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Idiot's guide to encouraging wildlife in the garden?

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Séimhe

Idiot's guide to encouraging wildlife in the garden?

#1

Post by Séimhe »

For someone with little time or energy, what's the easiest way to get some life into a back garden? A bird box and bath were my first thought, but there are a lot of noisy crows around and I don't want to encourage birds that big.

I'll try anything that is really low effort :)
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isha
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Re: Idiot's guide to encouraging wildlife in the garden?

#2

Post by isha »

Séimhe wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 12:43 pm For someone with little time or energy, what's the easiest way to get some life into a back garden? A bird box and bath were my first thought, but there are a lot of noisy crows around and I don't want to encourage birds that big.

I'll try anything that is really low effort :)
Don't cut all the grass. How is that for low effort 😊 Cut swathes through it and leave other parts wild. Plant some trees and easy perennials. Trees bring birds. Flowers bring bees and insects.
Thinking out loud, and trying to be occasionally less wrong...
765489

Re: Idiot's guide to encouraging wildlife in the garden?

#3

Post by 765489 »

A good shrub for both bees and birds is coenester ( probably didn't spell that right ).. although if you have apple trees about I wouldn't plant them as they are highly susceptible to fire blight.

If you have a rough area of grass under bushes or trees I'd leave them over the winter as it's a place that solidary bees use to rest over the winter.

You can get wildflower seed in the garden centers but my own view of this is there is no need for that at all. The native flower ( or weeds ) are the best and are beautiful if people just view them as to what they are - wild flowers. Just let areas of your grass grow. Buttercups, Dandelions, Plantain, White Clover all will usually establish which are beneficial for our little bee and insecty friends. Dandelion heads when they go to seed provide seeds for Bullfinches and Goldfinches. You may even get an orchid, which I got. Purple Marsh Orchid, now I've got 6. I've got a couple of lawns and all I do is go around the edges with the lawnmower to keep it in check so to speak but everywhere else is meadows. A couple of paths through it for walking about in etc... I'll cut all the grass back in the middle of September. And even at that I'll cut as high as I can go.

Year two you will see more wild flowers and some new ones spring up. I could spend an hour wandering around looking and listening to the creatures in meadows.

If your looking for something that bees go mad for, so some phacelia. I sow about 5 kilos a year in strips. Will try and see if I've a photo of it. It attracts 100s of bumblebees, hover flies, moths and honey bees. Again I could spend an hour just staring at all the insects flying around in them.
CelticRambler
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Re: Idiot's guide to encouraging wildlife in the garden?

#4

Post by CelticRambler »

Just adding to what the others have said: don't go mad on making the whole place look neat and tidy - leave some areas untouched for weeks (or months) at a time, and if/when you do need to bring them under control again, do it at the right time.

Even if you can't bear to give your strimmer or mower a career break, you can be creative in where you take it. This carpet of white is up the back end of my garden, heading into a tiny area of self-sown oak woodland. It doesn't get mowed until these have flowered and faded in the spring BUT what you can't see is the path that winds through the grass and the trees, which I mow about once a month, all year 'round. The path stays in the same place, and different fauna and flora adapt to the different heights and textures of the mown and unmown zones. (This year, the path is home to all kinds of mushrooms and toadstools ...)

Image
Séimhe

Re: Idiot's guide to encouraging wildlife in the garden?

#5

Post by Séimhe »

Some good advice there, thank you! Looks like I could do with some flowers.

@isha I had'nt considered the grass length. Thankfully, it hasn't been cut in months so it's good and long.

@Plover There are trees just a few meters outside our wall. Does that count? :) Otherwise, I’ll need to work on plants that cover/shelter.

@Ncdjd2 - thanks for the specific plant names, I’ll look into that. I’ll also aim for native flower/weeds, which I prefer anyway.

One problem is that our soil is not deep. The builders had something (soil + grass) they just rolled out across the back of the house. It’s not deep enough to pitch our swing ball in.

@CelticRambler, appreciate the pic! I’ll let the whole thing grow wild and free so. I’ll just cut a path or two.
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isha
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Re: Idiot's guide to encouraging wildlife in the garden?

#6

Post by isha »

Séimhe wrote: Sat Aug 07, 2021 8:35 pm .

One problem is that our soil is not deep. The builders had something (soil + grass) they just rolled out across the back of the house. It’s not deep enough to pitch our swing ball in.

Hi Seimhe,

The soil being shallow may annoy you in years to come so it might be best to tackle that first before you go further. It depends also what it goes down to - clay, subsoil, builder's rubble, plastic, etc?
You can get good deals on lorry loads of top soil or mushroom compost, and make a good base for yourself, some just to top up what is there for flat space now, or you could consider flat ground plus an arrangement of raised beds.
We have been making raised hugulkulture beds which seem to be working out and this winter we will make some keyhole beds which go up higher and also give you composting opportunities in the central keyhole. You can use them for veg but also flowers and shrubs or anything to attract wiĺdlife. They can be made from different kinds of material. Google them, they are great where soil is shallow and they are water conserving
If you want to plant some trees there would have to be something worthwhile for the trees roots to go down into. They won't like cement bits or rubble. But if it is clay or subsoil many will do fine. When planting trees on clay (or any soil really) I start with small slips , and rather than dig down make an upward mound over just the barely removed circle of turf to plant in the tree slip. If you dig down into poor soil it creates a water pooling effect and can keep the new roots too wet. Most trees grow slowly for the first few years and then go surprisingly fast.
Thinking out loud, and trying to be occasionally less wrong...
Séimhe

Re: Idiot's guide to encouraging wildlife in the garden?

#7

Post by Séimhe »

Thanks Isha. I'll talk to the builder about what's underneath but it seems to me like it's hard as rock. I'll either get topsoil or go the raised bed route.

Hugelkultur sounds absolutely fantastic (as do the keyhole beds) from what I've just read https://www.agrowingculture.org/hugelku ... ised-beds/

Thanks for the advice on tree roots. I wouldn't have thought of that either but it makes sense. Given we probably have concrete beneath the soil, is there any amount of top soil I can add that would ever be enough? It's not a massive garden.
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isha
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Re: Idiot's guide to encouraging wildlife in the garden?

#8

Post by isha »

Séimhe wrote: Sun Aug 08, 2021 10:27 am Thanks Isha. I'll talk to the builder about what's underneath but it seems to me like it's hard as rock.

...Given we probably have concrete beneath the soil, is there any amount of top soil I can add that would ever be enough? It's not a massive garden.
I don't know about that Seimhe, there are shallow rooting trees but not sure I would want near house. There are people on Gubu who have more tree experience than me, so hopefully they will advise. I planted some trees in shallower soil closer to house and they have not done great. Having said that willows and other tough trees will defeat most hostile environments. There are some beautiful willow varieties.
Thinking out loud, and trying to be occasionally less wrong...
CelticRambler
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Re: Idiot's guide to encouraging wildlife in the garden?

#9

Post by CelticRambler »

With gardens, you do need to think long-term, and "what lies beneath" can certainly be a horror movie waiting to cause you nightmares in the future.

But: don't forget there are many natural environments that would be considered "hostile" by most gardeners' standards, yet are teeming with wildlife. Try filling a barrow with soil in the Burren, for example! In my new herb-garden, I will be digging up the soil still present in certain areas and replacing it with stone, so as to have better growing conditions for certain herbs and spices.

This takes us back to the overall plan: you may find that you can reduce the amount of preparation/excavation if you can survey the plot (a decent length crowbar would be sufficient) and identify what depth of soil you've got in what areas; then plant according to the existing structure/limitations rather than trying to make everything "right".
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