July Seminar - Gardening for Wildlife

[Ade Sundog]

Hello Again Aylyn , i only dabble at growing vegetables - in boxes,bins, pots and what have you - i don't have the room , and i think you do need room to make it worthwhile. I grow flowers and herbs .

[Ade Sundog]

In view of the recent Weather , maybe i should have done underwater gardening

[Aylyn]

Well, at least your tubs and small ponds do not need refilling

I have to say I am surprised at how well my garden suddenly grows, and without any effort on my part. That is truly appreciated. Now all I need is to get rid of the weeds...

Going back to the herbs - I try to collect herbs and used old heritage plant seeds rather than the new seeds that are produced for the mass market nowadays. However, they are sometimes hard to get, which is why I am looking for contact to people who still grow them in the garden and could spare a few

[Ade Sundog]

ok , no worrids , i'll suss some seeds out .

[DaRC]

Nice seminar Wintersundog = my garden is a consisten work in progress This year the Plum tree got a good, hard top prune (I'll do the sides next year) and she does seem to have appreciated it. Lots of vigorous growth and new birds attracted to her - which keeps me happy. Plus I have a plenty of branches for whittling and a whole pile for my woodstack for over wintering insects.

The Wildlife trusts have been consistently pushing the 'breathing spaces' concept and that domestic gardens are an essential part of the ecosystem. In this respect I think that gardening, and a window box can be a garden, becomes a core Druidic practice.

Just recently I've decided that the most positive reaction to slugs and snails is to move them to my compost heap As my greenhouse frog has been sacked as chief slug controller (although I have a suspicion the slugs just got too big for him).

[Bracken]

The Wildlife trusts have been consistently pushing the 'breathing spaces' concept and that domestic gardens are an essential part of the ecosystem. In this respect I think that gardening, and a window box can be a garden, becomes a core Druidic practice.

Yep. That's what it's all about. Good call. This seminar has been so important in affirming that.

As the month draws to a close, can I give a huge thank you to my good friend and yours, Wintersundog. This seminar will soon move to the Seminar Attic, but it will remain live for the discussion to continue in perpetuity.

[Ade Sundog]

Hello DaRC ! Nice one , thanx alot . I have been told that fruit tree wood , when seasoned becomes one of the hardest there is , but for the life of me i cannot rememeber which kind , or all . I probably dreamt it . This year i've planted a Greengage tree , and it already fruiting like mad! And putting on healthy growth .


Thanx Mamab , and thanx for asking me to do it , it's been great .

And thanx to everyone who's read it and dug it ..... i'd like to thank my agent, my stuntman , my hairstylist......

[Ffion]

Thank you for this inspiring seminar. Little steps can lead us far if we keep taking them.

I'm not sure if this link has already been memtioned (apologies if it has)...

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/fff/

The Natural History Museum postcode database is wonderful for identifying native species plants in the UK and their status.

[D'Arzhur]

Thanks Ade ! it's been a long time since I read an inspiring wild gardening article
I got inspired about more than 10 years ago by my favorite gardener : Geoffrey Hamilton. The dutch telly used to show his BBC show weekly and he became my hero !
Thanks to him I dared to get rid of the grass and create a wild garden, with ponds, little paths, flower garden sections ...the whole lot I want totally into it (like us sunny signs can do ) ....the first year it was sooooooooo tidy... by the third year it was really full and then....Nature took over again and I got the best Wild garden of all -with emphasis on wild !
Lots of wild life in spite of our 2 big dogs and 2 cats... Nowadays I just tried to regain some free space to keep the structure of the garden in place but since I have great difficulties bringing myself to get rid of weeds and baby plants (reseeded from the wind, the birds or just fancy droppings of the seeds) it is very obvious that I am not in charge any longer and that's fine with me The only thing I tend to maintain is my circle of stones and the ponds.

Thanks again Ade, I know who to come to for tips and suggestions !
Green

[Ade Sundog]

Hello and Thanx Ffion The postcode database is indeed a wonderful thang

Hello Dany , and thanx . Geoff Hamilton is sadly missed, a real hero and an inspiration. You garden sounds amazing. It is tricky to get the balance between being wild and still being able to get round the place! But one worth striving for. Our gardens are SO important in the grand scheme of things. I too find it difficult to discard anything, there are pots everywhere with baby plants , seedlings and cuttings in. Someone , somewhere will plant them,

Thanx again , both