Plant species - Woodland area - Hedge with Crataegus monogyna, Buckthorn, Viburnum Opulous & Sambucus nigra.
Foxgloves, Geraniums, Crab apple, Hellebore, Rowan, Hebe, Eupatorium.
Small Herb Garden - Rosemary, Lovage, Sorell, Oregano, Marjoram, Thyme, Foxgloves, Dill, Lemon Balm.
Area to be developed - Clematis Montana 'Marjorie', Geraniums, Euonymus & Iris for ground cover, an Osmanthus & Leysteria
Formosa.
Next level Acer pseudoplatanus 'brilliantissimum', Skimmia Rubella, Fatsia Japonica,Choisya Ternata, Pyracantha, Yucca,
Hellebores, Crocosmia, Osteospernum, foxgloves.
Animals/Insects - Slugs, snails, spiders, ladybirds, a few frogs/toads, hoverflies, bees, wasps, hornet (approx 35mm last year, scary!), various butterflies, robins, blackbirds, thrushes, wrens, collared dove, greenfinch, bullfinch, chaffinch, blue tits, great tits, coal tits, starlings, crows, occasional sparrowhawk, bats. Hedgehog in the front garden. Too many cats! One dog.
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Pond takes shape
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Plans - to create a pond with a bog area to one side. We have built another retaining wall which will be stone faced to replicate a Lake District dry stone wall to encourage frogs/toads & other wildlife to up residence. To plant up shrubs/perennials, etc to encourage wildlife to share our garden. To construct an insect hotel from pallets, canes, etc. There will also be a small seating area to record, relax & enjoy the wildlife.
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Diary of events
November 2006 – As our garden is on a slope we decided to build a retaining wall by digging a trench and adding stones in the trench for the foundation. A few days later we added cement to the trench.
January 2007 – The walling stones have been delivered.
March 2007 – Steve built a breeze block wall – he’s not an expert at this and agreed that when he had completed it, it didn’t look very professional!
7 April 2007 - Our friend Kevin, who is an experienced waller promply knocked Steve’s wall down! (Oh dear, not a good start to the day). Kevin then built the wall using stone – we used this material to encourage insects, frogs, etc to take up residence.
14 April 2007 – We laid a path at the side of the pond and then began digging out the soil to make way for the pond. It’s hard work digging a pond by hand, but I’m sure it will all be worth while!
I have spotted a Large Bee Fly on the washing line (See picture already submitted). I had to look it up in an insect book, as I have never seen one before. It has a snout, a furry brown body – which bears a passing resemblance to a bumble bee. It has spindly legs and a probing proboscis. Its wings which are translucent, except for a dark leading edge, are held set back from its body. Its larvae are parasitic on solitary bees and wasps.
28 April 2007 and 2 May 2007 – More pond digging.
7 May 2007 – The pond digging is now completed, the size is 8ft x 4ft with a depth of 2ft 3”, with a ledge of 6 inches at one side leading up to a slope with pebbles. We have added sand on the base of the pond and positioned the butyl line, finally adding water partly from water butts and partly tap water. A water beetle has taken up residence already.
15 May 2007 – Today we have added oxygenators – ceratophyllum to the pond, along with a native Nymphoides Pelatata, Nymphaea ‘Water Lily’ Alba, Cardamine Pratensis, Myosotis Pulustris and Caltha Palustris to the pond.
19 May 2007 – Today I heard splashing in the pond, it was a blackbird. Since this date a pair of blackbirds use the pond for bathing and drinking, then fly to the nearby Clematis Montana ‘Marjorie’ and the Acer .
20 May 2007 – We are covering the path by the side of the pond with gravel.
I have spotted various birds in the garden – a wren in the acer, a chaffinch, greenfinches, bluetits, blackbirds and house sparrows on the birdfeeders.
24 May 2007 – I ‘m so excited, we have our first frog in residence in the pond.
27 May 2007 – Today we have positioned temporary rocks around the pond.
28 May 2007 – We have dug out an area for our new bog garden, its only approximately 3ft x 3ft, but I’m hoping to plant shrubs and perennials suited to this area.
9 June 2007 – Today we have planted up the bog garden with a Rogersia, Ligularia, Hosta, Rumex, Astiblie and Kaffir Lilly. We’ve also planted a Pyracantha and Weigelia against the fence. I saw a large red damselfly in the garden.
10 June 2007 – I’m really pleased as there are 2 x large red damselflies on the water forget me not.
14 June 2007 – There is a snail in the pond swimming from one lily pad to another.
8 August 2007 - There are 2 x Whirly gig beetles in the pond.
10 August 2007 - Some friends have given us 3 x different Iris, so we’ve potted them up into baskets and put them in the pond – not sure which colour or type they are, so it will be interesting and a surprise next year when they flower.
4 September 2007 – Its dusk and there are bats flying above the pond.
19 September 2007 – Whilst I was working in the greenhouse a common Hawker Dragonfly flew inside, Wow, they are much larger than I expected. Unfortunately it became caught between the glass and the shading and became very frustrated. Steve rescued it, but it did give him a nip on his finger for his trouble!
17 October 2007 – Whilst cleaning green slime from the pond, I found several what I thought looked like damselfly nymphs – time will tell!
21 October 2007 – I have found a dead male Lesser Yellow Underwing moth in the greenhouse.
12 January 2008 – Steve sited 2 x bluetit/great tit boxes – one at the front of the house where we can watch any activity from the bedroom windows, and the other box on the front of the garage.
20 January 2008 – Steve installed a robin nest box high up on the side of the next door neighbours shed, and also installed a bat box on the side of the house. The blue tits are already investigating the box at the front of the house and a robin investigating its nest.
1 February 2008 – The blackbirds are bathing in the pond and then preening in the acer.
7 February 2008 - A woodpigeon was on the arbour at the top of the garden. This is the first time I’ve seen one in our garden. A robin is regulary singing. There are many starlings on the feeds. This is good news as there hasn’t been many starlings in the garden for several years.
28 February 2008 – The snowdrops are in flower along with the daffoldils and crocus.
23 March 2008 – The pond has frozen overnight and there is 2 -3 inches of snow.
I have seen the male blackbird many times over the last few weeks, especially singing on the trellis above the patio, bathing in the bird bath and feeding on the ground. I think he is throwing small decorative pebbles from the pot that planted with the summer flowering Jamine (Fiona Sunrise) as there are several pebbles scattered on the ground each morning, even though I have tidied them up the previous day!
We’ve recently hung a small bird table with a roof from the arbour at the top of the garden and supplied it with mixed bird feed and dried meals worms. It’s proving very popular with the birds. The bluetits regulary feed from it and also several starlings. There were 2 starlings feeding on the table this morning – It’s very cramped and it doesn’t leave room for any other birds to feed at the same time.
A bluetit chased off a young chaffinch from the feeder this morning. There are also greenfinches and a long tailed tit feeder this morning.
On the patio we have left a Christmas tree (from last Christmas) with its roots in a plastic bag and its still surviving! I saw a wren scurrying up the trunk and then disappear among the shrubs on the terrace above.
A collared dove was perched on the side of the bird bath drinking. The daffodils are a delight blowing in the wind and the yellow, deep purple, pink and pale green flowers of the hellebores nod their heads .The primroses and cowslips are also blooming.
The strong winds of 2 nights ago have blown the Clematis Montana off our next door neighbours shed.
Many plants are awakening and bursting forth – the geraniums, astrantias, foxgloves, chinadoxa and primula denticulate, and the scent from the Skimmia Japonica is quite exquisite. The pulmonaria flowers are not as dence as usual. The hawthorn leaves have opened and the buckthorn flowers are tightly budded.
The plants in the pond are also venturing forth., It has been too cold, I suspect for insects and creatures to venture from hibination just yet.
On 16 March 2008 whilst walking near Helsington church, near Kendal, we spotted a bat flying about.
12.45p.m. I had to chase a neighbours cat from the garden. It was sitting at the foot of the trellis near the pond. We think a wren might be nesting in the wall below the trellis. Does anyone have any suggestions for deterring cats from the garden as they regulary culminate around the feeding stations and trees where the birdlife feed. It saddens me that they kill birds for pleasure and there deposits whilst gardening are most unwelcome.
I spotted a dunnock in the clematis Montana and the pyracantha.
Steve has regulary seen bluetits investigating the box at the front of the house.
I’m collecting human hair, dog hair, feathers, wool from jumpers and sheep wool (from hanging branches) so that the birds can collect and line their nests.
I’m also badgering friends for corrugated cardboard, plastic bottles and broken bricks ready to make an insect hotel.
5.15p.m. It is snowing again, but not settling. The male blackbird in hopping from pot to pot on the patio. I’ve actually caught him tossing small pebbles from a pot as mentioned earlier and then moved onto a camellia in a pot, sang for a while and then disappeared up the steps to the next terrace.
I’ve tried to photograph the starlings today several times, but something has spooked them – probably me or most likely cats! Last year I lost an unusual anemone which was planted under the hawthorn hedge due to cats digging up the soil. I wasn’t a happy bunny.
24 March 2008 Odd patches of snow remains.
I heard a bluetit singing at 8.30a.m.then it entered the next box and kept tooing and frowing with nesting material.
9.10a.m. The male blackbird was also in the garden on the rock garden above the patio and also a robin, and the starlings are on the trellis above the compost bins.
9.20a.m. A collard dove was balancing on the washing line and then feeding on the ground seed on the patio along with a starling. It’s trying to snow again.
12.45p.m. Male blackbird is bathing in bird bath on the patio and then it flying to the acer to preen. There is a bluetit on the peanut feeder.
25 March 2008 7.30a.m. The bluetits are singing.
9.15a.m. The male blackbird and 2 starlings are sharing a meal of dried mealworms.
10.00a.m. Female blackbird is collecting nesting material. I think her next is in the conifer in the next door neighbours garden.
11.00a.m. There are chaffinches, greenfinches and sparrows on the feeders and a rook in our neighbours Christmas tree. It is good to see the house sparrows again after several years absence.
11.50a.m. There are 2 sparrows flying together in courtship.
Last year a friend gave us some iris plants and there were too many for the pond, so I left them in a bucket at the side of the pond and a bluetit is drinking from the water.
1.45p.m. Out of the corner of my eye I saw splashing water from the bucket with the iris. It was a dunnock bathing. It’s was lovely to watch. Soon afterwards a pair of dunnocks were flying and twirling together. I also saw a pair of great tits in the garden.
There are 2 collared dove on the fence above the patio, then 1 flew to the bird bath and the male blackbird dive bombed the collared dove. Eventually the blackbird hassled both doves and they flew away.
29 March 2008 British Summertime begins. Male blackbird was singing at 6.15a.m.
It is cloudy and overcast – there are a lot of midges.
31 March 2008 Male blackbird singing at 6.15a.m .again
1.30p.m. A dunnock is singing on from the shed roof.
The pond is becoming alive again with plants – water lilies, iris, forget me not and caltha pulsatila. There is a water boatman devouring anything that happens to fall his way. There is a whirly gig beetle and a small snail. A buzzard is circling above in the sky.
2.10p.m. A hoverfly is basking in the sun on the doorstep.
We hung a niger feeder on the arbour today.
1 April 2008 There are 2 goldfinches feeding on the niger seed.
2 April 2008 The bluetit is regulary flying into the nest.
A great tit is feeding on the fat ball.
Male blackbird has been bathing in the pond.
A bluetit is bathing in a plant pot tray.
4 April 2008 Spotted the first bee of the year.
6 April 2008 A hoverfly is on the Viburnum Tinus.
8 April 2008 The blackbirds are pulling worms up on the front lawn.
The Caltha Pulsatila is flowering in the pond.
9 April 2008 There are 3 goldcrests on the niger feeder. The male blackbird has been diving in and out of the box hedge today whilst the female blackbird looks on.
27 April I saw 2 bees with white tails on the sorrel and also investigating a wall. I also found a dead mouse laying on the ground
May 2008 The bluetits are requlary flying into the nest with nesting materials
5 May 2008 Saw a lacewing and 2 frogs in the pond.
15 May 2008 Saw a lacewing lavae on a the stem of an iris in the pond. Later on today there was a lacewing floating in the pond. I carefully fished it out of the pond, and laid it on a stone to dry. It soon disappeared. I only wish I had seen the lacewing emerging from it lavae state.
20 May 2008 I saw another lacewing lavae on a different plant in the pond.
Over the last 2 weeks the blue tits have been flying to and from the nest with caterpillars and we can hear the young chicks.
26 May 2008 We think the bluetit chicks have flown as we can’t hear them any more and there isn’t any adult activity.
31 May 2008 There are 3 frogs in the pond and lots of tadpoles and many damselflies emerging from the lavae and adults mating .
That’s all for now
Regards
Helen and Steve Gove.
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