My 8 year old grandson just built his own haven to help insects survive our harsh Quebec winter. He dug a shallow hole in the ground, mounded up the earth and leaves for insulation and created a brick and log barrier with a break for the insects to walk through 😃 He’s very drawn to the outdoors. If there is such a thing as “Naturalistic Intelligence” (see Gardner, Multiple Intelligences) he’s got it. 😃
Daffodil Garlic (Allium neapolitanum) has been the star of the later summer/autumn #BloomScrolling show. Floriferous is an understatement. Loved by hoverflies, this is a Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax).
I didn’t realise that you can get instant species suggestions on your photos, which is really handy. Plus, you get verification from a really active community of users.
I have a #ForestGarden & #WildlifeGarden newsletter, which goes out every couple of weeks. Full of the latest links, lovely photos and some mild mannered rants.
And at the heart of the garden is this chonking great pergola! Again, made by David Carter from The Coppice Plot, it is so darned sturdy. He set the main uprights on padstones. This pergola is going to last longer the new build house in the background, and that’s the truth.
The pergola looks down the wooded valley, and it really is a magical place.
First up, David Hunter’s really rather lovely rustic Larch fencing sets off the garden against the lush wooded valley. The rose is 'Harlow Carr' from David Austen. Geranium’s client’s own
Next up is the just past the entrance, to the inside edge of the garden. The garden itself is pretty small, about 200m², on different levels. The twisty gravel path, lined with metal edging, encourages the visitor to view the garden from many different angles.
Back on the ground, looking back at the house, you can see how the beds are filling up. Sweet Woodruff has turned out to be a champion ground cover in the conditions (the inner curved bed is very wet in the winter, dries out in the summer), and there’s Silverweed too, under the 'Harlow Carr' rose I think.
Also, near this point I experimented with using crushed concrete as a growing medium, following John Little’s lead (see https://www.tiktok.com/@grassroofco )
The idea is, low nutrients favour plants other than grass, and the alkaline conditions favour alkaline loving plants, like Creeping Thyme.
Works an absolute treat, I wish I had more crushed concrete 😉
At a client’s garden the other day, the Aronia is in flower, such a brilliant plant. Here it is in front of the gabion pillars which house the bee logs.
Rubus fruticosus, amazing #wildlife#NativePlant, with blossom and edible fruit. Supports at least 450 species of invertebrate. Who wouldn't want this in their #WildlifeGarden?