June ninth, 2022 – Summer time gardening, Ideas and inspiration
On this weblog I’m providing some cottage backyard wildlife suggestions that I’ve realized from expertise.
I’m discovering the truth of creating wildlife a precedence.
There’s a web site devoted to all issues for a wildlife backyard referred to as arkwildlife.co.uk and there Sean McMemeny has written 5 suggestions for serving to wildlife. Once I learn them all of them made sense and appeared straightforward sufficient so I’m writing at this time about what has and what hasn’t labored in apply right here in my cottage backyard.
Firstly, wildlife provides your cat one thing to take a look at whereas enjoyable indoors.
Sure her bum is that this large.
In my earlier weblog entitled Wildlife gardening – Ha! I’ve a very good grizzle about squirrels consuming my tulip bulbs so it’s not all plain crusing however total it’s price making a couple of tweaks to convey life into your backyard.
For these of us who find it irresistible, the big pleasure of seeing your backyard house energetic turns into apparent when you give it a strive. It’s exterior in any case so it might be odd if it wasn’t teeming with dwelling creatures from earwigs to pesky parakeets.
I couldn’t be with out hanging chicken feeders – birds flying round all day flip an empty house right into a backyard. Sean talks about tiered chicken feeding and that sounds a beautiful thought – meals at floor stage, at desk top after which hanging feeders. You’ll be able to then provide not solely seeds and suet but additionally mealworms and peanuts.
WITH TWO CATS round floor and desk feeders could be a no no. Even a floor feeder with a cage round it might be dangerous. Undecided robins need to come nose to nose with a tortie cat.
Feeding birds is a pricey dedication because it’s very important to supply meals all yr round. Typically the feeders are emptied in a day or two, particularly now in breeding season. I’m afraid squirrels, parakeets, pigeons and the odd magpie assist themselves too. Feeders deter them however don’t cease them fully. No level getting cross about it. Squirrel-proof feeders nonetheless want cautious siting to cease them consuming the lot.
A snag with chicken feeding – I’m discovering it practically unattainable to discover a pole that matches right into a base and doesn’t lean or wobble and can go on paving fairly than within the border. The search continues.
Bees want easy open flowers that carry nectar and pollen.
Geum, allium, cow parsley, valerian, geranium phaeum.
I like Sean’s thought of a row of pots of bee pleasant flowers having a bit of one thing blooming from March to September making a beautiful nectar filling station. Bees additionally have to drink from a shallow bowl. Right here is mine. Should admit I’m not at all times positive if bugs are consuming or drowning.
Shallow water bowl for bees
In addition to a really shallow dish of water, Sean suggests leaving out a sponge soaked in sugary water for bees.
Sean explains very properly how hedgehogs reside and what we are able to do to assist them. Sadly I haven’t seen one now for a couple of years. They’ll simply come within the backyard there are such a lot of gaps however I don’t know if there are any round right here anymore. I concern not.
Butterflies want scented open flowers for meals and nettles to breed on. In a messy cottage backyard like mine it’s straightforward for me to depart a patch of nettles however I do should cease them spreading an excessive amount of by yanking the stems out. I’d by no means eliminate nettles no matter I did so I would as properly make my peace with them. No, I don’t make nettle tea. Or nettle wine.
A nettle patch for butterflies
Small wildlife pond – straightforward to make
Go on – you understand you need to. All these TV programmes that let you know to make a pond in a dustbin lid or a washing up bowl. Give it a go. Mine is just a foot deep nevertheless it makes such a distinction.
Sadly I put it underneath a magnolia tree so each autumn it’s filled with leaves that I’ve to scoop out however I hadn’t thought it by way of. Not the top of the world as full solar wouldn’t be nice both so it’s compromise. I’ve seen newts however no frogs. Cats wish to chase frogs so simply as properly.
Good morning you two. See two of them??
Sean doesn’t point out foxes however I’ve been feeding foxes who reside within the close by woods for 18 months now. My neighbours suppose I’m a mad previous bat. The identical ones will come for a couple of months solely to vanish and new ones seem. (foxes, not neighbours).
They’re ready for meals within the morning and are available once more within the night. I like seeing them and watching them roam round. Are you able to see how they’ve made a protected sunny patch to snooze in? So beautiful to know they really feel protected in my backyard.
One snag is that they romp by way of the borders and squash issues and curl as much as doze on some selection crops however total I don’t thoughts. My regal fern is being jumped on. Undecided but what to do about that.
This fern needs to be rising to 5ft excessive nevertheless it’s being sat on.
All of us should determine what we are able to reside with. I don’t thoughts the odd rat both which is fortunate seeing as in London we’re surrounded by them despite the fact that we by no means see them.
I consider {that a} joyous backyard can be teeming with bugs, bugs, worms, birds and bees feeding, mice, squirrels (sadly) and possibly an attractive visiting fox for those who encourage them. So all of us can work out how a lot mess and muddle we’re prepared to have and simply go along with that. And lastly, when you’ve got nothing else, please take into consideration having
Simply chuck bits of backyard stuff right into a nook and go away it. It’ll be probably the most implausible house for LIFE.
My messy nook. All good and no down aspect.
Thanks for studying and if you need my month-to-month blogs to return into your inbox please go away your handle above.
Julie
Wildlife in your backyard
On this weblog I’m providing some cottage backyard wildlife suggestions that I’ve realized from expertise.
I’m discovering the truth of creating wildlife a precedence.
There’s a web site devoted to all issues for a wildlife backyard referred to as arkwildlife.co.uk and there Sean McMemeny has written 5 suggestions for serving to wildlife. Once I learn them all of them made sense and appeared straightforward sufficient so I’m writing at this time about what has and what hasn’t labored in apply right here in my cottage backyard.
Firstly, wildlife provides your cat one thing to take a look at whereas enjoyable indoors.
Sure her bum is that this large.
In my earlier weblog entitled Wildlife gardening – Ha! I’ve a very good grizzle about squirrels consuming my tulip bulbs so it’s not all plain crusing however total it’s price making a couple of tweaks to convey life into your backyard.
For these of us who find it irresistible, the big pleasure of seeing your backyard house energetic turns into apparent when you give it a strive. It’s exterior in any case so it might be odd if it wasn’t teeming with dwelling creatures from earwigs to pesky parakeets.
Feed the birds
I couldn’t be with out hanging chicken feeders – birds flying round all day flip an empty house right into a backyard. Sean talks about tiered chicken feeding and that sounds a beautiful thought – meals at floor stage, at desk top after which hanging feeders. You’ll be able to then provide not solely seeds and suet but additionally mealworms and peanuts.
WITH TWO CATS round floor and desk feeders could be a no no. Even a floor feeder with a cage round it might be dangerous. Undecided robins need to come nose to nose with a tortie cat.
Feeding birds is a pricey dedication because it’s very important to supply meals all yr round. Typically the feeders are emptied in a day or two, particularly now in breeding season. I’m afraid squirrels, parakeets, pigeons and the odd magpie assist themselves too. Feeders deter them however don’t cease them fully. No level getting cross about it. Squirrel-proof feeders nonetheless want cautious siting to cease them consuming the lot.
A snag with chicken feeding – I’m discovering it practically unattainable to discover a pole that matches right into a base and doesn’t lean or wobble and can go on paving fairly than within the border. The search continues.
Feed the bees
Bees want easy open flowers that carry nectar and pollen.
Geum, allium, cow parsley, valerian, geranium phaeum.
I like Sean’s thought of a row of pots of bee pleasant flowers having a bit of one thing blooming from March to September making a beautiful nectar filling station. Bees additionally have to drink from a shallow bowl. Right here is mine. Should admit I’m not at all times positive if bugs are consuming or drowning.
Shallow water bowl for bees
In addition to a really shallow dish of water, Sean suggests leaving out a sponge soaked in sugary water for bees.
Hedgehogs
Sean explains very properly how hedgehogs reside and what we are able to do to assist them. Sadly I haven’t seen one now for a couple of years. They’ll simply come within the backyard there are such a lot of gaps however I don’t know if there are any round right here anymore. I concern not.
Butterflies
Butterflies want scented open flowers for meals and nettles to breed on. In a messy cottage backyard like mine it’s straightforward for me to depart a patch of nettles however I do should cease them spreading an excessive amount of by yanking the stems out. I’d by no means eliminate nettles no matter I did so I would as properly make my peace with them. No, I don’t make nettle tea. Or nettle wine.
A nettle patch for butterflies
Pond
Small wildlife pond – straightforward to make
Go on – you understand you need to. All these TV programmes that let you know to make a pond in a dustbin lid or a washing up bowl. Give it a go. Mine is just a foot deep nevertheless it makes such a distinction.
Sadly I put it underneath a magnolia tree so each autumn it’s filled with leaves that I’ve to scoop out however I hadn’t thought it by way of. Not the top of the world as full solar wouldn’t be nice both so it’s compromise. I’ve seen newts however no frogs. Cats wish to chase frogs so simply as properly.
Foxes
Good morning you two. See two of them??
Sean doesn’t point out foxes however I’ve been feeding foxes who reside within the close by woods for 18 months now. My neighbours suppose I’m a mad previous bat. The identical ones will come for a couple of months solely to vanish and new ones seem. (foxes, not neighbours).
They’re ready for meals within the morning and are available once more within the night. I like seeing them and watching them roam round. Are you able to see how they’ve made a protected sunny patch to snooze in? So beautiful to know they really feel protected in my backyard.
One snag is that they romp by way of the borders and squash issues and curl as much as doze on some selection crops however total I don’t thoughts. My regal fern is being jumped on. Undecided but what to do about that.
This fern needs to be rising to 5ft excessive nevertheless it’s being sat on.
All of us should determine what we are able to reside with. I don’t thoughts the odd rat both which is fortunate seeing as in London we’re surrounded by them despite the fact that we by no means see them.
So there are my cottage backyard wildlife suggestions.
I consider {that a} joyous backyard can be teeming with bugs, bugs, worms, birds and bees feeding, mice, squirrels (sadly) and possibly an attractive visiting fox for those who encourage them. So all of us can work out how a lot mess and muddle we’re prepared to have and simply go along with that. And lastly, when you’ve got nothing else, please take into consideration having
A pile in a nook
Simply chuck bits of backyard stuff right into a nook and go away it. It’ll be probably the most implausible house for LIFE.
My messy nook. All good and no down aspect.
Thanks for studying and if you need my month-to-month blogs to return into your inbox please go away your handle above.
Julie