by Christine | Sep 30, 2013 | Wildlife
The nights are definitely drawing in now, a signal for Paul to give the hedges a final cut. He tries to trim the yew hedges in August, but it usually takes until late August – September to get around to the hawthorn hedges surrounding the garden – about 500 feet plus!... by Christine | Sep 17, 2013 | Birds, Wildlife
Sept 15th. Very excited to see two nut hatches on the bird feeder today again. They are beautifully coloured with a silver grey back, buff underneath and a black stripe through the eyes. The beak is pointed and sharp. They are feeding on the fat balls and giving the... by Christine | Apr 22, 2013 | Birds, This Week in the Garden
The snow has gone, the winds have died down so it’s time to take stock of what needs doing in the garden. The weeds are coming up so it really is time to get some mulch (cover) onto the soil. I ordered some manure and some bark chippings form a local charitable... by Christine | Jun 12, 2012 | Birds, Wildlife
After all the rain and winds that we have had in June, I’m relieved to see that some of our birds have produced young. I know that we had some long tailed tits nesting in the wild garden. I am pretty sure they have fledged now but I haven’t seen them around so I hope... by Phil | Aug 25, 2011 | Bees, Borders, Buddleias, Insects, Wildlife
Our garden buddlejas were named after an Essex botanist called Reverend Adam Buddle. There are over 100 species ranging from 16 to 98ft tall. Buddlejas are not native to Europe; the ones we are familiar with in Britain are hybrids of Buddleia davidii which flower in... by Phil | Apr 3, 2011 | Bees, Flowers
The Japanese Quince (Chaenomeles japonica) which is growing beside the house wall under our lounge window, is now buzzing with the sound of bees. It is incredible and confirms that spring is upon is. This variety of quince is very trainable and grows to about 2ft high...