Mark Feather

Gardening For Wildlife

Thank you to everybody for your replies and advice.

 

I think i'm a little late to put snowdrops in this year now as my local garden centres have all run out. Something to do next September / October now.

Thought about this short list in the spring this nexty year along with the purchase of a Rowan Tree.

Origanum Vulgare Bowles's Mauve Verbena Bonariensis Lavandula Aagustifolia Buddleja Davidii Hedera Hibernica   A pond to dig over the winter with "No Fish", a couple of bird boxes and a box for Tawny Owls in the Sycamore tree, too late now for this year but if i can get it up over this winter it's in place and weathered for there breeding season next year.   Thank you Sarah for your recomended book, i'll see if i can find a copy and get one over the next few days.

Gardening For Wildlife

Since late June already had..........

Holly Blue, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Orange Tip, Painted Lady, Comma and Peacock butterflies. Several Dragonflies and a few unidentified darters

Fox, Grey Squirel, Hedgehog, Mice and Stoat.

Common Frog and Adder, one inside the house!

Pipistrel bat.

All the more common birds and cattle egret, common and arctic terns over head, artic skua over, merlin in the garden, common redstart, firecrest (Not Goldcrest) and brambling.

Starling and house sparrows nesting in the roof this summer.

Gardening For Wildlife

Thank you for your reply.

Having tried googling plants to use it's so confusing as a total complete begginer like me.

So many plant groups, species and sub species to choose from.

Buddleia is one i have in mind but is there a specific Buddleia that better than others. Thought about a service tree, a Mountain Ash but again which one is best?. Thought about catoneasters but again sooooo many to choose from!

Friends and family say get this get that but which one's the right one to get.

Some service trees loose there berries to the birds real fast, some trees appear not to be so popular but loose there berries to the birds over the winter eventually whilst other trees keep there berries because the birds don't want them for some reason and yet to me they all look the same and they are all supposed to be "Good for the Birds".

The garden centres just want to sell you a tree, doesn't matter which one and there'll tell you its good for the birds even if its not to get a sale, that's my experience thus far.

Gardening For Wildlife

Having purchased a new home with a large small garden i'm in need of a little help and advice to get started thus i hope avioding mistakes along the way.

The Garden........

Well it's in a small East Yorkshire town called Hornsea and sandwiched between the RSPB reserve Hornsea Mere and the sea. The garden is in the town centre and within 1/2 mile of the beach and yet in a quaint private and quiet part of the town surrounded by several other gardens etc in a low lying area. It's largely sheltered from strong winds etc.

When i bought the house late June 2012 the garden was inaccessible "No Joke" and now i have a blank canvas to work with, start from afresh.

The house is south facing with the garden at the front which is triangular in shape. At the house the garden is approx 20m wide which narrows to a point some 30m to 35m away where there is an old mature Sycamore Tree. At mid day in summer the sun is directly over the top of the tree shinning down into the garden and directly at the front of the house.  To one side there is an ancient Privet hedge and the other a fairly high old brick wall.  From the front door the garden rises up the garden, the base of the Sycamore tree is roughly 2m higher than the front door step.  In the garden at the moment there is a small very mature Apple tree and an amazingly big and old Berberis and a couple of very small Holly trees.

I have decided to garden for wildlife and have decided on a pond fairly close to the house so that its visible from the windows. A feeding station too.

But can anybody help with plants etc that i should put in.

I've been a naturalist and a birdwatcher for years but i have no idea at all when it comes to gardening, never had a garden before.

Help much needed and appeciated.

Gardening For Wildlife

From The Begining!