Rewilding The Garden.

[Dale.]

As many of you already know, I've had a garden hide set up for some years now, I think the original hide was set up in 2018. I've since pulled that one down, had a new one custom built and I've also moved the location to the other side of the garden.

Anyway, the new hide sits near my pond. My pond is unfiltered, it's just left to its own devices and now has lots of bug species, foilage, reeds, grasses, wildlfowers etc, the birds drink and bathe in it as well as occasionally, fox and hedgehog.

The section behind the pond is sloped, which gives me good backgrounds from the hide. Our garden is large and grass cutting has become a chore now, I'm advancing in years too, which I'm begining to feel.

So this is now the perfect opportunity to rewild a little more. The whole slope will now be left to its own devices but with 'paths' mown through the middle and around the fenceline but the inbetween parts will be left to go.

We now also have to pay for garden waste bin uplift, which I do grudge as we're alreay paying close to £2k a year council tax. That's another story really but the rewilding will mean less grass to get rid of and also, my mower (a Toro Recycler) as the name suggests, can 'recycle' cuttings rather than collect them.

So, the top half of our garden is going to be left to go wild, I did it last year with the section behind the pond and it didn't get out of hand, to be fair.

I've been following a guy on YouTube, Joel Ashton, who is an advocate for garden rewilding. For me, it will mean less time cutting grass, less grass to be getting rid of but also and most importantly, creating a mini habitat for the local wildlife. Overall, our garden is just a small section of the eco system but I'm going to give something back and every little helps.

The flat bit of garden nearest the house will be kept short.

I think every garden should have a wild bit, if space allows.

Watch this space, we'll see what happens.

 

[lindsay]

Great idea Dale. Can I suggest you plant some hedging along the fence - blackthorn and or hawthorn - good security and lots of berries to attract the birds. Also a lavender bush somewhere to attract bees. The more insects, the more birds. So the wilding of the lawn section plus flowering plants will take care of that. We did similar one year in our last house and it worked really well.
Now we have a lower section of garden that has fruit trees (I'm adding to that to make it more of an orchard) and I'm going to copy your pond ideas down there too. I think we'll also copy your idea of letting the grass do its thing with just a couple of grassy paths through it.



You can see we have a small wooden building to the left at the bottom, which is a log store; I'm aiming to turn that into a hide down there. So your project is very interesting!

 

[Dale.]

Great idea Dale. Can I suggest you plant some hedging along the fence - blackthorn and or hawthorn - good security and lots of berries to attract the birds. Also a lavender bush somewhere to attract bees. The more insects, the more birds. So the wilding of the lawn section plus flowering plants will take care of that. We did similar one year in our last house and it worked really well.
Now we have a lower section of garden that has fruit trees (I'm adding to that to make it more of an orchard) and I'm going to copy your pond ideas down there too. I think we'll also copy your idea of letting the grass do its thing with just a couple of grassy paths through it.

View attachment 480400

You can see we have a small wooden building to the left at the bottom, which is a log store; I'm aiming to turn that into a hide down there. So your project is very interesting!

Thanks Lindsay.

I'd never really given blackthorn and hawthorn a thought but it's a good suggestion and I will look into that....... more research needed on that for me. I love lavender, it was my dad's favourite too. I've never had lavender here but it's on the to do list. I have tried hydrangea but for some reason, I always lose it.

There are currently 2 cherry trees and a pear tree but I am going to add more fruit trees, probably apple. there are also 2 rowan trees and some cherry laurel, to the left of the frame, in it's 3rd year now.

I look forward to hearing and seeing how your hide does, it's a great way to spend some spare time.

 

[Tringa]

Apple trees are very useful. There are loads of varieties and rootstocks so you can have some control over the utimate height. They look good when they flower, small birds check the branches and twigs for bugs, you get some fruit and older/fallen fruit will be taken be some birds and insects.

Dave

 

[Nod]

Blackthorn can also provide you with Sloes - handy if you enjoy Sloe Gin...

An assortment of small birds (tits, sparrows, finches) love the shelter that our Berberis gives them. Seen a Sparrowhawk thwarted by it a few times!

 

[gramps]

I think every garden should have a wild bit

I keep telling SWMBO that but to no avail.

 

[Dale.]

I keep telling SWMBO that but to no avail.

That's why she's known as "SWMBO". I have one too.

 

[LCPete]

Great idea we have let the bottom part of our garden grow wild , put down wildflower seeds 3 years ago and just left it
Also have a couple of ponds for the frogs and dragonflies, last couple of years have been lucky enough to see Dragonflies emerge and fly
We dont have a green garden waste bin , I compost it all, grass cuttings even hedge trimmings just use the mower to break down into bits then compost it
In the summer I leave some of the lawn uncut as well
Don’t have a very big garden but its still so,worthwhile letting some of the garden go wild

 

[Dale.]

Gave the garden it's second cut yesterday, even after a week, it's suprising how much it has grown. The mown pathways are a lot more defined now.

I'm going to look for some fruit trees today, I wouldn't mind another apple.

 

[Clive K]

I hope that you are not stopping there Dale. There are sanctuaries all over the country looking for people like you to give their orphaned badgers, otters, wild boar, beavers and lynx a good home.

 

[Dale.]

I hope that you are not stopping there Dale. There are sanctuaries all over the country looking for people like you to give their orphaned badgers, otters, wild boar, beavers and lynx a good home.

Well, I'm not a volunteer but simple things like picking up plastic or other rubbish on my forays is a regular thing. Last year, I waded out into a river to remove some fishing line tangled on a branch and stretching out over the river. Not good for any species but especially water birds, like my beloved Kingfishers.

Not long took a sensitive species of bird to a local sanctuary, that is now recovering, slowly but surely and could be released soon. I bought a hoody whilst I was there, would've been rude not to.

Simple things can really help.

 

[Ed Sutton]

Can I suggest you plant some hedging along the fence - blackthorn and or hawthorn.....

Be careful with blackthorn as it spreads by suckering. I have a blackthorn hedge behind my fence and if I didn't cut my grass the garden would become a blackthorn thicket.

 

[lindsay]

@Ed Sutton I didn't know that Ed, thanks for telling us. I was going to plant a load of it! I'll go with Hawthorn instead then I think, just ti play safe.

 

[whyone]

I think the whole rewilding trend is fantastic...whatever the scale. The Knepp estate is not far from us, and it rewilding on quite a grand scale.

But I'd also hope that is lots of us set aside small areas of our garden for wildlife, it will have a very positive impact.

The other thing which I hope will help is chosing planting to help wildlife.

In the garden around our house, plants have been selected to attract pollinators and seed eating birds.



Elsewhere, things are allowed to get less organised and hopefully wildlife friendly...we are also trying to introduce hedge-rows, largely using hawthorn and hazel...here beyond the wild garlic and in front of the oak trees.


We also have a small stream, which other than keeping the bed clear of obstacles, will be allowed to 'go wild'


(Apologies for the phone images!)

 

[Dale.]

I think the whole rewilding trend is fantastic...whatever the scale. The Knepp estate is not far from us, and it rewilding on quite a grand scale.

But I'd also hope that is lots of us set aside small areas of our garden for wildlife, it will have a very positive impact.

The other thing which I hope will help is chosing planting to help wildlife.

In the garden around our house, plants have been selected to attract pollinators and seed eating birds.

View attachment 481126

Elsewhere, things are allowed to get less organised and hopefully wildlife friendly...we are also trying to introduce hedge-rows, largely using hawthorn...here beyond the wild garlic and in front of the oak trees.
View attachment 481127

We also have a small stream, which other than keeping the bed clear of obstacles, will be allowed to 'go wild'
View attachment 481128

(Apologies for the phone images!)

Wow, that looks a real haven, just awesome and I'm slightly jealous of your stream.

 

[whyone]

Wow, that looks a real haven, just awesome and I'm slightly jealous of your stream.

It's nice to have the stream, but it certainly isn't big enough to attract kingfishers!

 

[Dale.]

It's nice to have the stream, but it certainly isn't big enough to attract kingfishers!

You might be suprised, I've seen them on quite small streams, one I watch runs through a garden then an ancient graveyard and I regularly hear them in the garden and have seen them fly through the church grounds.

We're not that far from the river and I've heard kingfishers on it from the garden, rarely but yes, it's a bit ambicious but maybe one day, they'll come into my pond.

 

[whyone]

You might be suprised, I've seen them on quite small streams, one I watch runs through a garden then an ancient graveyard and I regularly hear them in the garden and have seen them fly through the church grounds.

We're not that far from the river and I've heard kingfishers on it from the garden, rarely but yes, it's a bit ambicious but maybe one day, they'll come into my pond.

Well I will certainly keep and eye (and ear) out...our little stream empties into a small river across the field at the back of our house. That certainly has potential.

As for yoir pond @dale ....build it and (hopefully!) they will come!

 

[trevormc]

I also like what you are doing. With a long garden I leave a portion of grass with bulbs growing in it but, I do cut it about end June, beginning of July. to let them seed down, may not cut it at all this year to see what happens.

I also watch Joel Ashton on rewilding on You Tube to give me some ideas as to what I can do.

Trevor

 

[Dale.]

Well I will certainly keep and eye (and ear) out...our little stream empties into a small river across the field at the back of our house. That certainly has potential.

As for yoir pond @dale ....build it and (hopefully!) they will come!

The pond is already done Ian, although it's unfiltered and just left to it's own devices, apart from the occasional top up. It's been set up for about 5 years now and is full of insect life, as well as naturally occuring reeds, ferns, buttercup, nettles etc. No fish though, they really should have filtration, maybe one day if I can figure out how to get power to it, as it's a fair step from the house.