Cheapies corner

I'm not sure if I completely understand what you mean but here goes...

Cheap Bird Baths

I have two bird baths in my garden, the second one only put in place this week. The first one has been in place for a good few years now. They are two cheap plastic saucers, sunken into the ground with some rocks and gravel in so all birds can easily access the water. Nothing fancy, just about £3 each...and the birds love them.

I'll upload some photos soon. Not sure if you can upload video but I'll try as I have a briliant video of starlings and sparrows queing up to use it recently.

This is the well established one. The blackbirds love it and you'll often see them splashing around in it.

Couldn't upload a video but it's here... http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=101792999832120&saved#/video/video.php?v=101792999832120

This is the new one. Not put in properly as I didn't want to disturb the birds at the table too much at the moment.

 

Unknown said:

Love the pictures, I've been puzzling over the lovely little white flowers in the foreground of the first picture and is that a Lycestra next to the Skimmia?

Hi John

Thanks for the comments :-) Being honest I can't remember what the plant with the white flowers is called. The name thing is in the back of the shed which means emptying it before I can get access to it.

Here are a couple of close ups for you. As you can see the flowers have a pale blue colour to them. It just spreads and clearly loves where it is!

I also have a "blue" version beside the shed which is more purple in colour.

It's Summer Jasmine beside the Skimmia. Doesn't seem to flower much but again spreads like wildfire. It's probably in the wrong place but it'll have to stay there for the time being!

Oh and I added a link to the video of the starlings and sparrows having a bath!

Hi,

In responce to John with regards to the cold frame I made one a few years ago using an old shower screen and some scrap plywood. I

Unknown said:

Hi Paula
Yes this is just the thing I was thinking of - cheap and cheerful ways to and end! The birdbaths look great and as you say, they’ve cost barely any time or money to create.

There's lots of short cuts you can do around the garden even in techniques which understandably a full blooded horticulturist may baulk or turn in their grave, but...

It's often referred to as bodging, but there's bodges that look just that and there's bodges that don't and you can get away with it!

Love the pictures, I've been puzzling over the lovely little white flowers in the foreground of the first picture and is that a Lycestra next to the Skimmia?

If you have any more practical short cuts that have worked with also an idea of cost and time it would be good to see them posted. For now, I'm going to pose a question to the forum.

I inherited an old shop bought small vertical cold frame, which is past its sell by date and broken. I tend to find those things anyway are so flimsy they blow around the garden in the first puff of wind! I have been contemplating making a wooden one and thinking of options available. One I go and buy new wood, two I could try to recycle a pallet or similar.

Does or has anyone made their own and do they have a design and materials list? Oh, and I don’t want to spend a lot of time or money messing about making it!

Cheers
John

t took about an hour to knock up and lasted years. As a bonus you are guaranteed that the wind won't blow it all over the place it weighed a ton.

You are governed by the size of the door but if it's any help I could do a quick sketch and include it in a post for you.

Graham

Hi John,

Sorry for the way the last post turned out pressed thick click to include in post button last. Will remeber in future to do it first.

Graham

Hi Paula
Having been somewhat busy the past week, I've not had time to comment on those great pictures which to me look like different kinds of periwinkle or Vinca. They are great little shrubs and very pretty.

If your summer jasmine is spreading well then it probably is actually in the right place and might get a tadge upset if its moved in the autumn or winter :o) 

Don't forget you can get lists of trees, shrubs and flowering plants from our website. The following links are just for the shrubs and flowers, but check around the site for the other lists.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/Shrubs_tcm9-162426.pdf

http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/Flowers_tcm9-162422.pdf

On the subject of plants and this being what I call cheapies corner, its a good idea to bear in mind that planting in the winter and using bare rooted plants can save you lots of £££ !! 

It would be nice to hear about other peoples ideas and thoughts on winter planting.

Hi Graham
Keeping on top of all that's urban takes a lot of my time here, but while I have a minute, I like the sound of your heavy duty vertical cold frame.

That means I might finally have the chance to look at and use http://freecycle.org, to see if there are any old shower screens. If there's anyway you can produce and post an illustration/plan that would be much appreciated.

If you have any other ideas about cheap short cuts you've tried do please post away. You may notice that I have also replied to Paula and mentioned about the pending planting season, looking for people's thoughts on winter planting. 

 

John

 

 

Hi John,

 

First may I say forgive my drawing.

This drawing is for a horizontal cold frame but to make it vertical keep the measurements of the sides equal ie 15x15 inches and make the front 15 inches aswell then al you need to do is devise a way of holding the door one of those elasticated strap that you can buy hooked onto some screws on either side should do. The measurements are  really up to you , the only ones that would be fixed are the front which would be govered by the door. The only other thing you would have to do is fit a back panel if you wanted it vertical unless you have a waal you could fix it to.

If I can help further let me know or if you want I may be able to do another drawing.

Graham

Don't ask for drawings please but one of my friends had a fairly large drum that he cut in half. 

Painted it then used No-nails or similar to attach wood down both sides then on the inside at top and bottom.  Pieces across the top and bottom stop draughts I think.

He then attached 2 pieces of polythene at one side.  One piece with holes for air to get in during the day -I think.  The other piece he puts over at night for extra protection if cold.  He rolls the bit he isn't using round a piece of cane that he  somehow slotted down the loose side of the polythene.  He mad some shelving from old bits of wood  and used a strip of velcro to attach the loose sides of the polythene to wood at the other side ot the drum.  Maybe staples to attach the fixed side.

He only  used one half but I am sure you could stand one half on top of the other if you wanted a bigger one.

Thinking back to when my dad had an allotment he used old bricks and window frames.  He took the glass out and put polythene in its place.  The meant he could fold the polythene back on warmer days.  He used loose bricks so he could vary  the size of the cold frame.  He just stood the spare window frames at the back leant against the bricks.

Hi John, you do realise that I'm going to have to dig my way through the shed to find those labels now, don't you? It's going to bug me no end if I don't!

EDIT - I've braved the beasties and the plant in question is.....(drumroll please)..... Pratia Pedunculata (syn. Lobelia Pedunculata)

Unknown said:

It would be nice to hear about other peoples ideas and thoughts on winter planting.

Winer planting and bare root plants....we have 4 trees in our garden which were FREE saplings from a garden centre as a result of some project or other a few years ago. Bare root and planted early winter. They're as happy as larry and are now huge! One is a birch, one a cherry, one a sorbus and one a rowan.

I also grew another shrub / tree from a pruning. I'm not much of a gardener...I plant it and if it grows then fine, if not try something else...works for me! The neighbour had his shrub (he keeps it as a low shrub) pruned and the cuttings came over the fence so I trimmed it down, removed all leaves, dug a deep "V" in a corner of the garden, stuck it in there and forgot about it. It rooted and grew! It's now a medium sized tree and is also as happy as this bloke larry. EDIT - Have remembered what it's called - Sambucus racemosa 'Sutherland Gold'

This year I've collected seeds from my aquilega and am considering putting up a thread offering them free to anyone who wants them.

I'm waffling....and jumping around all over the place so I'll finish for now.