Gardening for wildlife

[jowwy]

The bug, that's a typo which can stay - I meant big, issue is many people don't understand. I live in a small village of terraced gardens. On our terrace there are 11 cottages and no fences or hedges between between the gardens - it's one big garden. There is a continuous hawthorn hedge along the garden tops This creates a certain community and one needs to be of a certain disposition to enjoy it.

One couple moved in a few years ago and set about creating their idyllic country cottage - FFS you just bought one, end of! The garden is regimented, utterly free of weed, straight lines etc. It's common opinion they just don't get community life.

The lady of the house once told me how she was planning a wildlife area. The same weekend her husband ripped out the undergrowth in the hawthorn hedge including the base of wild roses and honeysuckle, sprayed off the weed and put down gravel. I was gobsmacked.

I tried to explain about hedgehog runs etc. Deaf ears. People need education in these matters. The biggest culprit and sinner against nature are garden makeover programmes - especially Charlie Dimmock and the Rich brothers. Decking, gravel, more decking, concrete and a couple of 3x2 raised beds for veggies.

But thats just your opinion and way of living. Theres no way i would buy a house that didnt have the gardens fenced off for my own privacey. It doesnt mean i disrespect other peoples views of community or country life, its just my opinion and view would be different to yours.

The last thing i would want to see in my garden is vermin and pests at night, because i wouldnt be able to enjoy the space knowing they were there. Everyone is different in their opinion and way of living, dont judge people cause they are different to you.

 

[biggs682]

We did no mow may and normally try and cut the lawns every 2 - 3 weeks , since discovering hedgehogs in the garden we have stopped using chemicals other than tomatorite .

 

[Tail End Charlie]

My neighbour has a very large pond surrounded by dense grasses/ rushes. Coots and moorhens nest in them and then they bring the young to feed under my bird feeders, it's lovely watching them and they are not bothered by my presence. I reckon I could easily get them feeding from my hand.

 

[Chief Broom]

I look forward to when i have a garden again and it will certainly be wildlife friendly. Managed anarchy is my style and manicured gardens make me wince Native annuals and bi-annuals self seeding around are great to give an informal character to a garden and i like how they turn up in any old place where germination is possible.
Pic below is my last garden on a park home site, i didnt have much room but was crammed with flowers/fruit/trees/roses

 

[PaulSB]

@Chief Broom. Excellent. 👏👏

 

[MichaelW2]

If you have room, add a small pond or bog for diversity. Put some leaky pond liner in depression, covered in gravel then soil for a mini wetland environment.
A log pile is another easy way to add habitat.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Smooth green lawns look sterile to me.

Indeed. Tidy gardens make me wince too. I've been letting my grass grow for quite a few years (10 or 15) now and new species just keep turning up. No black fly at all on my climbing french beans presumably due to a big crop of ladybird larvae earlier in the year. It's a voyage of discovery every time I go out into the garden to see what's happening with the flora and fauna. Such a joy

 

[Gillstay]

My friends do not quite get it so I have gone extreme on my new garden and as one cycling chap says `Your rewilding then?'

Glad to hear I am not alone. Bit I most enjoy is black polythene down, then covered with wood chip and slow worms have moved in underneath.
Plus a basking spot of course.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

slow worms

Lovely. We have slow worms breeding in our "nature reserve". Always have to be careful when cutting the hay.

 

[PaulSB]

Indeed. Tidy gardens make me wince too. I've been letting my grass grow for quite a few years (10 or 15) now and new species just keep turning up. No black fly at all on my climbing french beans presumably due to a big crop of ladybird larvae earlier in the year. It's a voyage of discovery every time I go out into the garden to see what's happening with the flora and fauna. Such a joy

I haven't seen many ladybirds or larvae this year but I think, but can't prove, the overall principle is correct. My allotment is a combination of well managed raised beds, plenty of homemade compost, everything from house and garden is recycled, and areas which are unused left to grow as nature intended. The grass is full of clover, daisies, buttercups, dandelions and vetches all of which are allowed to flower in season. I do not use any chemicals other than Tomorite.

The allotment is alive with insects. I have aphids on my peach tree. I've found two caterpillars in my broccoli when I was blanching it for the freezer.

That's it for pests this year. Nature is a balance and manicured gardens have a serious impact on this. Our garden and allotment are alive with pollinators but too many are sterile desserts for any type of wildlife.

We are already paying the price.

 

[furball]

Am experimenting with letting the lawn run wild. Results are a bit patchy so far, some bits just look a mess but others are pleasingly colourful.
View attachment 596773
The bees seem to like them too.
Might try sowing some wild flower seed in the autumn. Have been perusing the Scotia Seeds website, https://www.scotiaseeds.co.uk/product-category/seed-mixtures/
Are others here doing this sort of thing ?

Not sure how you are intending sowing the wildflower seeds but for them to take, to you need to sow them in prepared ground. If you just throw them on the grass all that will be achieved is well fed birds. 🐦

 

[jowwy]

I haven't seen many ladybirds or larvae this year but I think, but can't prove, the overall principle is correct. My allotment is a combination of well managed raised beds, plenty of homemade compost, everything from house and garden is recycled, and areas which are unused left to grow as nature intended. The grass is full of clover, daisies, buttercups, dandelions and vetches all of which are allowed to flower in season. I do not use any chemicals other than Tomorite.

The allotment is alive with insects. I have aphids on my peach tree. I've found two caterpillars in my broccoli when I was blanching it for the freezer.

That's it for pests this year. Nature is a balance and manicured gardens have a serious impact on this. Our garden and allotment are alive with pollinators but too many are sterile desserts for any type of wildlife.

We are already paying the price.

How do you blanch your brocolli before freezing, whats the full process you go through and what do you freeze them in???

 

[stephec]

I collect seed from wildflowers growing locally in the hedgerows.

Luckily our local council likes to turn grass verges into wild flower meadows, it won't be long now before I can go collecting seed heads from poppies, corn flowers, california poppies, and a few others that I can't remember as well.

 

[PaulSB]

How do you blanch your brocolli before freezing, whats the full process you go through and what do you freeze them in???

Break/cut the florets in to bite size pieces. Keep any stalks separate. Fill sink with cold water. Bring pan of water to the boil. Pop broccoli florets in and leave long enough to turn dark green, less than a minute, drain and plunge in to sink of water to cool rapidly. Do the same with the stalks which take slightly longer hence separating them out.

Spread out on kitchen roll or tea cloths and pat gently to dry a little. Place in freezer bags and then the freezer.

Broccoli stalks are delicious and have a creamy texture and taste.

After cutting broccoli heads from the plant if you leave the plants to grow small florets will form in the leaf axials which give a small second crop.

If you do a lot of blanching as we do - grow most of our own veg - one of these is useful. If you have surplus kale to freeze don't bother blanching as life is too short. In fact many veg can be frozen without blanching, beans in particular.

 

[jowwy]

Break/cut the florets in to bite size pieces. Keep any stalks separate. Fill sink with cold water. Bring pan of water to the boil. Pop broccoli florets in and leave long enough to turn dark green, less than a minute, drain and plunge in to sink of water to cool rapidly. Do the same with the stalks which take slightly longer hence separating them out.

Spread out on kitchen roll or tea cloths and pat gently to dry a little. Place in freezer bags and then the freezer.

Broccoli stalks are delicious and have a creamy texture and taste.

After cutting broccoli heads from the plant if you leave the plants to grow small florets will form in the leaf axials which give a small second crop.

If you do a lot of blanching as we do - grow most of our own veg - one of these is useful. If you have surplus kale to freeze don't bother blanching as life is too short. In fact many veg can be frozen without blanching, beans in particular.

View attachment 603046

Top man…….what do you freeze them in???