Search - Articles

-friendly garden should have a tree for them to perch in, and lots of dense shrubbery and climbers where they can hide from predators.Looking at the bare bones of my garden I can see why the birds aren't coming. There are lots of climbers, which, once they have

the rest have clambered over the walls, in search of sun. (The rose, sadly, has done very well.) I need to face facts: my garden is just too shady for most climbers.Whenever I walk around my garden and lament the mildew-infested clematis, limp passion

garden. Unlike climbing varieties, including Lonicera periclymenum and Lonicera japonica, it’s not a climber but a shrub, bearing honey-scented white flowers along its branches. If you do invest in winter-flowering plans, grow them where you can take

, snails and froghoppers - and, of course, I watched the plants grow. I'm trying to cover the walls and fence with climbers, and seeing these scramble over new territory has been a delight. I wonder how much they'll grow in 2011.Many of my plants came from

in and around the logs, adding to the interest. You can even plant a climber or rambler to grow over the wood.The best location for a woodpile or stumpery is in partial shade, where the wood will remain moist and therefore support more life – including

to divert to my crops.My garden is tiny and flanked by two uninspiring walls that I have difficulty growing anything up. I've only ever considered growing climbers up them, but I wonder if I can adapt the Inca system to create mini terraces to utilise