Wildlife

Animals, Birds, Conservation, Wildlife

From the 29th to the 31st of January the RSPB is holding its 2021 Big Garden Bird Watch – your chance to discover the wildlife on your doorstep. And all it takes is an hour of your time. 

All you need to do to take part is :

  1. Choose a time 
  2. Count the birds you see in your garden over an hour period
  3. Submit your results here 

It’s the world’s largest bird survey and by getting involved, you are helping to uncover the secret lives of British wildlife. 

Why You Should Get Involved

British birds are in decline – since 1979 the Birdwatch has recorded the decline of several bird species. By getting involved, you can help track the trends and help conservationists reverse the trend. 

It’s a fun way to get in touch with wildlife –  Every garden is different, and getting to know the unique wildlife in yours is a great way to getting the most out of your outdoor spaces.

What might you see this year?

  

House Sparrow

 

One of the most common birds in the UK.  Found in 63% of gardens

 

Robin

 

The most recognised bird – 83% recorded seeing one in 2019

 

Dunnock

 

Only found in 43% of gardens, this beautiful bird is in decline. Can you help find where it’s thriving?


 

Waxwing

 

One of the more elusive birds in the country, the waxwing is out there, but can you find it?

 

 

 

Goldfinch 

 

 

This small bird is common but hard to spot. Can you be one of the 34% who did see one last year?

 

Blue tit

 

Seen by 77% of people, this common bird is drawn to a well-stocked bird feeder.

 

Starling

 

The fantastic speckles of the starling might not be around much longer. They’ve seen an 80% drop since 1979.

 

Wren

 

You’ll hear the wren before you see it, and only 21% did in 2019 – spot them near woodlands.

 See what you can find this year, and see how your garden stacks up against the rest of the nation.

Sign Up Now 

 

Animals, Gardening & Landscaping, Gardening Year, Indoor, Wildlife

Winter gardening; think all activity is halted? Think again! Now is the time to prep your landscape and watch it thrive. Tending to the foundation as you build your place of solace, will bring you so much joy in 2021. From city-dwellers to countryside lovers, green areas vary in size up and down the country, but we have curated the latest trends for 2021 to help you create a garden to get lost in. 

Tiny Gardens 

“It’s all about making the space look bigger.” 

You can update any compact space and turn it into a sanctuary of goodness. Whether you are sprucing up a balcony garden, a petite patio, or tiny terraces, we can help with small plants and Tall planters to compact furniture, helping you invest in greenery and lush items to help you enjoy your petite place of zen, and watch it bloom in full when Spring finally arrives. 

White & Grey Gardens

Over the last few months, white gardens have been growing in popularity, and there is no sign of them slowing down. The key to this trend is choosing a dark background, varying foliage and changing sizes and shapes, and finally adding some eye-catching white flowers to make your garden pop. 

Want to try something a little different and a bit more subtle? Why not opt for a grey garden? It’s an easy transition, with grey paving, fence paint or gravel and paths, this trend provides a  neutral backdrop which helps colours such as scarlet and purple pop.

House Gardens 

“Gardening provides a tranquil challenge with tangible results.”

You might not have a sprawling space, but that doesn’t mean you can’t grow fresh plants and flowers in your home. With so many of us now working from home, it’s been proven that plants can improve air quality and bring energy into your environment. A windowsill garden is ideal for growing plants that will add a little extra to your cooking — especially if you don’t have a garden. Think herbs, chilli, kale, baby beetroot, pea shoots, onion and spinach. Adding your very own home ingredients to your meals never tasted better! 

 

Wild Gardens 

Don’t be fooled, it may seem like an easy win, but wild gardens also need hands-on attention to get that mysterious, yet enchanting, unkempt look. However, It’ll be time well spent, creating the perfect ‘imperfect’ outdoor space. Invest in pieces to keep the wildlife happy and content within the beauty of your wild garden.

And a final trend that became none of us can ignore moving into 2021 is the online garden centre. Yes, it’s a different experience from venturing to a physical store, but it also comes with many advantages; comfort, doorstep delivery and variety. Why not try it out for yourself as you invest in one of our chosen trends and tag us in your garden of 2021.

Animals, Blog Series, Gardening, Gardening Year, Gary, Wildlife

Garden Weeds

September is the time of the year where things start to cool down, the wind picks up and the days get shorter. This is the month to get started on your preparation for spring whilst enjoying your garden as much as you can before the frosts come in. 

General 

 

  • Net ponds – protect your pond before leaves begin to fall 
  • Clean out water butts – keep your irrigation in the best condition in preparation for autumn rains 
  • Clean ponds and water features of weeds – Remove duckweed, pondweed and algae from water features and ponds
  • Collect and bin brown apples and pears – reduce the spread of this fungi and protect your good crops 
  • Order bare-root fruit trees – to plant later in autumn or winter

Plants 

  • Divide herbaceous perennials – ensure healthy, vigorous plants in the spring
  • Collect and sow seed from perennials and hardy annuals – opportunity to increase the number of plants in your garden for free
  • Plant spring-flowering bulbs –  daffodils, crocus and hyacinths are a priority for the end of the month 
  • Sow hardy annuals –  cerinthes, ammi, scabiosa and cornflowers should be planted now  for flowers early next summer
  • Deadhead container plants –  encourage more blooms and keep your patio displays longer into the Autumn 

Wildlife 

  • Wash and disinfect bird feeders and tables – maintain good hygiene on your tables and you will see birds throughout the winter
  • Plant nectar-rich bulbs –  crocus, snake’s head fritillary, alliums and grape hyacinths can be planted now to feed next year’s hungry emerging bees
  • Start putting out fat balls – help those birds staying for the winter
  • Leave garden borders intact – don’t cut these back in autumn. Try to leave at least one border intact where seedheads can provide food for birds and fallen stems can create shelter for amphibians, insects and small mammals

 

Gardening, Gardening Year, Gardens, Plants, Wildlife

August is usually the hottest month of the year, so your main focus should be keeping your garden watered and your pond and water features topped up. There is also some prep work to do for the arrival of .autumn, and you should continue some of your maintenance from last month.

General 

Top up birdbaths, ponds and water features – June is one of the hottest months of the year so you need to check your birdbaths and ponds regularly to make sure they don’t go dry.

Keep the garden watered – your garden is going to dry out quickly in the heat this month, keep everything evenly watered to stop your garden going yellow and wilting.

Keep on top of Algae growth –  strong sunlight creates the perfect environment for algae growth in ponds or water features. Remove it as you see it in ponds, and add wildlife-friendly weed control into water features.

Trim conifers and other garden hedges – this is the time of year when growth can get a bit out of control, so now is the best time to trim in order to keep an even shape. Just make sure that you check the hedge for birds nests first.

Think about which plants you would like for next spring – it might seem a bit early, but now is the time to get thinking about next year, and if you want to be ready for autumn planting it’s best to start ordering now.

Plants

  • Tidy up fallen leaves and flowers to discourage disease.
  • Mow wildflower meadows to help scatter the seeds.
  •  Cut back faded perennials to keep borders tidy.
  • Keep on top of weeds 
  • Prune all summer flowering shrubs 
  •  Prune climbing roses and rambling roses once they’ve finished flowering 

Wildlife 

Put out food for hedgehogs – hoglets should be emerging from their birth nests this month so to give them a helping hand as they start to explore the world you can leave out water and meat-based dog or cat food (ideally chicken) on a plate or in a hedgehog feeder.

Plant low growing plants around ponds – this is the time of year where baby frogs should be emerging from ponds, and you can help them hide from predators or shelter from the sun by planting low growing plants or allowing the lawn to grow near the edge of your pond.

Sow wildlife-friendly biennials – planting flowers like foxgloves, forget-me-nots and hollyhock is a great way to attract pollinators to your garden. By sowing now you are ensuring a source of food that’ll last longer into the year, giving them a better chance to survive the winter.