Tag: garden wildlife

A Wander around our Garden in May

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date May 24, 2012
8 Comments on A Wander around our Garden in May

Here we are with the fifth garden wander post. And the garden is looking good! Take a wander with us and have your nose at the ready as the scents are strong.

Throughout the garden Bluebells and Wallflowers are sending out their rich sweet scent messages for all to enjoy, permeating every nook and cranny. Birdsong dominates the early hours of daylight and youngsters begging their parents for more food can be heard in every nest box. A family of fledgling Robins have taken to following us around the garden hopping and hoping our gardening activities disturb a bug or two.

We begin our wander in the front garden where we are entertained by a Spotted Flycatcher who perches on the topmost branch of the holly and sits waiting to ambush any passing insect at which he launches himself and then returns to exactly the same place to enjoy his prey and to begin all over again.

Here is our gravel garden which we call the Chatto Bed, after Beth Chatto, as after making a couple of visits to her garden we were determined to create a gravel patch which would never need watering and in true Beth Chatto style we chose plants to suit the conditions.

On the gravel our bearded irises are in healthy leaf with buds fit to burst, all but one which is already flowering, the dark, sultry Iris Cherry Garden.

Entering the shade garden we are struck by the lushness of the foliage dotted with special blooms. Apart from the Welsh Poppies and Bluebells all blooms here seem to be in unusual shades of pink at the moment.

Our Hot Border is not yet hot but gradually warming up – just on the verge of luke warm I’d say. Opposite this is Jude’s Garden which she claims is more tasteful than my Hot Border.

Moving to the side garden opposite our main house entrance is our Freda Garden, named after a lovely lady and impressive gardener who died too young a few years ago. We grow plants here that she loved.

Close by is our small collection of alpine troughs still looking good, especially the Sempervivum.

As we pass the garden shed on our way to the back garden the buzzing sounds of bees fills the air, for as the temperatures have risen in the last few days the solitary bees in our bee shelters have been hatching and emerging constantly, literally hundreds of them. They immediately head for the flowers of the Comfrey and Ceonothus we provide for them. I love this moment every spring!

And so into the back where the scent of Wallflowers and Bluebells afford us the luxury of rich sweet perfume. Rich colours burst from the vibrant fresh spring greens.

It has been a strange May so far, no flowers on any rose bushes but some narcissus still in bloom. The Cuckoo has been calling incessantly for weeks as have the Skylarks. We are bit fed up with the repetitive two note call of the Cuckoo but the beauty and complexity of the Skylark’s song means we still love listening to it.

We shall finish this wander in our Seaside Garden, part of our plot not yet featured much in my blog. Perhaps a separate post all about it will appear soon?

Tags birds, foliage plants, garden photography, garden wildlife, gardening, insects, organic gardening

fruit and veg garden design garden wildlife gardening RHS

The RHS Malvern Spring Gardening Show

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date May 16, 2012
10 Comments on The RHS Malvern Spring Gardening Show

We had a great day out at the RHS Spring Gardening Show at Malvern but we did wonder why it was called a “Spring” show, as on the day of our excursion it felt far from spring-like. Drizzle, strong bursts of cold wind and very little in the way of sunshine. As we wandered around dark threatening clouds rumbled over dark threatening hills. Underfoot the effects of the recent relentless rain could be felt. The paths got muddier and muddier as the day wore on and the groundsmen raced to put down straw and bark chip.They were just about winning the battle.

Shoppers looking out for unusual and special plants in the rows of nursery stands braved the mud underfoot and filled bags and boxes with their booty.

We were disappointed with the show gardens – we only liked parts of each one. The team responsible for the garden which was awarded the much-coveted “Best in Show” card sat at the back of their garden surrounded by empty champagne bottles and looked absolutely exhausted. We could only guess at what time they had finished their build, probably at some hour in the early morning. The planting in their garden was lush and densely packed in displaying the true spirit of the spring garden.

In other show gardens there were ideas to glean – the fire pit with wooden poles, the pink-painted sticks, beautifully planted original pots and a hollowed out tree trunk as a seat.

However the smaller gardens designed and built by school children were so impressive. We spoke to the youngsters who had created these gardens based on the theme “Sustainability for All”, and were so impressed with their knowledge and skills of communication.

This garden called “Yesterday’s Garden” was based on the post-war era when gardens were designed to provide food.

Wildlife was welcomed in this garden.

The pupils who created this unusual garden looked at how nature reclaimed places abandoned by man.

The following garden was designed and created by pupils from a middle school and featured this green roof on a shed which the pupils also built. There was a vegetable plot and other borders contained plants chosen to attract wildlife.

On top of the shed in this garden was a stick scarecrow looking down admiring the planting.

Recycling was paramount in the minds of many of the young designers. Here raised beds are made from old tyres and the far tower of tyres is a composter.

One group of pupils challenges other local schools to find recycled materials to use as planters.

As soon as we entered the floral marquee the senses were aroused, scents, sights and sounds, and we turned into two kids in a candy shop. Familiar nurseries displayed their wares alongside excited but nervous new-comers but every one was special in its own way. We were particularly taken with the acers, meconopsis, hostas, orchids, sweetpeas and insect-eating plant displays.

As usual we were on the search for new ideas for attracting wildlife to our garden and allotment – we were not to be disappointed.

One garden that seemed to be defying the wet weather was based on a dry hillside dotted with ancient olive trees and lavenders.

In my next blog we return to our day at the RHS Malvern Spring Show and look at patterns we found in plants and in gardening sundries.

Tags conservation, fruit and vegetable growing, garden wildlife, gardening, insects, Malvern Show, RHS

garden wildlife gardening hardy perennials ornamental trees and shrubs shrubs trees Uncategorized

Our Wildlife Garden – gardening for wildlife, gardening with wildlife.

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date May 9, 2012
11 Comments on Our Wildlife Garden – gardening for wildlife, gardening with wildlife.

It is easy to create secretive and decorative nesting places for bees.

We always describe our garden as being wildlife friendly. But what makes it good for wildlife? What elements of our garden invite wildlife in? We are proud of the fact that we have gardened with organic principles at the front of our minds for decades. A garden cannot be regarded as wildlife friendly if the gardener is not working with these principles constantly driving what goes on.

We make deliberate decisions to attract wildlife by providing food, shelter and nesting places. Each time a plant is bought, a bed restructured or new beds made, wildlife is a factor. Equally how we manage the garden has to be friendly towards our natural friends.

But let’s be honest, we don’t do all these things just for wildlife, as there is a selfish element to it. We like being surrounded by birds, butterflies, insects et al. We need to hear, see and experience the natural history of our plot. A cup of coffee outside is all the better if accompanied by the song of birds, the movement and colour of butterflies and the constant flittering of insects.

I have recently read a wonderfully informative and thought-provoking book by John Walker entitled “How to Create an Eco Garden”, and in it he proposes the concept of “eco-fitting” your garden. This idea is all about making the garden “more self-sustaining, less wasteful of valuable resources, more reliant on renewable sources of energy and friendlier to wildlife”. This will provide a useful guide when considering the content of my blog, and it will be at the forefront of my mind as we go on a journey around our garden looking at how we make it good for wildlife.

Throughout the garden, the trees and shrubs we have planted were chosen partly for their berries to feed the birds, blossom to attract pollinators and how well they give shelter, homes and nesting places.

The dark berries of mahonias are enjoyed by Blackbirds but only after all the red berries around have been eaten.

Apple blossom provides pollen for bees and hoverflies early in the year and fruit for us later on. Fruit that rots in store or goes too wrinkled is put out for Blackbirds and Thrushes to enjoy.

Look into our front garden and in full view of all windows is one of our three bird feeding centres where we provide mixed seeds, peanuts, suet balls and suet blocks. The front lawn supports White Clover and Dog Violets both loved by bees. Although we cut the grass and keep it quite short these wildflowers react by flowering on shorter stems. We use no weed killers or fertilisers on our grass as we enjoy knowing that Blackbirds can safely feed there. Tawny Lawn Bees make their homes here and in the gravel patch alongside. They make miniature volcano shaped piles of fine soil as they construct their tunnels.

IMG_3493a — The beautifully coloured miner bee, the Tawny Lawn Bee.

A mini-volcano on our gravel made by a bee.

The old Oak stump as ferns and grasses are just beginning to grow in early May.

We have an old Oak stump around which we grow ferns and grasses. The Wrens, Robins, Warblers and Dunnock soon recognised this as a home for the insects they enjoy eating.

All of our outbuildings are clothed with climbers to provide shelter, food and nesting places for wildlife. You can just spot the robin box in amongst the honeysuckle and rose.

IMG_3718-1 — The old trug hides behind climbers to attract blackbirds to nest

In our side garden opposite our main door are bird boxes for Robins, Tits and House Sparrows and an old trug was placed in a dogwood to provide a nest shelf for Blackbirds. On the shed there and the fence we grow Honeysuckles and Climbing Roses to provide shelter for wildlife and nest sites for Wrens and blackbirds. The Apple Trees growing in large terra-cotta pots are favourites of bees early in the spring, and in other large flower pots we have sown mini-meadows of wild flowers.

An assortment of insect shelters and nesting holes on the garden shed, attract droves of solitary bees who nest in the holes.

Wrens nest in the roosting pouch every year even though it is right above the shed door.

Into the back garden and immediately we spot the insect hotel, which sits in amongst our comfrey bed. The leaves of the comfrey provide us with our organic plant food and their flowers are loved by bees and hoverflies.

Luxury accommodation for beneficial insects.

Nest boxes are scattered throughout the garden wherever we can find a suitable space. Most are used by members of the Titmice family or Robins. Our trained fruit trees and climbing roses are favourite nesting places. Last year a pair of Goldfinches nested in a climbing rose called Goldfinch – they must have read the label!

IMG_3713-1 — A favourite with our Robins.

A pair of Collared Doves is nesting on top of one of our Apple Arches. We can see the eggs and sitting adult dove through the twiggy nest as we pass beneath.

Throughout the borders we select plants with simple flowers, rarely doubles, and grow several native plants such as Red Campion, Cowslip, Foxglove and Cow Parsley.

IMG_3714-1 — The beautiful flowers of our native Red Campion.

Towards the bottom of the garden is our wildlife pond all planted up with native plants, whereas the bog garden alongside is a mix of native and more exotic plants. The pool and bog are popular with our resident amphibians, toads, frogs ands newts as well as Dragonflies and Damsel Flies which breed in the pool. Birds use the shallow pebble beach area for bathing. Beneath the water live diving beetles and water boatmen, and on the surface Pond Skaters skim arouns on the surface film.

Our wildlife pool – a favourite place to watch wildlife.

Beyond the pool and chicken run is a strip of wild grass about 6 feet wide which gives us access to the surrounding countryside. We cut this grass to attract Green Woodpeckers who come down to feed here. We grow a pair of Hazel bushes here which gives safe place to approach one of our bird feeding stations in the winter, give nuts for Jays in the autumn and every few years gives us poles to use as bean poles and brash to use as pea sticks.

One of our Hazel bushes just prior to coppicing.

This quick wander around our garden shows some of the wildlife friendly features we enjoy. Our whole garden is a little reserve where we hope wildlife can feel welcomed and safe.

Tags birds, conservation, garden wildlife, gardening, insects, organic gardening, ornamental trees, wildlife

allotments birds community gardening fruit and veg garden photography garden wildlife gardening grow your own meadows natural pest control wildlife

A Wander around our Allotments in April

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date April 24, 2012
12 Comments on A Wander around our Allotments in April

The key moment in April came when our allotments featured in a national gardening magazine, “Grow It”. A great article full of photos! And then towards the end of the month the lottie chairman, John and I were interviewed by Matt Biggs for an article in the “Edible Garden” magazine. (Please excuse the name dropping!)

So let’s take a wander around the site starting at our own plot, number 37, where the last of the leeks are still in the ground but the kale is beginning to go to seed. Seeds we sowed a few weeks ago are now germinating and popping their heads above the soil. The autumn sown broad beans are flowering as are our currants and gooseberries. So it is all systems go.

Jude harvesting the last of the leeks with our Wolf weeding tool.

The incredibly coloured flowers of Crimson-flowered Broad Bean.

As we began our wander we were pleased to see two families from the nearby estate wandering around our interest trail with their children. Later they were sat in the willow dome reading stories. This is what community allotments are all about! We shall start our wanderings at Hut 2, one of our communal huts and move on to the Autumn Garden, one of our “Gardens of the Seasons”.

Colourful welcome to Hut 2, our information centre.

A species crab apple, Malus floribunda, is a recent addition to the Autumn Garden.

We planted the malus to attract bees - it works!

Japanese maples grow in the dappled shade of the trees in the Autumn Garden

Moving on from the Autumn Garden towards the first communal orchard we follow a native hedge in which for the first time a Song Thrush has nested. the parents are busy feeding their young and collect worms and bugs from plots right under the noses of the gardeners.

April lottie 2 — Thrush collecting food for its youngsters.

SAMSUNG — The empty thrush egg we found a few weeks ago alongside the hedge.

We are trying to encourage wise watering on the plots so lots of new guttering and butts are appearing.

In Crowmeole Orchard flowering spring bulbs are coming to an end as Camassias and Allium push up their flowering buds. The apples, pears and plums are covered in pink or white blossom.

Blackthorn - bees love the blossom, birds love the fruit and allotment holders love to make sloe gin from them.

Homes for beneficial insects who will help pollinate the fruit and predate on pests.

The Fruit Avenue getting more colourful by the day.

As we wandered through this orchard a flock of Long Tailed tits in their pink and brown livery flew off in the bouncing flight pattern, having fed on the peanuts in the feeders. Their long trailing tails followed on. We moved on following paths between plots towards the Spring Garden and Sensory Garden near the old oak tree. Plots are full of ridged rows of sown potatoes and white plastic plant labels marking newly sown rows.

Phil and Doreen have planted up a border alongside their plot.

Several plot holders are topping up their paths with wood chip.

The Spring Garden in its second spring is looking so good and has become a popular place for allotment holders and visitors.

The most colourful spot on the site in April is the Spring Garden.

Forsythia flowering in the Spring Garden.

Through the Willow Tunnel is one of our many picnic benches where we stop for coffee on our April wanderings. As we enjoyed our brew curlews called in nearby fields with their mournful song and the Great Spotted Woodpeckers flew busily overhead.

IMG_3602a — We have just started to shape the willows into a tunnel.

The Sensory Garden is growing well now the weather is warming up.

The Winter Garden has passed its peak after being so popular for months. We have been busy giving it a sort out.

The stems of the White Stemmed Rubus look magical in the spring sunshine.

The dogwoods and willows grown for their coloured stems have been pruned hard to encourage fresh wands of growth.

Fresh Fennel foliage in front of a Euphorbia.

We wandered next through the Woodcote Orchard where the paths are cut short and neatly through the long grass, and looked at the Turf Spiral, a favourite of the children.

Follow the trail post down the neat path.

We have been adding another layer of turf to the spiral to create somewhere to sit.

Our final stop on the way back to the car park was the Herb Garden where herbs are now well established. This last section of our lottie wander took a lot longer than the others as we enjoyed a good chat with Dave and Jean. We put the world to rights and shared details of how all our crops were getting on.

Tags allotments, apples, birds, community gardening, conservation, dogwoods, fruit and veg, fruit and vegetable growing, fruit., garden photography, garden wildlife, gardening, grown your own, insects, meadows, organic gardening, roses, spring garden, wildlife

birds garden design garden photography garden wildlife gardening hardy perennials ornamental grasses ornamental trees and shrubs photography shrubs trees

A Wander around our Garden in April.

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date April 16, 2012
6 Comments on A Wander around our Garden in April.

DSC_0003ab — Flowering Currant and Muscari.

It is already into the fourth month of the year and so this is the fourth in this monthly series of garden wandering posts. So much happens in April, so many plants start into growth, so many seeds are sown and the weather changes so often. Frost, hail, sun, mild, cold, windy, calm – everything comes randomly and we gardeners get caught out inappropriately clothed. Wildlife is equally confused, with bees, hoverflies, butterflies and wasps appearing on warmer days and disappearing as soon as it cools down again.

DSC_0004-3 — Taking advantage of some bonus sunshine.

Some spring bulbs are going over while others are in full swing, some tree blossoms are going over while others are just coming into flower. There is so much to do in the garden, productive or ornamental, and it feels good to be out there doing it.

As soon as April arrives we know the garden will look and feel differently every day. Come around our garden with me and my camera and see what is going on.

The front garden glows in the afternoon sunshine, with every shade of green in new herbaceous growth splattered with the many colours of bulbs.

The Shade Garden is soon to reach its peak time, with its fresh leafy growth and the tiny, pale jewels of flowers. Pulmonarias, Dicentras, Anemones, Arums and Corydalis are all budding up and beginning to flower while the ferns are hardly showing any signs of awakening.

DSC_0013-1 — The Shade Garden bursting into life.

DSC_0020-3 — Silver splashed Arum leaves.

On the gravel patch, which we call our “Chatto Garden”, new foliage is bursting through. Irises, Euphorbias are starting into healthy growth. The large terra-cotta pot of bulbs is bubbling over with the blue of Muscari and a sprinkling of tiny mauve species Tulips.

DSC_0035-2 — The glaucous sword shaped iris leaves.

DSC_0026-3 — Spears of Euphorbia griffithii "Dixter" piercing the gravel.

DSC_0032-3 — The thistle like spiked and variegated Galactites tomentosa.

DSC_0029-2 — Muscari blue and tulip mauve give a gentle colourway to the big pot.

DSC_0038-2 — Bright welcome at the gate - yellow Mahonia and red Cydonia.

Trees and shrubs are a little later coming to life in the spring, the miniature Chestnut’ sticky buds are only just bursting while the Amelanchier lamarckii and Spiraea “The Bride” are in their full white ball gowns.

DSC_0042-1 — "The Bride" is always such a good arching shape.

DSC_0046-2 — The long arching raceme of Spiraea.

DSC_0055-2 — Amelanchier blossom like delicate stars.

DSC_0041-4 — Chestnut buds burst out in salmons, russets and reds.

In the side garden by our main entrance the two potted apple trees are in full flower, with blossoms of many shades of pink, promising lots of juicy fruit to enjoy. We have added a second House Sparrow nesting box giving six nest holes altogether and hopefully a little less noisy bickering. The new box is apartment living as opposed to the terraced original. Right by our doorstep is a pot of violas in an unusual colour combination of blue and brown. In front of the garage door our replanted alpine troughs are beginning to come to life.

DSC_0064-1 — Our miniature apple trees welcome callers.

DSC_0066-2 — Apple blossoms - pink beauties.

Alpine troughs protected from the cold winds.

DSC_0065-1 — Unusual colour combination.

Wandering into the back garden it is hard to know where to point the lens first as so much is happening. The fruit trees are in blossom, tulips add their jewel colours in every border and new leaves are appearing on most shrubs and perennials.

DSC_0079-1 — A mass of Damson blossom against a blue sky.

DSC_0128a — Jude, "The Undergardener" at work in the "Shed Bed".

The garden is full of sound, scents and movement. In the pools Pond Skaters perform their dances on the surface and tadpoles wriggle in black masses in the shallow pebble bay. Around each flowering shrub bees and hoverflies flit and buzz. In nearby fields Skylarks sing their “high in the sky” songs and the haunting call of Curlews reach us from the damp land alongside the nearby fishery. But the strangest sound of all is the regular sound of Tawny Owls calling to each other – have they lost their biological clocks? The calling starts mid-afternoon on most days.

DSC_0105-3 — Lush growth at the pool side.

Scent is provided by Viburnum, Mahonias, Wallflowers, Flowering Currants, Hyancinths, Daffodils and the last of the flowers on the Daphnes. Herby scents come with the new fresh greens of the mints, thymes, marjorams and fennel.

DSC_0022-1 — Strong in scent beautiful in colour, the last flowers on the Daphne.

DSC_0097-1 — The complex flower head of a viburnum.

In the Secret Garden it is the tulips that take centre stage, in so many colours and shapes.

Some of the most impressive new foliage is to be found on our acers, growing under the trees we grow as a wind break, acid green, lemon yellow, flaming orange and salmon.

DSC_0119a — New brightly coloured foliage shines in mottled shade.

DSC_0107-3 — Glowing red fresh, new leaves.

We have eventually relented and cut down the last of our many grasses. We leave them as late as possible and often leave some too late and end up cutting new growth coming up within the old. This Miscanthus napalensis was left until last, understandably.

Just to show how fickle the month of April can be, the day after I took the photos for this blog we woke to three inches of snow and large flakes continued to fall all morning. Many tulips and daffodils were flattened and our clump of Black Bamboo was pinned to the ground by the sheer weight of snow.

I shall finish with two shots – one before the snow and one after. This lovely old oak tree root is our miniature stumpery – all we have room for!

Tags apples, April, birds, chestnuts, foliage, foliage plants, fruit and veg, fruit and vegetable growing, fruit., garden photography, garden wildlife, gardening, grasses, greenhouse gardening, grown your own, ornamental trees, scented plants, tulips, viburnum

allotments birds community gardening conservation fruit and veg garden photography garden wildlife gardening grow your own meadows natural pest control wildlife

A Day on the Lottie – mini-meadows and brassicas.

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date April 10, 2012
4 Comments on A Day on the Lottie – mini-meadows and brassicas.

Yesterday we spent the day up at our allotment, with the aim of sowing mini-meadows and planting out Brassica plants. But firstly the grass paths separating the plot into its four beds needed a good cut. That done we prepared two narrow borders along one edge of the plot, raking the soil finely but adding no fertilisers or organic matter, for this is where we were creating our mini-meadows.

We sowed a mixture of 3 packets, a white cornflower called “Snowman” a native cornfield mixture and a Californian wildflower mixture. It seemed so strange to feel how light the seeds felt in my hand – a meadow in the palm of my hand.

We hope that our little strips of meadow will look good for us and fellow plotholders to enjoy, attract beneficial insects and bring in attractive butterflies. We particularly want bees to arrive to help with crop pollination. And of course they all entertain us while we are gardening.

After a quick coffee we scattered chicken muck pellets and fish, blood and bone fertiliser onto our brassica bed and raked them in well. I then trod over the area to firm the ground and raked again. Brassicas enjoy firm soil and they are less likely to bolt and help them fill out better.

We decided to plant the Brassica plants in trenches with raised sides to act as min-dikes. With all the talk of drought and possible hose pipe bans we are trying out ways of watering wisely. These trenches should ensure that any rain is directed towards the plants.

We packed away our tools and locked up the shed after a busy, productive couple of hours. Back to the community hut to collect one of the site mowers and the grass strimmer, and we were off to mow the grass around the community meadow area and the turf spiral. But we wandered around the site first and found three real little gems.

This first gem we found was a native fritillary growing in a batch in the first of the community orchards and the second, a more unusual fritillary, in a small patch in the Hazel Grove.

The third gem was a hatched shell near one of the native hedgerows. This little sky blue beauty is the egg of a Song Thrush, so we were delighted to find it. Thrushes are becoming more frequent on the site as our community wildlife areas are becoming more established. We often see them feeding under the feeding stations or rummaging in the leaf litter beneath the hedges.

We mowed and trimmed for a couple of hours before our backs shouted “Enough! Enough!”

Tags allotments, birds, brassicas, community gardening, conservation, fritilaries, fruit and veg, fruit and vegetable growing, garden photography, garden wildlife, gardening, grown your own, insects, meadows, organic gardening, song thrush, wildlife

allotments birds fruit and veg garden photography garden wildlife gardening grow your own meadows natural pest control Shropshire wildlife

Our Wildlife Friendly Allotment – Gardening for Wildlife Gardening with Wildlife

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date March 31, 2012
9 Comments on Our Wildlife Friendly Allotment – Gardening for Wildlife Gardening with Wildlife

Our allotment plot is only about 150 square metres but we cultivate it with wildlife in mind and have several features to actively attract the wildlife that can support our gardening efforts. We endeavour to garden for wildlife and with wildlife. Some we attract some is here anyway.

Many beneficial insects are attracted onto our plot to help us fight pests and pollinate our fruit and veg. The most important insect predators are probably Ladybirds. Lacewings and Hoverflies. Their larvae are voracious pest eaters.

We have created an insect hotel on our plot to attract the beneficial predatory insects. Our “hotel” is made from bricks with holes of varying sizes, wooden posts drilled with holes and every available gap filled with twigs, canes, cones, dried grass, in fact anything that may be seen by insects as somewhere to shelter and to hibernate. On its roof we grow Sedum which will flower and attract more insects and we have added a log for insects to hide under. We know it works as in the spring on warm days Ladybirds pour out to sun themselves on the bricks which hold warmth.

We encourage birds to visit our plot to feed off pests who want to eat the leaves of our crops. Our bird feeders attract Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Longtailed Tits and Great Tits who feed particularly greedily on aphids and caterpillars. We have also put bird boxes up to encourage birds to raise their young, both open-fronted boxes for Robins and holed boxes for members of the tit family, as well as roosting pouches for Wrens. the birds are so confident now that they use the feeders when we are gardening close by.

Flowers decorate the plot for our own enjoyment and the feel-good factor, but we only grow flowering plants that attract wildlife such as Sedum, Marjorams, Cowslips, Primroses and Evening Primroses that will attract butterflies, bees and hoverflies. Some species of butterfly overwinter by hibernating in our shed as adults or as larvae. The one in the photo took a fancy to my hat hanging on the shed door as his winter haunt.

The Tortoiseshell Butterfly is exploring the flower buds of our Sedum, which once fully in flower is busy with insect life.

We leave some plants to go to seed each year for wildlife. The Fennel’s yellow umbrella’s of flowers attract wasps and hoverflies. Wasps are useful on a plot as they are the only insect that will consume the caterpillars of Cabbage White Butterflies.

The seed heads of Globe Artichoke are a magnet for finches especially Goldfinches, but when in flower they bring in the bees.

Our next plan is to develop a strip of wildflowers so that we have our very own mini-meadow. This will also act as a Beetle Bank attracting beetles into the shade of the plants, and we need beetles on our plot as they consume slugs and their eggs. We leave bundles of sticks around and these attract the best predatory beetle of all, the Violet Ground Beetle, which we see whenever we cultivate soil or do any weeding. the males are large with iridescent violet wingcases.

It goes without saying that we garden organically, we mulch a lot and grow green manures to protect the soil. The health and well-being of our soil is of paramount importance. We only feed it with natural materials to provide nutrients – manure, compost, green manures, seaweed feed and our own comfrey liquid feed. We maintain two compost bins on the plot.

The front edge of the plot is planted with wildflowers as a narrow border in front of the first row of fruit bushes. They bring in insects and give a welcome to visitors. Calendula and Heartsease self seed there each year so never need to be re-sown. They make enough green growth to be useful addition to the compost bins.

The next gardening for wildlife blog will be about our garden at home and its wildlife.

Tags allotments, birds, conservation, fruit and veg, fruit and vegetable growing, garden wildlife, grown your own, insects, meadows, wildlife

allotments community gardening conservation gardening grow your own meadows wildlife

Now that’s what I call a working party!

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date March 24, 2012
6 Comments on Now that’s what I call a working party!

Today we held our first allotment working party of 2012. Once or twice a month throughout the year I organise working parties to develop and maintain the communal areas at our site, Bowbrook Allotment Community. These communal areas are for the enjoyment of our allotment holders, the local residents, school groups, nature and gardening clubs etc. We have a small sub-committee of the main allotments management committee which is responsible for these areas, The Green Spaces Committee. We invite volunteers to join us at our regular working parties.

At 9:00 am we opened up the site gates and collected up the tools and machinery we might need. The day started foggy and chilly, just 6 degrees bu the forecast was optimistic. fifteen volunteers turned up with trowels, forks, spades and flasks of coffee. The mowers and strimmers were fueled and readied for some hard work.

Geoff on hands and knees planting in the mist.

Ian popping plug plants out of their trays.

Jude, Anthony and Dave preparing planting holes for the plug plants.

By coffee time the light had improved as the mist cleared. The sky turned blue and temperatures rose so jackets were removed as we retired to the picnic benches. The temperature rose to a hefty 20 degrees.

A well-earned rest and coffee for Ian and John.

After our coffee break we moved on to planting more plugs in other meadow areas, under the bushes in the Hazel Grove and on the Wildlife Banks.

Dee and John planting under the Sycamore tree.

Dee, John and Tracy planting in the wetter meadow area.

After a mid-day break for lunch we moved over to the one of the orchards to plant more wildflowers amongst the trees.

Jude, still on hands and knees, in the orchard.

Finishing our day’s work planting in the orchard was extra rewarding as here we could appreciate the fruits of our labours. During working parties in the autumn we planted bulbs such as Fritilleries, Muscari, Narcissi and Alliums, and today many were in flower attracting bees and butterflies.

Native Daffodils flowering away under the apple trees.

The star flower of the orchard, the Snakeshead Fritillery.

Turn over, peer inside and find more magic.

So what could fifteen volunteers achieve on a sunny March day? We planted over 2500 wildflower plants to enhance our communal meadows! An amazing day!

Now that’s what I call a working party!

Tags allotments, apples, community gardening, conservation, fruit and vegetable growing, garden wildlife, gardening, meadows, wildlife

allotments birds community gardening conservation fruit and veg garden photography garden wildlife gardening grow your own hardy perennials natural pest control trees wildlife winter gardens

A Wander Around the Allotments in March

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date March 22, 2012
10 Comments on A Wander Around the Allotments in March

The third wander around the allotments at Bowbrook already! We were expecting a warm bright day but it turned out misty with a chill in the air. So much work has been done to the plots with many allotmenteers all ready for the coming growing season. Tree surgeons have been to do a bit of work on our mature Sycamore tree and the resulting wood has been put to good. The shredded wood is being used by some plot holders to surface their paths, some branches have been used to create a brash pile and some logs used to create a big impressive log pile.

Our welcome message on the wall of our composting toilet.

To welcome visitors and plotholders to the site we have planted up two half-barrels outside the gateway and opposite the gate on the edge of a plot we have our posh main site sign which features a map of the site, our mission statement and photos of the main functions of the site.

Let’s begin the wander with a look at what is going on our own plot, number 37. We are just about ready for the 2012 season with soil dug over composted and raked. The kale which we have overwintered looks very healthy with its wonderfully coloured crinkle edged leaves of glaucous green, purple and pink.

The perennials in out “Bee and Bug Border” are producing new shoots. These plants are grown to attract beneficial insects both predators and pollinators, such as bees, hoverflies and lacewing.

Our bean poles, made from coppiced Hazel, are up ready for Runner Beans to climb when planted out in late May and behind them we have cloches warming the ground for early plantings of Carrots, Parsnips and Beetroot. If the weather is kind we shall sow these seeds at the end of this month.

This Ladybird sheltering near our shed lock is hoping for some sun to get warmed up a bit.

After a quick perusal of our site we began the wander around the whole allotment field, starting in the car park where Daffodils give a golden welcome as plotters arrive to work or enjoy the communal spaces. Each September we hold a “Donate a Daffodil Day” when members are asked to donate bulbs which are then planted around the site by volunteers on one of our working parties. In the first year alone we had over a thousand bulbs donated and planted several hundred in the car park border and on the grass verge alongside our entrance gates.

Moving on down towards the first communal orchard we spotted this insect hotel on Wendy’s plot and admired Tracy’s rhubarb which is well advanced.

The first of the community orchards is alongside Tracy’s lottie and she looks after its maintenance, mowing the grass paths, pruning the apples, pears, plums and damsons and generally keeping it neat and tidy. She also looks after the Fruit Avenue leading away from the orchard. She is a great asset! At the moment daffodils and crocuses are flowering between the fruit and in the avenue muscari are in flower. Bees are busy exploring these early flowers.

Our wander then took us through the Fruit Avenue with “super fruits” planted on both sides, out alongside Alan’s plot, affectionately known as “The Blue Plot”.

Blue alkathene water pipes are very popular around the site as effective ways of holding fleece or netting covers to protect crops. Wandering further on around the trail towards the Spring Garden we passed a plot that is always good to see as some interesting projects seem to on the go. Today we noticed that she had started to create a herb garden with tree stumps as seats and herbs in the ground around them and in a half-barrel planter. She is always building something – she seems very good at d.i.y. She made her raised beds which we saw have already got some early sowings in.

Behind this plot is the Spring Garden which is looked after by two other volunteers, Jill and Geoff, who keep it looking immaculate. Of course it is now beginning to reach its peak time. Bulbs are well up and some flowering, perennials are showing fresh green growth and the Violet Willow is covered in its sparkling white pussy willow buds.

Moving on from the Spring Garden, as we followed the trail, we noticed Blue Tits exploring the nest boxes. Beyond our big old Oak is the new log pile created with logs left by the tree surgeon after his safety work on our mature trees. The log pile will soon be home to Dunnock and Wren and as it begins to rot down insects, invertebrates and beetles will move in.

We soon reach the Winter Garden which continues to look impressive, full of interesting bark and stems on trees and shrubs and colourful flowers on bulbs and early herbaceous plants.

Some crops still look good after the winter and continue to give plot holders some good pickings. These brassicas, Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Cabbage look very healthy and appetising.

The beautifully coloured Red Veined Sorrel in the photo above is already putting on plenty of fresh leaves ready for harvesting, whereas the beautifully coloured flowers of Purple Sprouting Broccoli are now ready for enjoying after the plant has been standing through the winter.

Lots of our plot holders displays plaques with garden related sayings on for the amusement of all. How about this one to finish our March wanderings around the site?

Tags allotments, birds, community gardening, foliage, foliage plants, fruit and veg, fruit and vegetable growing, fruit., garden photography, garden wildlife, gardening, grown your own, harvest, insects, ornamental trees, spring, wildlife, winter, winter gardens

birds garden photography garden wildlife gardening grow your own

You can tell that Spring is not far away when …….

Post author By greenbenchramblings
Post date March 19, 2012
6 Comments on You can tell that Spring is not far away when …….

You can tell that Spring is not far away when

we can enjoy a cup of coffee in the garden without jackets on, and from our special gardening mugs,

and when we prick out the first tomato seedlings,

and when Tulips and Wallflowers flower side by side and clash,

and when all around us Blackbirds sing loudly proclaiming their territorial rights and the song of Goldfinches and Greenfinches fill the air,

and when the first fruit blossom opens,

and when you can finish the day off by making your first harvest of your “cut-and-come -again” salad and herb leaves, and then eat them with eggs produced by your own chickens.