Wildlife and Gardens Thread

[NAKC20]

I want to try and build some raised beds for my Dad to be able to use. He loves his gardening but is now struggling with his mobility. I have a picture in my head of making a giant box and putting in on stilts so he is able to sit with his legs under it and be able to do his stuff comfortably without having to bend or stretch. What im struggling with is what do i make it out of, especially the base? Im assuming it will need to be able to drain but i dont really want water dripping through the bottom and potentially on to his legs. Also if its made out of decking boards or OSB board is it best to line it with a membrane? Also what sort of depth is best as want it deep enough for his plants or flowers to be able to root but dont want it too big because of the amount of soil and compost it will take to fill it. Ive googled these and you can buy them easy enough the price just seem way over the top for something that could be made up in a few hours and also customised to fit in his garden. 

Any advice appreciated.

[FoyleFox]

On 02/03/2023 at 14:01, Greg2607 said:

Now to get on with building the raised bed around the edge of our lower patio....  it's in deep shade so the plan is to plant hostas and ferns....   anyone had experience of those plants in DEEP shade?? do they still grow ok? or am i throwing good money away... 

Our hostas are in a fairly shady spot and have grown like mad. They are good in shade.

[HighPeakFox]

3 hours ago, NAKC20 said:

I want to try and build some raised beds for my Dad to be able to use. He loves his gardening but is now struggling with his mobility. I have a picture in my head of making a giant box and putting in on stilts so he is able to sit with his legs under it and be able to do his stuff comfortably without having to bend or stretch. What im struggling with is what do i make it out of, especially the base? Im assuming it will need to be able to drain but i dont really want water dripping through the bottom and potentially on to his legs. Also if its made out of decking boards or OSB board is it best to line it with a membrane? Also what sort of depth is best as want it deep enough for his plants or flowers to be able to root but dont want it too big because of the amount of soil and compost it will take to fill it. Ive googled these and you can buy them easy enough the price just seem way over the top for something that could be made up in a few hours and also customised to fit in his garden. 

Any advice appreciated.

Such raised beds can be bought - can be pricey but they look lovely

[NAKC20]

4 hours ago, HighPeakFox said:

Such raised beds can be bought - can be pricey but they look lovely

Yes i have seen some but they run into hundreds of pound and can only be a few feet long so was hoping to be able to make something thats practical even if its not as pleasing to the eye. Thinking Wallace and Gromit rocket appearence maybe? 🤣

[FoyleFox]

Any sort of wooded garden feature always seems to cost ridiculous money for what it is. I looked at a 1m planter with trellis a while back, £300!

 

Anyway, is this the sort of thing you're looking for?

 

 

[NAKC20]

36 minutes ago, FoyleFox said:

Any sort of wooded garden feature always seems to cost ridiculous money for what it is. I looked at a 1m planter with trellis a while back, £300!

 

Anyway, is this the sort of thing you're looking for?

 

 

Thats more or less the exact type of thing i have pictured in my head. Certainly something i can refer to as and when i build it up. Thanks for the info 👍

[Free Falling Foxes]

Blue Tits in our bird box, regularly spending the night together.

[rachhere]

1 hour ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

Blue Tits in our bird box, regularly spending the night together.

Awww love it! I am really enjoying watching all the birdie couples on our feeders at the moment. My heart melted the other day when Mr Robin was eating a mealworm, and when Mrs Robin flew in next to him he leant over and gave her the other half. 

[Spudulike]

The bloody Herring Gulls are dominating around where I live. Pairing up and nesting on roofs. So noisy and aggressive. Shame the Sparrow Hawk only likes Wood Pidgeons. 

 

Sadly, no Blue/Great Tits in our nesting box this year. 

[Foxdiamond]

10 hours ago, rachhere said:

Awww love it! I am really enjoying watching all the birdie couples on our feeders at the moment. My heart melted the other day when Mr Robin was eating a mealworm, and when Mrs Robin flew in next to him he leant over and gave her the other half. 

I remember a couple of years ago a Robin feeding a young blackbird. Apparently this does happen when Robin has instinct to feed but no youngsters of her own. Was a privilege to see in my own small garden

[Spudulike]

11 hours ago, rachhere said:

Awww love it! I am really enjoying watching all the birdie couples on our feeders at the moment. My heart melted the other day when Mr Robin was eating a mealworm, and when Mrs Robin flew in next to him he leant over and gave her the other half. 

If they nest in your garden and you have a moggy then please keep it indoors until they have fledged. I witnessed a cat destroy a Robins nest with young in my parents garden a few years ago. Very upsetting. 

[rachhere]

4 hours ago, Spudulike said:

If they nest in your garden and you have a moggy then please keep it indoors until they have fledged. I witnessed a cat destroy a Robins nest with young in my parents garden a few years ago. Very upsetting. 

We do, but thankfully she is incapable of catching anything. We always have sparrows nest in our eaves (really should do something about that) and have never had an issue thankfully

[Spudulike]

54 minutes ago, rachhere said:

We do, but thankfully she is incapable of catching anything. We always have sparrows nest in our eaves (really should do something about that) and have never had an issue thankfully

Good to hear. I will never have a cat due to the destroying of wildlife. I prefer birds. 

[rachhere]

12 minutes ago, Spudulike said:

Good to hear. I will never have a cat due to the destroying of wildlife. I prefer birds. 

You would like this one. She loves bird watching but has no killer instinct!

[FoxesDeb]

1 hour ago, Spudulike said:

Good to hear. I will never have a cat due to the destroying of wildlife. I prefer birds. 

What about all the wildlife birds destroy?

 

All the beautiful and naturally helpful  insects they eat, the developing fruit on trees they destroy...

 

Isn't it all just part of nature? 

[Spudulike]

13 minutes ago, FoxesDeb said:

What about all the wildlife birds destroy?

 

All the beautiful and naturally helpful  insects they eat, the developing fruit on trees they destroy...

 

Isn't it all just part of nature? 

Nope. Domestic cats are kept for human enjoyment. They are not a native species and therefore don't belong here. It's shocking the number of songbirds that are killed in our gardens every year. Nature is cruel, I except that, but this has been introduced by man. 

[FoxesDeb]

4 minutes ago, Spudulike said:

Nope. Domestic cats are kept for human enjoyment. They are not a native species and therefore don't belong here. It's shocking the number of songbirds that are killed in our gardens every year. Nature is cruel, I except that, but this has been introduced by man. 

Aren't there plenty of non native species of birds in the UK too, eating insects? 

[Spudulike]

25 minutes ago, FoxesDeb said:

Aren't there plenty of non native species of birds in the UK too, eating insects? 

Yes, and some are becoming a problem. Just need to see the number of Canada Geese taking over our waterways. However they don't tend to visit my garden and kill things and they're not here as play things for humans. 

 

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/gardening-for-wildlife/animal-deterrents/cats-and-garden-birds/are-cats-causing-bird-declines/#:~:text=The statistics,known to have been caught.

 

[HighPeakFox]

2 hours ago, Spudulike said:

Nope. Domestic cats are kept for human enjoyment. They are not a native species and therefore don't belong here. It's shocking the number of songbirds that are killed in our gardens every year. Nature is cruel, I except that, but this has been introduced by man. 

But do you accept it? 

[Parafox]

22 hours ago, HighPeakFox said:

But do you accept it? 

Only if it's an exception

[Milo]

Question for the gardeners on here…

 

I have a piece of garden in the front that has been stripped back and top soil added. I think I’ll turf it for now and then work on prettying it up at a later date. 
 

Do I need any special top soil, or is the regular stuff ok? And am I right in thinking that it needs to be pressed down prior to turfing?? 
 

Is there any turf better than others, or are they all much of a muchness? 

 

And apart from green side up, are there any tips or recommendations. As it’s in the front, I want it to look half decent! 

[Spudulike]

2 hours ago, Milo said:

Question for the gardeners on here…

 

I have a piece of garden in the front that has been stripped back and top soil added. I think I’ll turf it for now and then work on prettying it up at a later date. 
 

Do I need any special top soil, or is the regular stuff ok? And am I right in thinking that it needs to be pressed down prior to turfing?? 
 

Is there any turf better than others, or are they all much of a muchness? 

 

And apart from green side up, are there any tips or recommendations. As it’s in the front, I want it to look half decent! 

https://www.rhs.org.uk/lawns/lawns-from-turf

 

[Greg2607]

Put some bird boxes up earlier this year, but as we are in a "relatively" new build garden, I wasn't expecting to see any birds attracted to them, as we lack shrubs or mature trees at the minute.   However, It was lovely to see a couple of blue tits today checking out the boxes.... 

 

Might have to start putting some bird feed out now and see if we can get them to stay! 

 

[joachim1965]

Woodpecker feasting a couple of weeks ago.

[Tommy G]

Dogs and Lawns, any tips? I don't have much time to faff in the garden so I have a guy that comes every other week, but one thing I want to attempt this year is getting the lawn in decent nick, or is it pointless with an almost 1 yr old Lab.