my wild garden.

Hi Trishy, that is beautiful!! If you can bear it leave some thistles in as they're rich in nectar for the insects and then the finches will eat the seeds. I also have those yellow flowers in mine and they spread like wild fire!! I ripped loads up last year and they are now back in full bloom! Also I have the same bird house/ windchime, I got mine from rhodes lol

hi jason, thankyou and i got my windchime from a shop in hunstanton that makes things from driftwood and all sorts of wonderfull stuff. i am going to leave the thistles then and yes that yellow flower does spread nicely doesnt it, it doesnt actually belong to me it came under the fence from next door so ive left it but i have to cut it right back after blooming or it would take over the whole back garden, going beach combing 2morrow so i might pick up some more drift wood have been collecting it for the insects to live in. that huge log you see in the first and second picture we found on skegness beach is really heavy oak and took me and the hubby a good hour to drag back to the car but its worth it if it gives the bugs somewhere to live. :)

Awesome. I love seeing help for insects. Is that salvia caradonna to the left or veronica, Trisha? Also, what is the yellow one to the right?

hi beenaut, yes i have salvia as for the yellow one i havnt a clue what it is but it spreads underground and pops up allover the place.lol the bees and hoverflies seem to love it.

Hi Trishy, Im none the wiser with the yellow flowers neither, but my neigbour will no doubt know. Yeah they do spread like mad! To be honest I don't like plants that spread so much as it doesnt leave much room for the others.

I bet you have loads of insects in the log now, plenty of fresh food for the birds.

Ive got some lupins growing and Ive just seen theres loads of aphids colonising on one of them. So obviously theres ants involved. I wish ladybirds would come to scoff the aphids as they're damaging my plants!! Also dont birds eat ants, or aphids??

it doesnt apear that they do there certainly not eating the buggers that are living on my butterfly bush and my roses.lol i have a yellow and black lady bird on my roses sorting the aphids and greenfly out for me, i hope he stays and invites some friends.. that log has spiders and woodlouse under it at the minute and a few yucky slugs. have a few other bits of wood around for them too( i have to stop picking it up off the beach) the back garden will soon look like a lumber yard he he he . have been trying to grow some sunflowers but they dont seem to be sprouting yet . on the subject of ants i have seen the sparrows pecking at them but not any of the other birds. my hedgehogs have just turned up better go feed them they will wonder where their tea is.

Hi Trishy,

The yellow flower in your patch is Lysimachia Punctata.....

It's a native flower but can be quite invasive. I actually love it as it flowers for a long time with lots of really bright yellow flowers and forms a good clump! I just dig some out if it gets too carried away!

As suggested above leave a few thistles if you can as they are good nectar and seed plants for various insects and birds. Teasels are worth trying and will attract Gold Finches in the winter months if you're lucky.

There are so many good plants to add and I recorded my top ten on another link if you want to take a look...

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/wildlife/homesforwildlife/f/903/t/82032.aspx

It is a great little patch by the way and I look forward to seeing it develop as time goes on!??

Cheers

Higgy

thanks higgy, i really do love it the yellow looks lovely and as you said it flowers for ages, i wish i had a bit bigger garden then id be able to let it grow a bit larger, my roses have come out in bloom at last, although im not sure why theyve got multiple heads this year to each stem last year it was one flower per stem this year it 6 flowers per stem.lol.

Very pretty!!

Can't answer that one for you I'm afraid, maybe it's the weather....

Are they fragrant roses??

Higgy