Borage is a tall blue wild flower that grows up to 60cm high and its flowers can be used as pretty garnishes in summer salads and drinks.

 Borago Officinalis / Common Borage: Ernie Janes (rspb-images.com)

It can sometimes be confused with Green Alkanet or pale purple Comfrey, or even a purple Vipers Bugloss but that’s because they are all in the same family known as Boraginaceae.  Plants in this family share many similar characteristic…

Monday 21^st June is our summer solstice, our longest day followed by our shortest night; a perfect time to sit outside in the evening to look out for bats.

Brown Long-eared Bat: Dale Sutton (rspb-images.com)

We have 17 breeding species of bats here in the UK, and some of the most common we are likely to see flying in and around our gardens are the common Pipistrelle, the Soprano pipistrelle which is smaller than the common…

Swifts, swallows and house-martins are not known as "garden" birds as they don't land or feed in our gardens but at this time of year they are often flying around and over our gardens.

Swallows feeding: Richard Bowler (rspb-images.com)

The high pitched purring call of a swift is a delightful sound of summer that we hear from May to July as they swoop through the air to feed on flying insects. Paul Stancliffe from…

What is the difference between a weed with flowers and a wildflower? Well, not very much really, the RHS says “Weeds are wild plants in the wrong place.” So if you like the look of it and it’s not a problem in your garden, you can call it a wildflower!

Scarlet Tiger Moth on Green Alkanet: Richard Revels (rspb-images.com)

Garden flowers have been deliberately bred and cultivated over time for gardeners, maximising…

Do you know your common caterpillars?  They come in such an array of colours, shapes and textures and it’s their time now and through early summer to get munching through your precious veg seedlings and young plants in preparation to pupate!

  Dot Moth Caterpillar: Jennie Smith (rspb-images.com)

Try not to reach immediately for the pest control spray, there are lots of things we gardeners can try to protect our precious…

World Bee Day was set up by the United Nations to raise awareness of the importance of bees. They are one of the world’s leading pollinators of plants and their numbers are dramatically decreasing, mainly due to loss of their natural habitat.

White-tailed Bumblebee: Tom Mason (rspb-images.com)

They not only need the pollen end nectar of flowers to feed, they also require undisturbed places to nest like dry ground and…

No mow May is an incentive from the charity Plantlife, to let the flowers in your lawn flourish.

Tom Mason (rspb-images.com)

Even if you've already been mowing this spring, there's plenty of time to let certain grassy areas grow long through the summer months to discover what will naturally come into bloom. It will not only look beautiful but provide essential nectar for pollinators and cover for a wide range of…

This week is Hedgehog Awareness Week and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society wants to “raise the profile of Britain’s only spiny animal!” There are lots of great tips and information their website about how to help hedgehogs as well as a fun selection of hedgehog related gifts.

The main points for us to bear in mind are to:

 - Allow hedgehogs access through garden fences by cutting 13cm x 13 cm holes…

The recent repetitive frosts we’ve been experiencing through the nights are a real hindrance in the garden.

Snakeshead Fritillary: Richard Bowler (rspb-images.com)

Not only are many of our plants experiencing ongoing frost damage, but our garden wildlife also struggles to stay warm through the night and find enough food. 

Birds are warm blooded but are not able to store any significant extra fat as this would affect…

Whether you have a garden or not, even planting up an extra container can be beneficial for wildlife.  Whether you fancy planting hanging baskets, pots or a window box, you can provide extra nectar and pollen for pollinators plus shelter for a variety of insects.

  Welsh Poppies in Container: Richard Packwood (rspb-images.com)

You could choose to plant up a more wild, natural looking display using native flowering plants such …

This evening’s episode of Gardener's World on BBC2 tonight at 9pm features renowned wildlife gardener: Kate Bradbury talking about how to get started with a wildlife garden.

Corn Margold: Jennie Smith (rspb-images.com)

Kate is a wildlife gardening expert who has written for Gardener’s World magazine, Guardian Weekend, the Telegraph, BBC Wildlife as well as writing her own wildlife gardening books. She knows…

The garden is open again today from 10am - 4.30pm!

We are so excited to be welcoming visitors back to our very special place. The volunteer team have done a fantastic job of taking care of essential tasks throughout the last difficult year but of course nature is the star.

Please come and see us at our wildlife garden in Flatford, Essex for inspiration and advice on all things wildlife gardening and enjoy the beauty and…

Has your garden started buzzing?

 Dotted Bee Fly: Nick Upton (rspb-images.com)

It's just fantastic to see the bees and butterflies coming back, bringing our gardens to life as they search for early nectar rich plants that are available in spring. Favourites include: crocuses, cowslips, hellebores, spring blossom, primroses, pulmonarias and there are so many more. See the RHS’s top ten plants for pollinators, all with the…

The garden bird nesting season really gets going through April. Early birds such as crows, rooks and long tailed tits may begin building their nests in February and Blackbirds can begin laying eggs in March. Officially the nesting season is from February through to August although most birds are laying eggs through spring so from anytime now, you may begin to find broken egg shells in the garden and be curious as to which bird…

It really feels like we've turned a corner by changing the clocks to British Summertime. Lighter evenings and spring and summer to come plus the tree blossom and plants really starting to sprout is a real lift for everyone and especially the keen gardener. So with more light and sunshine to come, my thoughts turned to sunflowers! One of the biggest and brightest flowers in the garden; they're fast growing, bold and fun…

We are thrilled to announce that our re-opening date this spring is scheduled to be Monday 12th April 2021. 

Flatford Wildlife Garden: Sue Kennedy (rspb-images.com)

This is in line with stage 2 of the government's roadmap to ease lockdown when "Most outdoor attractions and settings, including zoos, and theme parks, will also reopen although wider social contact rules will apply in these settings to prevent indoor mixing…

Gardener's World returned to our screens last night; Friday 19th March at 8pm on BBC2 with Episode 1 for 2021. Hooray! Time to get inspired by Monty and the team for the spring and summer ahead. One particular feature on the show demonstrated Sue Kent creating a No Dig plot on her allotment.

 Mole: David Tipling (rspb-images.com)

Charles Dowding has been an advocate for the No Dig method since the early 80's. He champions…

March and April are the months when hedgehogs wake up from their winter hibernation. They will of course be feeling hungry after months of only living on their fat reserves.  Hedgehog: Kevin Sawford (rspb-images.com)

You can help by putting put a shallow dish of water out and some meaty cat or dog food or some cat biscuits. If you don’t want the cats and dogs to eat it, a plastic box with a hedgehog sized hole cut into it…

They’re not the most exciting or beautiful garden creatures, nor the ones we want to spend much time with but they are valuable and fascinating creatures.

 Common Earthworm: Sue Kennedy (rspb-images.com)

Although earthworms famously have both male and female reproductive organs, they don't reproduce alone, they mate with another worm. They grip their bodies together with microscopic bristles and join onto each other…

Even though we want to encourage wildlife into our gardens, we are allowed to have a tidy up, it’s just the way we go about it.  David Broadbent (rspb-images.com)

If like me, you’ve pretty much abandoned your garden over the winter, there are brown collapsing skeletons of dead plants, leaves, twigs and a general an untidy mess all over the garden. … and I’m ready for a tidy!

I’ve found that the main…

This weekend is the end of National Nest Box week, the perfect excuse to put up a new nest box or repair/ clean out / move an old, uninhabited one.

 Blue Tit in Nest Box: David Tipling (rspb-images.com)

It began in 1997 to encourage people to put up nest boxes to help compensate for the declining natural suitable spaces for birds to nest.  Not only are trees and hedgerows being cleared, but new buildings have become so secure…

Sunday 14th: Valentine’s day is the perfect day to find out a little more about the love life of our local wildlife with some intriguing sound recordings from the secretive Bittern and nocturnal Nightjars.

Woodpigeon: Ray Kennedy (rspb-images.com)

Interestingly, some of our male garden birds including Chaffinches and Robins display their brightest plumage at this time of the year to attract a female ready for the mating…

Are snowdrops beneficial to wildlife?

 Snowdrop: Craig Churchill (rspb-images.com)

Well, they don’t depend on pollinators to multiply as there are so few (if any) around when they bloom through January and February. They propagate themselves by seed and growing tiny new "bulblets" on the established bulbs.  The clumps get bigger and they are easy to divide to create even more plants. If the sun comes out at the…

The Sparrowhawk is the antagonist of the Big Garden Birdwatch, the very bird we do not really want to see in our gardens over this weekend!

Sparrowhawk: Richard Brooks (rspb-images.com)

Their natural habitat is woodland but of course this top predator visits gardens  for hunting opportunities.

Although spotting the swoop and hunt of a sparrowhawk can be exhilarating, witnessing a kill can be a bit distressing at times. It…

It’s time for this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch starting Friday 29^thJan. The event of the year for many garden birdwatching enthusiasts!

  Blue Tits on Fatballs feeder: Richard Packwood (rspb-images.com)

If you’re thinking about what kind of food to put out, there are tips here on what birds eat and some very helpful pointers on different ways to feed birds.

This is where you can print your own colour garden…