Tag Archives: insects

The insect hotels in our garden

Posted on May 5, 2016 by greenbenchramblings

We recently made a new insect hotel and revamped one of the older ones, so I thought I would share them with you. This post is particularly for the follower who asked about insect hotels and adding green roofs to … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, garden wildlife, natural pest control, wildlife | Tagged beneficial insects, garden insects, garden wildlife, gardening, gardening for wildlife, insect homes, insect hotels, insect shelters, insects, predatory insects, wildlife gardening | 2 Comments

The wildlife pond and hide at BAC – part one

Posted on March 22, 2015 by greenbenchramblings

When Bowbrook Allotment Community first opened we had a old farm pond on our boundary fence but it was fenced off and we had no access to it. After a few years though as the site was extended on the … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, bird watching, birds, community gardening, conservation, diy, garden buildings, garden photography, garden ponds, garden pools, garden wildlife, gardening, gardens, irises, log piles, natural pest control, recycling, renovation, Shropshire, trees | Tagged beneficial insects, Bowbrook Allotment Community, communal gardens, community gardening, community spirit, garden pond, garden projects, garden wildlife, insect homes, insect hotels, insect shelters, insects, wildlife gardening, wildlife ponds | 5 Comments

Aiming for a year round garden – our garden in August.

Posted on August 22, 2014 by greenbenchramblings

This series aims to check out if we have been successful in creating a garden for all seasons with interest throughout the year. In this post we look at our Avocet garden here in Plealey in the first week in … Continue reading →

Posted in colours, garden design, garden photography, garden wildlife, gardening, gardens, hardy perennials, ornamental grasses, ornamental trees and shrubs, outdoor sculpture, sculpture, Shropshire, shrubs, succulents, village gardens | Tagged August, foliage, garden photography, garden wildlife, gardening, grasses, insects, ornamental trees, outdoor sculpture, sculpture | 2 Comments

A Garden in January – Trentham – Part Two

Posted on January 28, 2014 by greenbenchramblings

Welcome back to Trentham in January where we find ourselves in the part of the garden featuring the Italian Garden re-designed by Tom Stuart-Smith. From the raised terraces of the Italian Parterre we can see how symmetrical and rigid the … Continue reading →

Posted in garden design, garden photography, garden pools, garden seating, gardening, gardens, gardens open to the public, grasses, hardy perennials, light, light quality, meadows, natural pest control, ornamental grasses, outdoor sculpture, trees, water in the garden, Winter Gardening, winter gardens | Tagged beneficial insects, foliage, garden photography, gardening, grasses, hardy perennials, insect shelters, insects, Italian garden style, meadows, new perennial gardening, organic gardening, organic pest control, ornamental grasses, ornamental trees, perennials, Piet Oudolf, Staffordshire, Tom Stuart-Smith, trees, Trentham Garden, Trentham Gardens, winter, winter gardens | 4 Comments

What’s on the Plots? An end of year wander around the allotments.

Posted on December 23, 2013 by greenbenchramblings

Mid-December often sees the allotment site under snow or at least coated in frost, but not this year. We wandered around today with camera in hand and we were appreciative of the bright clear blue sky overhead. The midday sun … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, birds, community gardening, fruit and veg, garden photography, garden wildlife, gardening, gardens, grasses, grow your own, hardy perennials, kitchen gardens, light, light quality, meadows, natural pest control, ornamental grasses, ornamental trees and shrubs, photography, roses, spring bulbs, wildlife, Winter Gardening | Tagged allotments, apples, birds, community gardening, foliage, foliage plants, fruit and veg, fruit and vegetable growing, garden photography, garden wildlife, gardening, grasses, insects, meadows, organic gardening, ornamental trees, spring bulbs, winter, winter garden, winter gardening, winter gardens | 4 Comments

The Wonders of Wicken

Posted on December 16, 2013 by greenbenchramblings

I am not a fan of flat land, I love hills and mountains and views. The fens are just too flat for me. But we discovered a wonderful wildlife reserve a few years ago run by the National Trust, Wicken … Continue reading →

Posted in bird watching, birds, canals, conservation, countryside, landscapes, nature reserves, Norfolk, wildlife | Tagged birds, fens, insects, wetland, wetland wildlife, wildlife

The Big Planting – a new hedge and more bulbs for the allotments.

Posted on November 21, 2013 by greenbenchramblings

In mid-November we held another working party on our allotment site, Bowbrook Allotment Community. This will be the last one this year and our aim was to plant a new hedge along the bare green fence that serves as the … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, autumn, community gardening, conservation, fruit and veg, garden wildlife, gardening, grow your own, hedgerows, natural pest control, spring bulbs, trees, wildlife | Tagged allotments, autumn, community gardening, fruit and vegetable growing, garden wildlife, gardening, grown your own, hedgerows, hedges, insects, organic gardening, voluntary working parties, Woodland Trust | 3 Comments

Mating Dragonflies

Posted on November 12, 2013 by greenbenchramblings

It is always a delight to see dragonflies or damselflies. We have them in our garden and often see them laying eggs on stems under the water’s surface and later see them emerge back up the stems where they wait … Continue reading →

Posted in autumn, gardens, wildlife | Tagged autumn, autumn colours, community gardening, dragonflies, garden photography, garden wildlife, gardening, insects, wildlife | 3 Comments

Pumpkins, a BBQ and Homes for Wildlife

Posted on November 5, 2013 by greenbenchramblings

At the end of October we held our first ever family oriented working party social day at our allotments, Bowbrook Allotment Community. It was a great success even though the whole day was spent in wellies and waterproofs. The ground … Continue reading →

Posted in allotments, autumn, community gardening, diy, garden buildings, garden wildlife, gardening, gardens, Land Art, natural pest control, recycling, Shrewsbury, wildlife | Tagged allotments, bird boxes, Bowbrook Allotments, community gardening, garden wildlife, Halloween, insect homes, insects, organic gardening, outdoor sculpture, pumpkins, wildlife, wildlife shelters | 5 Comments

Boughton House – The Gardens

Posted on September 15, 2013 by greenbenchramblings

Back to Boughton as promised and this time we are off to the more intimate gardens closer to the house. These contrast strongly with the large scale landscaping with the huge land forms. Refreshed with a good coffee and a … Continue reading →