Thoughts for starting a garden at this time of year, please

It’s quite a small area are wild flowers really a good idea?
There are plenty of garden plants that attract insects and bees, for birds you need seed producing plants like sunflowers.
Be careful of introducing weeds that produce lots of seeds like thistles, they will spread to the whole garden

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Oh good, Shinamae! . I am now at the confusion ‘sown’ on this thread.

Callistemon21

SueDonim

Oh, I’m not meaning jungly in a bad way! I hope I haven’t upset you, Shinamae? I was literally meaning jungle as to the type of plant, close planting, interesting nooks and crannies, all verdant and green. It looks a lovely place in which to spend time and it’s the sort of thing I want.

Plus that pond. ? ? ❤️ I can’t have a pond due to GC but I’ve read that even a damp area is useful for attracting wildlife.

Sorry, that was me!

I meant Shinamae's garden looked tidy compared to ours.

Really not a problem ??

SueDonim

Oh, I’m not meaning jungly in a bad way! I hope I haven’t upset you, Shinamae? I was literally meaning jungle as to the type of plant, close planting, interesting nooks and crannies, all verdant and green. It looks a lovely place in which to spend time and it’s the sort of thing I want.

Plus that pond. ? ? ❤️ I can’t have a pond due to GC but I’ve read that even a damp area is useful for attracting wildlife.

Sorry, that was me!

I meant Shinamae's garden looked tidy compared to ours.

SueDonim

Oh, I’m not meaning jungly in a bad way! I hope I haven’t upset you, Shinamae? I was literally meaning jungle as to the type of plant, close planting, interesting nooks and crannies, all verdant and green. It looks a lovely place in which to spend time and it’s the sort of thing I want.

Plus that pond. ? ? ❤️ I can’t have a pond due to GC but I’ve read that even a damp area is useful for attracting wildlife.

Of course you haven’t upset me, I took it as a compliment ?

I don't think you have to worry too much about plants for bees in the winter, they hibernate. I find they reappear about late Feb/ March when the pulmonaria start flowering. Thats a good early plant but it needs a firm hand... Lenten roses, i.e. hellebores, start flowering very early and are virtually evergreen, just cut off the old leaves and flowers when the new foliage starts coming through. They're very hardy.
For winter scent I'd also suggest Chinese or Japanese witch hazel. they make a quite 'airy', slow growing shrub.

The NE isn't that cold, you know, folks, we just get going a bit later in the spring

Oh, I’m not meaning jungly in a bad way! I hope I haven’t upset you, Shinamae? I was literally meaning jungle as to the type of plant, close planting, interesting nooks and crannies, all verdant and green. It looks a lovely place in which to spend time and it’s the sort of thing I want.

Plus that pond. ? ? ❤️ I can’t have a pond due to GC but I’ve read that even a damp area is useful for attracting wildlife.

I saw your thread the other day Douglas2b and thought of my DD who wanting to revamp her small garden at the moment and is picking my brains for ideas. She lives in the NW and moved to her new place 18 months ago. She is passionate to attract the bees too.

I can recommend Verbena bonariensis and have grown it from seed. It likes any soil condition. nearly any position and has survived the drought this year. I've got it in the ground and also in pots. It dies back every year but pops up again. The bees are still buzzing around it. You will get flowers from early summer right through into the autumn.

It's great to read all the excellent advice on your thread as to where and how to start. Well done you for ignoring the very few discourteous, opinionated posters we have. Thankful there are far more supportive and friendly ones.

SueDonim

And there we have the kind of jungle look I was thinking about, courtesy of Shinamae!

Well I must admit that the garden is a bit wild over that little trellis fence there’s quite a big ornamental cherry tree that’s gonna have to be knocked down to size shall we say! I am trying to keep the bit over the fence as wild life I’ve got my hedgehog house down there,I just need to get into it with the rake. I need some advice on what to put on my trellis as I have a quite a bit of it with nothing on it?… any tips gratefully received..

I thought Shinamae's garden looked very neat and tidy SueDonim ?

Well, it is compared to ours!
We do have two of those red cordylines, they are the babies of a large one which DH planted in the ground. It grew into a small tree but we lost it one cold snowy winter; we should have tied it up and put sacking over it.

And there we have the kind of jungle look I was thinking about, courtesy of Shinamae!

I think it’s a bit much to castigate a person for not returning immediately to reply to posts. Who knows what has been happening in their life? Maybe they’ve gone down with Covid (I didn’t look at my phone for days when I had Cv) or had an accident and been hospitalised, perhaps their phone broke (my Dh only today got a new phone after he dropped and broke his last one almost a month ago), their internet went down, a family emergency. Any number of reasons, in short.

Anyway, I’ve enjoyed most of this thread and I think your plot looks as though it has great possibilities, Douglas. I’m envisaging a jungly garden at the decking end, but maybe the NE doesn’t support the growth of palms etc!

Douglas, Here is my little garden I am posting a picture because it shows my wildlife pond. I’ve never wanted fish,it is purely for wildlife it’s been there about three years and is very successful I don’t have any sort of filters or anything like that I just have oxygenating plants. Good luck with whatever you decide to do with your garden..(I am a very amateur Gardner but pick up a lot of tips from the amazing people on here)

Thank you Jaxjacky - I am getting so many helpful comments here.

I remember a large ornamental grass in a garden as a child which proved incredibly difficult to remove when it began to die off! However, I will look into your suggestion, as I am tending more to a garden for wildlife - or at least a main part of my garden as such. Tall grasses must help with that.

Thank you coming to my defence. I can see that as in life there are some rude opinionated people here (one in particular). Like real life if you challenge them about their behaviour they don't apologise but accuse you of being rude!

I'm not sure there is ever any excuse for rudeness Jaxjacky nor indeed for interfering or stirring.

Mawthemerrier
yes perhaps it was, but justified, I fear in this case.

Richmondpark1 - thats encouraging me to pursue the idea of a windsor basin pond thank you.

I think Douglas2b is entitled to be a little offhand after you Maw and GSM accused them of not responding in your timeframe.
Douglad2b have a look at grasses too, ours, way down South have withstood the drought well, the taller ones provide some screening. If the idea of bamboo enters your head, be very careful, some are very invasive!

I'm not sure I'm allowed to mention this as it's a business, but there's a website called Crocus which has a section called Inspiration. You can search under things like 'cottage garden' or 'sunny border' and it will give you plant lists and lots of information and ideas. It's very helpful.

However I have to say that I am disinclined to answer your questions after your rude comment about me, and failure to apologise for it. I only recently joined gransnet after hearing it was a good place to be however.... hopefully you are an exception

That’s a bit goady Douglas - Gardening is hardly a contentious issue, why so snippy? .

I use an old jam pan as a wildlife pond Douglas2b and mine stands proud of the ground too (very rocky soil here). I stacked up a pile of stones alongside it and another pile inside so that animals can come and go to drink and paddle. It's been very successful - mainly as a hedgehog drinking station!

lixy I brought with me a white windsor basin to make as a pond. I'll see if I have enough energy to dig deep to put it in.
Otherwise it may stand a little proud from the ground.

One thing I'd say, do make sure there is no builders rubble or other stuff left in the soil. After the dry spell I was aerating4 my grass and could feel lots of stones under the surface. No wonder the lawn had never been very good.

Best thing you can do for wildlife is to have a pond they say. I've never had one so can't comment on the practical aspects of keeping one going.

I have a 'new-to-me' garden and have spent the year seeing what grows where and where the sun/shadows are. I'm going to sit down with lot of paper and a pencil over the winter and plan things out properly.
Hope you enjoy planning yours too.