years (tomorrow!) and over the past 12 months I have gradually started to clear the garden and plant it up.

I got a Hawthorn, Silver Birch and a Crab Apple from Gloucester city council as part of the free tree scheme which are little twigs!! Hopefully they will start to get going this year. I also have a newly planted Hazel.

About 2 years ago I planted the Pyracantha at the end of the garden, the birds LOVE this especially this winter as it produced berries and the blackbirds adore it! This is the only plant which really provides cover for wildlife. As you will see to the right of the garden between my wendy house and wooden lodge (I breed mini lop rabbits!) there is a plum tree this is the only plant which was in the garden when we moved in.

In November we dug out a small pond which we allowed to fill naturally and we bought a lily and some marginal plants for just £1 from our local Aqua Jardin shop! We are eagerly awaiting DIY stores to start stocking turf so we can finish it off around the edges.

2 weeks ago we put up the 2 nest boxes which you will be able to see from the photo and we have been feeding the birds for about 7 months.

Please excuse the pile of mess on the patio, this is from clearing the garden of rubbish, I am waiting for my husband to get a new car so he can take all of it to the dump - none of it would go in my car!

If anyone has any suggestions or just comments I would love to hear

[Jez]

Hi lauren. To begin with there is so much potential for you garden to look one of shear beauty and also an absolute haven for wildlife, but obviously at a cost. So if you have a nice amount of money to shell out you can do a fantastic job quite quickly but if that's not the case you can still realise the potential to make it the paradise garden but over a longer period. I have some suggestions but sorry you'll have to wait on those from me as I've got to be some where, will be back on laterthough! All being well other members will add there tupence worth and give you some super ideas and suggestions whilst I'm gone!?

Jez

[citychick]

Unfortunatley money is a problem I dont have a fund so have been doing things as i go along when payday comes - and then I dont have much spare as I compete with my dog and most money goes on entries. So say £50 a month spare....

Look forward to hearing what you have to say...

[Jez]

Forgot to ask before I go any further is in which direction does your garden face? Sorry to mess you around!

[citychick]

North west

[Jez]

Hokeycokie so plenty of sunlight come noon over the roof of your home and down to the end of the garden, good!

My suggestions are since have a good bird loving Pyracantha down at the end of the garden is to continue with planting hedging all along from W - E and also up your W facing fence towards your house and then from W-E with a gap for you to wonder in and out of your garden leaving your patio a seperate area. You have crab apple already (Good nectar plant for our endangered bees and a food plant for bullfinches) Hazel (food plant for numerous birds). Now you might be thinking that's going to cost a lot of money, maybe not so! For under £150 I recently bought 200 young trees for hedging okay to be fair the more trees you by the cheaper the cost but I reckon you could possibly by with £50 aound 60 young native trees which will mature into a fine hedgerow disguising the bare fence panels and be a feast and roost to a lot of birds and insects. Bearing in mind if you like the thought and wish to make a wildlife hedge then plant in from now up to March! Over the years you can grow climbers though it to add more nectar, more berries and fragrance and colour to enhance it further once it becomes more established. It may hide the garden from the house but should lure you in wanting to see what's going on in there!

The brick building I presume is a shed? Place a bird box up on the W facing wall and grow Ivy to cover the wall and the box this plant is a very fine food/nectar plant and the birds will appreciate the cover! Again this won't cost a lot to cover the wall and provide a good habitat. Or Maybe a Clematis like the Montana's but choose wisely as some can cover the whole shed and beyond.

I'm going to have a breather! See what you think and I'll come back to rest in a mo and let me know how if feel to my suggestions as far.

Cheers for now

Jez

[citychick]

Hi Jez

Thank you very much for your suggestions.

I love the idea of the hedging from west to east, presume you mean from the far left corner around to the right just by the wendyhouse? Which trees would you recommend to use for hedging here?

I also very much like the idea of the hedge seperating the garden into two, however I would like to see the pond from the house is there small hedging plants? would this be beneficial to wildlife?

There is actually already some ivy on the brick shed which you cant see from the photos as its a recent freebie taken from my mums garden which i am waiting to get going.

Would I need to maintain the hedge in anyway?

And where do you recommend to get hedging plants (£150 for 200 is awesome!).

Thank you so much

Lauren

[Jez]

Well you don't have to grow the hedge as high near the house could be about 4ft with some pruning until it matures with a hedge trimmer or a sharp pair of shears is required.

I'd recommend any of these trees for planting as a hedge:-

Quickthorn as it's quick growing hawthorn lots of blossom and berries for blackbirds, redwings, fieldfares etc and knits other trees nicely together.

Bird Cherry & Wild Cherry, Cherry Plum again loved by birds.

Dogwood good roosting shrub.

Climbing Rose Sweet Briar good nectar plant, attractive flowers.

Guelder Rose nice flowers and juicy berries again Bullfinches like these amongst others

Crab Apple as mentioned.

Small leaved Lime early flowering nectar plant.

Hornbeam/Beech provides good cover over winter.

Whitebeam attractive leaves providing the hedge with various colour.

Are just some of the beneficial natives you can plant as hedging!

I'll send you a PM as to where I purchased mine from if that is okay with you?

[citychick]

Would I plant a combination of several species or just stick to the one. And how many roughly would I require?

PM is fine

Thanks so much for your help !!

[Jez]

You can stick to 1 variey if you so choose, I went for a variety of different trees to vary colour, flowers, blossoms berries and other fruits and to increase wildlife diversity!

Plant each tree 18" apart.