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Want to share your gardening exploits with the rest of us, got a question about a plant or looking for some ideas on gardening for wildlife or do you just want to show off your garden? Well then the greenfingers forum is for you.
It is part of the Homes for Wildlife group so if you want to post you will have to join, look for the icon on the right hand side of the page! This post will remain sticky on the homepage for a while to help you find it, otherwise you can get here by looking in wildlife and the Homes for Wildlife.
What better way to introduce your garden than posting a picture or tour of your own little patch of nature. So whatever garden space you have be it balcony, patio or postage stamp garden to acres of lovingly tended garden space, it would be great to see what you are getting up to! Here is a quick glimpse into my garden to get the ball rolling...
Plants are a dwarf gorse and a berberris and these are common frogs!
Warden Intern at Otmoor.
Unknown said: Any ideas what this is growing at the bottom of a feeder, it has spikes on the stem, i hope i'm wrong in what i'm thinking lol
Any ideas what this is growing at the bottom of a feeder, it has spikes on the stem, i hope i'm wrong in what i'm thinking lol
Hi Alan
Any updates on this mystery plant?
Wow, that has sprouted, still puzzling me as to what it is, the flower head should be conclusive! The big pink bloom is rosebay willowherb, i've got a patch growing right outside my front window, the bees seem to like it, not sure my neighbours agree!
Really glad I've found this forum so I've been out in the garden taking pics. Need to reduce them in size and then I'll post :-)
Annie
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
Einstein
YIPPPPEEEEE YIPPPPEEEEEE I've found greenfingers again at last!!!
Thanks for the link Alan I was having withdrawal symptoms!! LOL
Oh I have sooooooo much to report on from Higgy's garden, which has gone manic recently with lots of new wildlife species turning up already this year! So much so that I have struggled to keep up with them all, but quite a satisfaction that all the hard work and research on plants and habitats etc is now really starting to pay off!
More importantly I need to catch up on what all you lot have been doing so I have a 'little' reading to do first I reckon!...
As a taster of what I've been up to and before I post up proper, here's a few pictures from the garden that have been taken recently....
1. Sorry posted elsewhere but a general overview....
(lots of family fun as well as wildlife!!)
2. First resident in the new wildlife pond only a few weeks after it was filled!!....
3. Lots of new arrivals....
4. Other types of new arrivals!!!....
5. Old friends....
6. PESTS!!!.....
And.......
7. Natural PEST control & discovering the balance of nature....
8. Discovery of this years best attractor of pollinators....
9. Family fun and enjoyment!!.... (and a few more logs to rot down for wildlife!!)
10. Lazy summer days....
So there you have it a brief update of the garden and it's use this year to wet your apetite.....
I shall now go and read up to see what I've missed and to catch up on all the news!...
See you all later
Best
Higgy
So glad you found it again Higgy and what a fantastic garden you have.
It's looking great Higgy, thanks for the update! I couldn't help noticing the handy brush work on the logs, very bold!
Looking forward to seeing your posts Apple! I've just planted up the pond that I am in charge of at my new digs, it's got some frogs in already and plenty of fly larvae...will get a pciture up when I can!
Ian H said:Looking forward to seeing your posts Apple!
Yep I'll second that!
Ian H said:I've just planted up the pond that I am in charge of at my new digs, it's got some frogs in already and plenty of fly larvae...will get a pciture up when I can!
And looking forward to seeing this also Ian...
Well I wanted to include more logs for wildlife but need to consider my daughters needs also. I noticed when I've picked her up from school she always plays on the balancing logs in the playground so I thought 'we'll have some of them at home!' My neighbour cut down a massive willow tree last year and you know me I didn't want to see it go to waste so I reclaimed and recycled the logs from it!!...
The pink colours on top just make them mean more to her and gives her some ownership of them. As they start rotting from below I shall encourage her to explore the bugs and beetles that live under them so educational as well. See there is some method in my madness!!!
I describe my garden as "unashamedly wild". I don't have a great deal of time for it so what nature puts there tends to grow unless it's going to cause a problem e.g. a tree in the wrong place. I'm thinking about how I can improve it so will be back for hints and tips but in the meantime here's a couple of picture.
Abelia. Bought as a small shrub years ago, is now very untidy, but I love it and so do the bees.
I couldn't get a decent photo of a bee on it the other day, so here's one from last year
My "Prize Teasels"
Bees like this too
Now I'm off out to my "jungle" again to have a think and see what else I can find in it.
Cracking Apple and that's some impressive teasel !!
Depending on what yo want out of the garden wild works well and obviously certain wildlife will thank you for it. Our problem was that we have a young daughter so the garden has to be child and family friendly as well as wildlife friendly. That's why we have developed it as we have but I will say you should just go with what works for you and encourages the wildlife that you want to see.
Looks as if you have plenty of bees there, it would be interesting to see what else likes the garden wild?
Alan, could your mystery plant be Fat Hen? (en.wikipedia.org/.../Chenopodium_album)
A closed mouth gathers no foot.