Raised bed & archway to wildlife gardening success...

Hello All,

Welcome back for another instalment from Higgy's garden. I have so much to report at this very busy time of the year that I fear that I will run out of space and time before I'm halfway through this latest update!

Before I start with the gardening please let me take the opportunity to thank so many of you from all over the world for logging on to see how 'Higgy's Garden Project' is coming along! Your support is always appreciated and comments and question posed are both enjoyable and informative! Please do keep them coming as I love to chat and share my, plans and ideas with you as well as my successes and disappointments which make gardening so addictive and pleasurable.

I would love to tell you about every new project and piece of work that I have done over the last few weeks but unfortunately I will have to keep this down to 'hopefully' three subjects! I will attempt to update you about a new raised bed I've built, an archway and most importantly some great success stories with wildlife in my garden!

So firstly to the new raised bed. Many of you will know that it was with a stubborn reluctance that I built the previous raised beds following much nagging from Mrs Higgy who wanted to grow something that we could actually eat! An agreement was made that I would build the beds and advise on planting of veg but the upkeep was to be Mrs Higgys responsibility. Now on paper this seemed like a good idea but with all good ideas reality is a completely different beast all together!!!.....

Adding even further to my current workload I have to confess agreeing to build another raised bed (I really don't learn do I!!) Next to the Koi pond (built out of oak sleepers) we have a large expanse of paved patio which had become nothing more than a dumping site for my increasing supply of recycled 'free to collector' building materials! This was a real eyesore and being one of the first areas in the garden that you see it was crying out for a transformation of some sort. The idea of an extra raised bed was born to provide more much needed vegetable growing room (or at least that was what I was told!!) To keep with the wood theme I decided that I would build the bed in the same style as the Koi pond but using 3"x4" sawn timber rather than sleepers which are now unaffordable to us....

The raised bed was made out of 3"x4" sawn timbers which are effectively 8' long fence posts! These were laid on the floor and moved until the positioning was visually right.... 

Once happy with the positioning they were stacked on top of each other and screwed together using 'Timber Locking' screw bolts. These were drilled and screwed into every piece of timber at both ends with two extra bolts drilled from the top into the timber below! This gives really good strength and holds to whole bed together....

I then lined the whole bed with old compost bags which were stapled in place. This helps to retain some moisture in the bed, protects the wood helping to prevent it rotting whilst also acting as a barrier against my dreaded Horse Tail weed!! You must however remember to add a few slits or holes in the bottom for drainage of excess water.....

The bed was then filled with a layer of horse manure at the bottom and then topped off with a 50/50 mix of compost and top soil. I managed to find three separate sources of 'free to collector' top soil!!!

To add a further feature I have included some extra seating in the form of a bench at one end from an old off cut of 'waveny board' left over from a previous project! 

In this final picture you can see how this bed fits in with the style of the Koi pond and the tropical bed below it. The wood should weather down to a similar colour to these other features and blend in to the area nicely. This has proved an effective use of an area which previously had basically become a dumping ground and oversized walkway.... 

With the raised bed completed I decided to build an arch from this paved area leading through into the next section of the garden. My idea behind this was to give some division from this paved section and the lawned area. The planting in the paved area has a more 'tropical' and 'jungley' feel as I have used Bananas, Cannas and bamboos to create this feel. In contrast the lawned area features large perennial borders containing colourful 'blousey' flowers planted to look pretty and attract bees, butterflies and insects. Having only one access route gives the sense of entering a completely different section of the garden and hopefully adds interest and surprise....

Unfortunately not the greatest picture but once completed and planted with some climbing plants this archway will provide the only route from the paved section through to the lawn and perennial borders....(I will update you on this current project in my next post)

Finally I wanted to update you on some wildlife success stories which make my efforts here so worthwhile....

As you are aware my passion for gardening is partly driven by my enjoyment of wildlife and the opportunity of attracting different species of animal, bird and insect into the garden. With this in mind I have built designated wildlife areas in the garden whilst striving to keep the garden attractive, interesting and usable to all the family. The wildlife area has started to mature nicely and after only two years we have seen a dramatic increase in all types of wildlife. Of real note is the volume of insects and butterflies visiting and residing in the garden. The log pile has started to rot nicely and holds voles and a large number of beetles and other insects. The wildlife pond although only a few weeks old already has a resident toad under the old log feature that I included! I have seen water boatmen and diving beetles in the water and the bog area has grown it's first Cuckoo flower! Leading from the pond and log piles brings you into our wild flower area which is currently under a degree of redevelopment and re-planting, in my next post I will bring you up to date with this exciting project which I hope will see longevity with the inclusion of perennial wild flowers many of which are native to Somerset! This spring has already seen a massive increase in butterflies here with Orange Tips, Peacocks, Red Admirals, Large & Small Whites, Brimstones, Holly Blues, Small Blues and Speckled Woods all making appearances so far! Large Red Damselflies have become common and we had our very first Broad Bodied Chaser Dragon Fly last week! The bird count is also climbing with 43 different species now recorded here with the latest being a Chiffchaff who sits in the trees at the bottom of the garden singing it's heart out all day long! The list really is endless and I hope that this success will help to demonstrate that gardening for wildlife is no longer about 'scruffy and boring' but can really be exciting, stylish and most importantly fun!!?.....

Rather than ranting on any more here is a selection of current visitors to the garden recently....

Broad Bodied Chaser....

Noonday-fly...

Crane-fly...

Peacock Butterfly....

Buzzards are daily visitors hunting voles and mice in the field and occasionally even over the garden! This particular Buzzard has developed a 'kestrel like' hover for hunting this smaller prey. I now regularly see it hovering over the bottom of the garden prior to dropping down for the kill..... 

Much to the annoyance of our local Corvid population who do their best to chase it off!!!....

Large Red Damselflies are very common in the garden now!...

Our newest feathered visitor in the garden is a Chiffchaff  who sings it's distinctive "Chiff Chaff" song from dawn until dusk from the trees at the bottom of the garden. Despite it's constant presence it's almost impossible to see amongst the dense leafs! (I took this picture in nearby countryside!)

Unfortunately that's about as much as I can fit onto this post and I imagine I've bored you enough by now!! Next time I will get you up to date on the wild flower area and include some pictures of what's growing in the garden at the moment. We will also re-visit the arch and a couple of small additions around it. As always I will keep you informed of wildlife sightings and hopefully continue to inspire you all to get out and make wildlife habitats in your own gardens!!...

Please do keep the feedback coming and requests of anything you would like to me to include in future posts?

Cheers

Higgy