Jungle Seating Area, New Species Success & Late Season Pollinators...oh and more Rain!!

Wow, what a dreadful summer we've had weather wise! I have never seen so much rain as we have had this year and to think that we were in drought back in spring!! I suppose the wet weather does focus your mind on the handful of jobs that can still be done in the garden doesn't it!?

As regular readers will already be aware we are situated on the edge of 'Wetland Grazing Marsh' which is 'boggy' at the best of times!! This summer has been a challenge as even on dry days the ground is still saturated, simply walking across the lawn is met with a 'squelch' and sight of water as the ground releases it like a sponge!

I honestly wondered and doubted how my wild flower lawn and perennial pollinator borders would survive being stood in constant wet soil but much to my surprise they seem to have done really well. I have tried to be a little more considerate in my planting by ensuring new plants have a good layer grit in the bottom of the planting hole to offer a little help with drainage round the roots. This year I have also done a little more plant maintenance and dead-heading, which appears to have really helped and combined with the wet seems to have made strong healthy plants. One example of this are my Corn Marigolds which are corn field annuals but I have managed to keep them in flower since May. This has had a knock on effect of lots of visiting pollinators including several new species which I will cover in more detail later on!

So before we talk about the wild life I'm going to take you back to a job I finished a while ago and have been promising to show for some time! With the wet weather and lack of hard landscaping recently this seems the ideal time to show you the conclusion to the 'jungly' path at the side of the Koi pond....

In case you've forgotten this is the area before the 'jungle path' project began!!...

Once the raised beds & path were built (as covered elsewhere) I was left with this area next to the raised decking and water butts....

Having decided on a small decked seating area I laid down weed membrane and built a frame for the deck to sit on. Due to the persistent wet weather I actually constructed the framework in my workshop..... and then wondered if I could get it out through the door-way!!!?...

Luckily my measurements were spot on and it came out through the door with a couple of millimetres to spare! The frame was laid in position and I levelled it using blocks under each section of frame...

 As you will see from the above picture there is a raised drain cover at a difficult angle which needed to be factored into my workings. Once the frame was in place boards were laid on top and screwed into place (below). I chose 'basic' rough cut wood rather than decking boards as I felt it fitted in better with the 'jungly' look I hope to achieve here....

With the boards fixed in pace I trimmed the edges and built a 'trap door' to fit neatly into the recess. This gives instant access to the drain if required and I chose to run the boards in a different direction to make it a feature rather than trying to hide it....

To finish off I built two raised beds from the same material and planted with ferns which should grow quite big and do well in the shady situation here....

Finally the end result and how this area looked this summer. Unfortunately the damp weather has prevented some of the more 'tropical' type plants such as the banana and Cannas from reaching their full potential. You will see that I also add flowering plants in my 'jungle/tropical' areas to help attract the pollinators throughout the whole garden, which is something I always strive to do....

So I hope that you will agree this part of the garden has taken on a massive transformation and is now a usable space rather than a dumping ground as it was before?

Without further ado here is this months wildlife successes in Higgy's garden...

BIRDS

A pair of Goldcrests put in an appearance last week and seemed to be 'sussing' out the feeding area. As is always the way I spotted them from an upstairs bedroom window and my camera was downstairs so no picture for the record which is annoying!!

BUTTERFLIES

Despite the wet weather we've recorded a great year for butterflies with both Gatekeepers and Small tortoiseshells showing a massive increase in numbers seen! Peacock butterflies have also shown an upward rise in the garden. Here are pictures of two new visitors since my last post....

Green Veined White

Small Copper

MOTHS

I've not really recorded moths before so this is a new venture for me and is proving extremely interesting. I have already started to include some 'moth friendly' pollinating plants in the garden but this is something I look forward to studying and reporting in more detail as time goes by....

A couple of recent moths...

Siver Y moth seems extremely common in the garden. In this picture you can clearly see the 'Y' shape on it's upper wing which gives it its name...

This was a very interesting find as it was initially identified as a 'Blue Underwing' which is extremely rare! Unfortunately it is now thought to be the more common 'Red Underwing'...

This pretty little moth is a 'Gold Spot' seen here on purple Toadflax which has proven itself to be the most visited plant by pollinators in the garden!!...

OTHER WILDLIFE

My hedgehog has put in an appearance again which is great as I desperately need help with the ever increasing number of slugs! The next door neighbour had a slow worm in his garden, it was only a few feet away from where my log pile so I hope that it is living amongst the logs! This year seems to have been extremely good for Dragonflies and we've had several species in the garden recently.

There have been a few other identifiable new visitors and I will leave you with a look at a few which have taken advantage of my late season pollinating plants. I'll name the plants to give a guide as to what I plant for late season pollinators etc...

GOLDEN ROD - currently covered in bees & hoverflies...

ASTER - make a colourful addition to the late border and again attract all pollinators...

COSMOS - an annual that I grow in my wildflower area, despite not being a true wild flower it's loved by bees, flies and butterflies and will flower all summer until the first frosts so long as you keep deadheading it....

CORN MARIGOLDS - These are my number one wild flowers and this year dead heading has kept them in flower since May! I now also plant clumps in my 'tropical' borders as they are such good attractors!...

PERISCARIA - Basically a cultivated wild flower which is well visited by honey bees in my garden and moths at night! Below is Periscaria being 'munched' by a 'Knot Grass Caterpillar' These hungry caterpillars will strip a plant so you will need to decide if to remove or leave!??....

JAPANESE ANEMONE - Late and long flowering, a useful plant for colour and it will get visited by pollinators although not as prolific as others mentioned...

LARGE LEAFED PLANTS - worthy of a mention as at this time of year all pollinators will sit for several minutes in the sun to warm up. The large leaves are a natural radiator of the suns rays and an ideal place for all sorts of pollinators to warm up! Here a Comma butterfly is warming itself sat on a large leaf...

VERBENA BONARIS - Probably one of the best known bee & butterfly plants and rightly so! It flowers for a long period and late into the season. It is also loved by all pollinators. Below shows a Small White feeding on it.....

RUDBEKIA - is bright, colourful and long flowering for all pollinators, seen here with a Small Copper...

HELENIUMS - One of the best late flowering perennials, they came in all sizes and varied colours creating a nice clump of nectar rich flowers. Gate Keeper butterflies seem to find them irresistible as shown here...

Well that's about it now folks, I hope that you've enjoyed reading this post and it's helped to brighten up another dull and wet day!! Now is a really good time to get any of the above pollinating perennial plants in the ground whilst there is still a little warmth in it. By planting now you will actually be providing nice strong and healthy plants for the pollinators in your garden this time next year! For any further planting ideas, or suggestions of different plants please feel free to send me a message or leave a comment. I reply to all messages and comments and use them to gauge interest in the posts I write....

I have no idea what I will be posting about next time as the weather has stopped a lot of my planned projects in the garden this summer! Please do watch this space and I will update you anything that happens in the garden between now and then!!!....

Many thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings

Cheers

Higgy

  

My top plant supplier... Middlecombe Nursery!

Following a few enquiries asking where I get my plants from, I wanted to write a quick post about my main nursery who are really top notch and more than worth a mention on here!

Although I buy plants from a few different places and propagate what I can myself, 90% of my plants are bought from Middlecombe Nursery, which is located on the Wrington Road in the village of Congresbury, North Somerset.

 http://www.middlecombenursery.co.uk/nursery/perennials.html

The nursery is what I would class as a real old fashioned plantsman's nursery with the plants being second to none! The quality and variety of plants is fantastic and I often find a few unusual and more interesting plants here than I would in the nearby large garden centres. At at least half the price of these major chain garden centres the plants give you so much better value and the quality often gives me the opportunity to divide and make two! My thoughts are that if I'm going to buy plants then that's what I want, not greeting cards, clothes and all other manner of items, just top quality plants!

Click on the link above to see for yourself or visit if you are in the North Somerset area and take a stroll around the lovely landscaped display gardens.

Here are a few of my favourite purchases from Middlecombe...

Helenium is one of my best late summer flowers for pollinators....

Japanese Anemones again offer late season colour and I've purchased just about every shade of pink and white in singles and doubles from Middlecombe....

I've used a vast amount of Irises in the garden particularly around the dry river bed feature. Middlecombe stock a great range of Irises and recently I purchased about 10 large plants from them for £1 each as they were unknown colours! That's what I call a bargain!!!...

I bought my first Darmera Peltata from Middlecombe not really knowing what it was...WOW!! I now have several and in fact bought another from there today to go near the revised dry river bed...

Once again a Middlecombe purchase introduced me to the wonderful family of Astrantias and they are now among my favourite summer flowers for pollinators....

I hope that this has answered your questions and given you an idea of where I get my plants and what I look for in both the plants and the nurseries I use. I am fortunate to have Middlecombe close enough to travel to, if you can get there then I would say don't hesitate. If however you live in another part of the country or even another country altogether as I know some of my regular readers do, find yourself a good nursery who specialise in quality plants not wellie boots and Christmas decorations!....

Cheers

Higgy

Build Higgy's 'Secret Seating Garden Pod'...

Hello All,

Yet again time has flown by and I'm struggling to find the opportunity to get on here and update you on what I've been up to recently!

The weather has been so wet this summer that here on low lying grazing marsh land we have been pretty much squelching in boggy conditions all summer! This hasn't dampened my gardening spirit and despite the conditions I have managed to keep busy and introduce a few more features and plants into the garden this year. As the plant life and in particular wild flowers have increased so has the number of visiting wildlife and insects. This has been extremely pleasing as from the start one of the main features of the garden was to be wildlife friendly which seems to be the case as it evolves!

So what mad ideas have I been hatching recently? I know that you are all probably wondering whatever the next instalment on here will produce!....

Well without further ado I will introduce you to my latest invention and current project which I am building to utilise a dark corner of the garden that wasn't being used to it's full potential and had become a bit scruffy and forgotten about....

Higgy's Secret Seating Garden Pod.... 

So prior to showing you the building of this new madcap idea here is a picture of the corner which I felt could be used more effectively...

This corner of the garden is behind some big shrubs and bushes and is generally quite shady. I thought about planting ferns and other shade loving plants as most things I've tried planting here haven't done too well. Being close to the wild flower meadow/lawn I thought some form of  seating area would be good

In keeping with the rest of this part of the garden I decided to use wood stakes which should weather down and match in with the cut stakes and logs used in the wildlife area

After clearing the area and saving what plants that I could reuse I drove the stakes into the ground using a small sledge hammer and created the desired shape which in this case was a circle...

Once I was happy with the shape of the pod I needed to secure the stakes and make the whole thing a little more stable. I opted to use builders metal banding as I quite like the slightly 'industrial' look this gives and it is easy to use just screwing into place. Use a spirit level at this stage to keep it level as it becomes difficult to judge by eye as you move round the curves!!...

With the structure in place I needed to build two seats to fit into the pod. I opted for using 2"x2" treated wood to make a frame to fit into the curve of the pod walls...

I then added legs from 3"x2" treated wood....

To make the seat look like it is integral to the pod I opted to clad it with cut stakes. Using stakes in this way also helps as it is easier to trim and shape each stake to fit the curve of the pod walls....

So there yo have it one completed and custom built 'secret seating garden pod'!!...

This picture below shows how the pod sits in the wild flower area giving a great view of pollinating bees and butterflies...

To add to the secrecy of this feature I have removed the grass pathway by extending the dry river bed (as below). Now the only access to the pod is to walk to the bottom of the garden into the wildlife area, you then double back on yourself down through the wild flowers to actually enter it. This gives a journey to get to the feature and adding the fact that you can't see into the pod from elsewhere in the garden creates even greater secrecy and intimacy for anyone sitting inside it! I will cover the extended dry river bed in the next post but here's a quick look at a picture showing how I've lost this path by digging it down to the level of the riverbed....

Well that's about it for my new pod, I do hope that you see the benefit of using wooden stakes for landscaping in the garden and building structures such as this pod? They do really offer affordable versatility and enable structures and features to be tailor made for any specific project.

Other than this current project I haven't taken on too many other jobs as I haven't wanted to trample around the whole garden whilst it's been so wet and boggy! 

On the rare sunny days this month I have managed to have the odd few minutes walking around my oasis with my camera and recording what's growing and what wildlife is visiting the garden. So without further ado here's a quick trip around the garden for you all....

The jungly pathway behind the Koi pond is slowly improving, the addition of a few flowers to add colour such as Amaranthus, astilbe and Agastache has enhanced the look and shows off the lush green leaves of the architectural plants nicely...

There has been a great showing of Long Tailed Tits over the last month or so with a group of about a dozen visiting and sometimes staying most of the day....

Earlier in the year we seen increased numbers of damselflies, this summer has been no difference with dragonfly numbers and varieties up significantly. Unfortunately my dragonfly ID skills aren't very good and I'm hoping that I'm correct in saying that this is a Common Darter?...

The wild flower area has been a hit with butterflies and for the second year we have seen increased numbers whilst most records are in fact down! I put this down purely to the nectar rich habitat that we have created by growing or leaving plants and weeds which different species feed or lay eggs on. Two very notable increases here this summer has been Small Tortoiseshells and Gatekeepers which have both been prolific! Below are two Gatekeepers mating on Helenium which is a great attractor for us!  

A Speckled Bush-Cricket using a large ornamental Grass leaf as a resting platform...

White coloured Loosetrife (Lysimachia Clethroides) is less common than the well known Purple version but is a great plant for attracting bees and has a clump forming yet slowly spreading habitat. Loosetrife will also thrive in wet conditions and will cope with some shade also, therefore proving a useful addition to the wildlife garden...

One plant that has really thrived due to the wet weather is Crocosmia. These are native to north Africa and contrary to most peoples thinking they grow in an area which actually sees lots of rain and is very wet! Good drainage and lots of water has seen my numerous varieties flourish this summer with many just coming into their own right now! Another very interesting observation for me this year was the number of Bumble Bees actually going into Crocosmia flowers to collect pollen. In the many years that I've loved to grow them I've never really classed them as a 'bee plant' so this is really encouraging and if we get a hot summer next year I'll be sure to give mine plenty of water!!.. 

As always I still have lots to tell you but with the clock now saying 12:10am I think it's time to say goodnight for now!

Next time I will update you on the dry riverbed extension and hopefully show you some finished landscaping and planting between this and the pod on the old path. I still need to update you an a little project completed sometime ago at the end of the 'jungly' pathway. To find out more keep watching this space and I'll attempt to update it a bit sooner next time (so long as I can get myself out of the garden to do it!!!)

Finally I just wanted to mention a question sent in by 'Ripper' who asked how big my garden is as apparently it looks "massive" on here?... Well the garden measures only 130feet x 40feet (approx) so although long not classed as big in gardening terms! I have basically just tried to use every bit of space that is available to me! Although I did have loose plans the garden has just evolved with time and encompasses my love of gardening and nature, the rest just happens as it happens!.... :-)

Cheers

Higgy

P.S. as always feel free to post me your comments and questions.... 

Garden Wild Flower Success & Recycling a BOG Garden!!....

Hello All,

As always time has gone by without an update on here for quite a while! With spare time in the garden so precious I have overlooked my blog once again! As you can probably imagine I have lots to update you with and despite the very wet weather I have managed to crack on with quite a few tasks. Before I start telling you about what these tasks are I would just like to thank all of you who regularly log in to see what I've been up to and of course the kind comments that I receive, they really are appreciated! I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce you to a new blog by a regular reader of this spot who is starting out with a garden project themselves! So hello to CottageGardener and for anyone who wants to take a peek here's a link to the their new blog:- http://cottagegardening.blogspot.co.uk/

So here we go again! As promised an update on my wild flower area, which I started giving a complete overhaul last Autumn by stripping off the old turf and sowing with perennial wild flower seeds. As the perennial wild flowers will take a year or two to establish I also grew annual wild flower plugs that I planted into the area in Spring to give a good show this year. For anyone thinking about creating a wild flower area I would suggest that starting from scratch as I have now done is the best way to get started. Simply strip off the turf and dig over the area breaking up the lumps of soil to create a fine even tilth. You don't need to add compost or other goodness to your plot as most wild flowers will grow in normal garden soil.

So this is how the wild flower area looked in APRIL, a bit bare!!...

Below is the wild flower area in MAY, not looking too colourful but a good few plants starting to come through. I've now also added a bank at the rear to give a different level for varied planting and to add to the feature....

The beginning of JUNE sees a bit more growth and colour with some poppies making an appearance...

Another view in mid JUNE with addition of a new bench to enjoy this area from!....

Here we are in JULY, the annuals have certainly been a great success with good shows from, Field Poppies, Corn Marigolds, Corn Cockles and a sprinkling of Cosmos just to give a little 'glitz' for this summer!....

And of course the view back to our bench which is a great place to sit and enjoy a good old cup of tea whilst admiring my hard work!!... or maybe planning my next project!!

I hope that you all agree that the decision to completely 'revamp' this area and start from scratch has been well worth it so far? The annual flowers have been superb considering the wet weather and very heavy boggy ground that we have had all year here! I'm pleased to report that the perennials are also looking ok and we have had a good display of Ragged Robin whilst seeing other plants such as Achilea, Wild Carrot and Ox-eye Daisy starting to establish. It will be interesting to keep an eye on what does well and what doesn't for future additions and sowings in this area, as usual I will keep you updated with my findings! So there you have it!....

Well of course that's not the end, we haven't yet decided if this planting has been successful in it's most important role.... attracting butterflies, bees and insects into the garden???

I have to say that I'm amazed at just how many new species of insects I have had in the garden this year despite the we weather! I have heard from so many how bad it has been for insects but I've been overwhelmed to see so many. So as not to bore you any further I'll let you decide by showing you a few very small visitors to my wild flower area.....

7 Spot Ladybird on a Corn Marigold which proves again to be the best annual Wild flower to attract insects in my experience!

Adelphocoris Lineoltus, again on a Corn Marigold and a new listing in the garden...

Grass Hopper Nymph amongst the rough grass, too young to identify unfortunately...

Strangalia Maculata on an Ox-eye Daisy, another new listing in the garden...

We've seen lots of Drone Flies on the wild flowers which is great as they are really good pollinators. This one is a Helophilus Fasciatus enjoying an ox-eye Daisy.... 

Like them or loath them Spiders are useful at keeping some pests at bay in the garden, this spider is small but will tackle prey bigger than itself!...

On a slightly prettier note, butterflies have shown reasonably well with the Meadow Brown like this one below particularly abundant this summer. This one is on an Astrantia which isn't a wild flower but is a great addition to your perennial borders for attracting masses of pollinating insects! 

I think that brings the wild flower area to a close for now and I have concluded that it has been extremely successful!?.... I can't wait until next year when it should be even better!!!!!...

As promised in my last post and to start catching myself up a little I have in true Higgy fashion recycled some items to create a couple of small features in corners of the garden which weren't in use and needed a little work. These small 'redundant' areas are often difficult to fill so I've just gone for it with some old bathroom waste and a little Higgy humour!!!.....

This old Belfast sink was left by the previous owner and had just sat in the hedgerow full of mud! I have recycled it and added it as a small water feature in a dead area behind the arch and the tropical border. This is sited near to the bird feeders and acts as a great bath for visiting birds!....

Behind my workshop I have a dead area which I have just been using to pile up materials and bags of compost etc. It is great to have an area to dump stuff in but when it can be viewed in the garden it becomes an eyesore! So what do you do about a small redundant area like this???....

Easy...

Recycle and create a 'BOG' Garden!!!...

I don't think that there is too much more to say about the bog garden I'll just leave you to take that in for a moment!!!.... :-)

Before I finally leave you (and I will soon I promise!!) a few snaps of my current feathered visitors who all seem to be turning out in family groups, so I presume that they are all enjoying Higgy's Garden and all that it has to offer them!!?...

Part of my family of Jays who are now daily visitors...

One who thinks he's a woodpecker!!...

A great big Jackdaw who thinks he's also a woodpecker!!...

The Greenfinches have been back after an absence...

Ah ha, at last.... A Great Spotted Woodpecker! I knew there would be one along at some point!!...

And that really is that now folks! Thanks again for taking the time to read my blog, I do hope that you are still enjoying it? Please do let me know of any successes that you have had in your own garden as I'd be really interested to know?

Best

Higgy :-)