Winter morning in the wildlife garden

The garden took on a white look last week when we had several frosts. The pond was frozen over but as it is 80cm in depth it won't freeze all the way down, not with the milder winters we get in south east England. As you can see from the photo we have left seed heads for food for birds and kep some of the old summer plant cover for insects to shelter in over the winter.

Community Wildlife Garden wins Westminster in Bloom Award

More digging...

On Saturday morning we started digging out 3 new beds, all about the same size. These will be planted with wildlife-friendly shrubs and trees such as berberis, hazel and dog rose.

They are located between the seating by the pond and the tennis courts and have been placed to break up the view of the tennis courts, much like the trees further along the wildlife garden do.

Weather permitting, the beds will be planted in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately we dug out the beds too late to catch the frosts that we had last week which would have broken the soil down nicely, but we'll keep our fingers crossed for a couple more frosts after this wet weather period!

Bats in the park

Over the last few weeks, bats will have been finding places to hibernate over the winter period. Our bat boxes have been installed in the trees for several weeks now, but it is unikely they will be used this winter. It is known that bat boxes often have to be around for several years before they get used.

Maybe our boxes will be used for a summer home one year. Summer is when bats form their maternity roosts, where the bats have their young and these can be returned to year after year.

We may never know if the boxes have been used. It is illegal to disturb bats so, unlike the bird boxes, we will never be cleaning the bat boxes out!

Bird feeders galore

Over 100 people came to visit the wildlife garden last Saturday to discover more about birds and what they can do to help the birds that live near them. Families took part in bird trails, made bird feeders to take home as well as for the wildlife garden and played some of the bird feeding games that were on offer. The face painting was particularly popular!

It was a great day to be out in the park (though the shower of rain in the afternoon could have stayed away), with plenty of birds on the nearby bird feeder including great tits, blue tits and a great spotted woodpecker.

Spring bulbs

25 people came to help plant bulbs in the wildlife garden this week. Autumn is the best time for planting bulbs and it is really good to know that we were planting things that were not only going to provide some colour in the garden in spring, but that the flowers will be providing early nectar sources for bees.

We put in bluebell and snowdrop bulbs, along with some wood anemone rhizomes. The bulbs were put in under the trees along with red campion plug plants so that during the spring we will have a mix of white, blue and then red flowers. The anemones were put under a different tree, along by a hedge as they don't usually grow with grass and like leaf-rich soil.

Completion of the newt

A group from Kinsbury Manor Day Centre visited the wildlife garden for the second time yesterday. They came to finish the newt sculpture! The newt now has a crest of wild flowers along its back and its eyes and nostrils have been completed with mosaic tiling. It looks great!

The flowers forming its crest are the purple-flowering selfheal and autumn hawkbit, which has yellow flowers. Both of these will withstand people walking on them so the newt will still be accessible to sit and climb onto.

Planting this week

This week sees us planting some bergenias in the front garden; these are plants that are tolerant of shade and will hopefully still bloom well in the dry and shady conditions caused by the nearby London plane trees.

We are also planting some Dog violet plug plants into the sides of the raised bed. The wooden roundels, that make up the sides of the raised bed, came from old children's playground equipment and have holes in their sides where the bolts used to sit. We are going to use these to plant the Dog violets into.

Bog revival

The bog has been one of the least successful areas we planted in the spring because we have had difficulty getting the water level right. During the wet summer, the water level was above the crowns of the plants killing many of them.

Last Saturday we put some more soil in the bog and replanted the end which had died off. We all thought it was a glorious day to be outside getting down to some gardening.

In the past we haven't wanted to create too many holes in the liner, but now we have been given a water supply to the pond using the pump which takes water up to the top of the cascade into the lake. This means that we can add water to the bog from the pond whenever we want so we can make additional holes in the liner as we need to.

Garden Wins Westminster in Bloom Competition!

The Community Wildlife garden has won 1st prize in the prestigious Westminster in Bloom competition! Judges were impressed with the variety of wildlife friendly features on display and with the sustainable methods that are being used within the garden. The award recognises all the hard work that volunteers and community groups have put into creating such a fantastic garden for wildlife. We'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who's been involved so far.

Towards the end of summer

It feels like the sunshine has only just appeared, but for many plants and animals the summer is already over. Some of our flowers are coming to the end of their flowering season and annuals such as the pot marigolds are beginning to look a little past their best!

We won't be cutting many of the dead stems down as insects such as ladybirds and lacewings use these for hibernating in. Also many of the plants' seedheads will be providing food for animals for a while to come yet!

The pond is the only place where we will remove most of the dead vegetation and this is because we don't want too much of it falling into the pond. Too much rotting vegetation causes the pond to become depleted of oxygen, which isn't good news for the pond animals.

During August it has been more difficult to see the birds as many of them go through their moult. However this period has nearly past and we are starting to see the wrens and dunnocks looking for food again in our flower beds.

Pond comes to life

The pond is starting to come to life. It is now full of oxygenating plants which are keeping the water clear and the floating leaved plants are starting to cover the water surface. Dragonflies are flying around the top of it and pond skaters are skimming the surface.

We are now getting a water supply linked from the nearby lake to the pond so that we can always top the pond up as the water level drops. This will be great when we get periods without any rain.

Today a dunnock was spotted using the pond to drink from and a wren was spotted in the flower beds using the denser plants as cover at the end of last week.

Flowers of the garden

These red flowers, on plants called sneezeweed, are proving very popular with bees. These are in the circular raised bed that we built which has been planted with nectar-rich flowers. The purple flower is a cardoon which is like a giant thistle. The flowers of these are also full of nectar but the seeds produced later this year will be eaten by birds.

More rain!

More rain fell on the garden this week; we have certainly saved time in watering effort this year! The garden is flourishing with the mix of sun and rain and more flowers are appearing all the time.

This week the Angelica gigas came into bloom and its red flowers are proving highly attractive to bumblebees.

The bog is back filled with water again and some of the plants are struggling a bit as they are spending too long covered with water, rather than just their roots being in water. However we can hopefully rectify that later in the year by putting some more earth into the bog and raise the plants' crowns above the water level.

Summer in the garden

Newt-tastic

We finally finished our earth sculpture this week after many hours of hard work and it is looking great. Even if we do say so ourselves...

The eyes will be finished with mosaic and we will also plant some wild flower plugs later in the year when the grass has established.

Just as long as these storms don't wash the whole sculpture away!

At the weekend, the head of the newt turned green! It was clad with a clay and straw mixture before being turfed. We are now ready to cover the rest of the newt this coming week!

Rain makes garden flourish!

A whole different range of plants are now coming into flower. Our clematis on the obelisk has come out and will hopefully produce lots of wonderful seed heads in the autumn.

Also coming into flower are the Echinacea and the Echinops both of which have nectar for bees and butteflies. The red hot pokers are also good for nectar, which not only insects love, but birds love to drink too.

The pond is starting to look a bit more established and the floating leaved plants are beginnning to spread. And the new bird feeders are providing regular food for the great tits and also spotted on the feeder has been a great spotted woodpecker.

A giant newt!

It poured, the wind blew and the sun shone, yet a determined team of volunteers battled on to create a giant earth sculpture of a newt in Regent’s Park over the weekend.

First, the shape was cut into the existing turf. Next, the profile was created with clay and straw before bags of earth were used to form the three-dimensional body of the giant five metre long amphibian. Time defeated us in creating the sculpture over the weekend, but this week, we will be cladding it with clay and turfing it.

Summer in the garden

Garden looking great

After the rain of May the garden is growing extremely well and blossoming in June's sunshine. Volunteers have put in lots of hard work to keep it looking tidy.

The birdfeeder has only been up a few days and already a family of great tits are feeding on the peanuts. We have also put up 2 bird boxes ready for next spring when we hope that something will make use of them!

Plenty of bees and butterflies are flying around the garden and we have seen our first broad-bodied chaser dragonflies around the pond.

Water, and more water

The bog is now starting to look mroe like a bog again and the plants are enjoying the rain. We have planted some more pond plants and these are starting to help the pond look established. The grass between the two areas will become thicker and longer linking the bog and pond habitats, and making it easier for animals to travel between the two.

The oxygenating plants are now growing well so the water will start to clear and the higher oxygen content in the water should allow the animal life to flourish. The stones at the edges of the pond are great hiding places for animals to live and as the floating leaved plants grow and create more shade, we hope that the pond will be an ideal home for dragonflies, frogs and the smaller animals such as water snails.

Rain at last

Some welcome rain came at the start of this week and as I am writing this it is raining again. The plants need the rain at the moment after this dry period.

We have put a couple of tubs out in the front garden now. Plants in tubs can attract wildlife such as bees and butterflies if they are planted with some nectar rich plants. Any plant though is better than no plant - something will use it to live!

Spring planting complete

This previous week has seen the completion of all the planting to be done this spring. A group from the Centre of Filipinos came in to plant the remaining empty raised bed. Some of the plants they put in were ones that they had sown the seed for, nearly a year ago.

On Saturday the remaining plants were put into the two beds by volunteers and some of the marginal plants were put around the ledges of the pond. We will be buying some pond oxygenating plants such as hornwort and water violet now they are into the nurseries. These plants grow in the water and keep the water high in oxygen content, allowing animals to thrive.

Raised bed planted

A fine day last week when the raised bed was planted by a local Chinese community group. It was great fun finishing off the bed and the group also planted some seeds in pots to take away for their own window ledges.

This raised bed is full of scented plants including those whose night-time aroma attracts moths. We are looking forward to the rest of the planting being completed this week.

We are hoping still for some rain as the garden is becoming dryer and the shrubs and hedges in particular will start struggling. There is a posibility of a shower later in the week - we'll keep our fingers crossed!

Sunshine in the garden

Many of the flowers are out and blooming already and the sunshine is making everything look wonderful. Already Holly blue and Speckled wood butterflies have been spotted.

The rest of the planting is due to be completed in the next 2 weeks and then the garden will start to look finished with the pond and raised beds being the final areas to plant.

We are hoping for some rain this week, though the forecast is predicting sunshine, so that our plants can really settle in. Watering is more important for plants during their first year planted out as their roots aren't established.

Hard landscaping finished

A great day yesterday when the hard landscaping was finished. Once the bench is secure, we can take the fencing down and the area will be open to the public. Now all it needs is the finishing touches: more hedge to be planted, plants to be put in the new raised bed and the water butt to be fixed! Roll on next Thursday when some of this will be completed...

Second raised bed built

The second raised bed has been made out of wooden roundels and is now nearly finished. It is in a fairly shady and dry situation, so we will be planting it up with shade-tolerant plants which can withstand periods of dry weather. We are hoping to grow plants that will be beneficial to insects and other minibeasts and we have some night scented plants which attract moths.

The bog we planted last week is now drying out after a very wet February. With the liner underneath it should stay damp throughout the summer but we may need to top it up from the lake if we have a drought.

Bogged down

We all got rather wet and muddy on Saturday when it was time to plant the bog area of the wildlife garden. We were joined by a group of 12-13 year olds who helped us plant a range of water-loving plants like water avens, meadowsweet, purple loosestrife, ragged robin and rushes.

Although we put boards down to protect the surrounding grass, by the time we had finished for the afternoon, it wasn't just the bog that looked a bit of a quagmire! We weren't too worried though as grass recovers quickly.

The bog is adjacent to the pond and provides shelter and cover for a range of animals such as frogs which might for example, use our log pile to hibernate under.

Volunteers back for more.

Volunteers arrived yesterday to spend another day working on the garden. You would forgive the group for being less enthusiastic second time around but arriving in the rain and the wind they showed no signs of flaking or disengagement. Their keenness was inspiring and they portrayed admirable enthusiasm as they knuckled down to get the jobs done. The main objective of the day was to add more plants in the raised beds, the plants were carried into the garden and their suitable spot on the raised bed was found, then the planting begun. Vast numbers of plants added meant that before our very eyes appeared a rippled green sea of foliage with waves of purple, yellow and white. The progress was amazing and the whole team felt a huge sense of achievement as we left for lunch.

The trellis was still standing much to the relief of the volunteers who put it up! Time was spent planting Ivy next to the structure which looked really good. The plants are obviously small at the moment but with the support of the trellis and the care of the volunteers it wont be long until they act as a shield for the front garden and a safe getaway for the resident birds.

Last job on the list was to empty the bog, the next volunteers day involves planting in the pond and wet area so the water needed to be drained before doing this. It was the bog that needed emptying as it inevitably had gotten really wet during the rainy weather. It was the job of two members of the Wild in the Parks trio; Martyn and Rachel to do, not the nicest job in the world as I'm sure Martyn would agree. However it's done, so we're all ready for the next action packed day in the garden!

Garden enjoyed by hundreds of visitors

The Garden was put to the test on Saturday 17th during the Nest Box Challenge day held at Regents Park. The day was a great success partly because the visitors were able to use the Wildlife Garden and get a taste of what it’ll be like when it is all finished. The garden was home of the nature trial that made up part of the exciting day. Children and adults followed the trail that led them around the garden highlighting the fantastic things that will be on offer to them once the garden is complete. The garden looked great, being just a few days after the volunteers had given it a good tidy up, and the mild weather meant there was plenty of wildlife to see. The garden really did do us proud and possibly for the first time we realised the full potential of this wonderful space.

The event also gave people a chance to ask the team about the garden, we had crowds of people asking interesting questions, needing adivce and giving some imaginative ideas, it was great to gain such positive interest and feedback. Remember if you have any questions or ideas get in touch, we love hearing from you!

An army of volunteers

Thursday saw an army of fantastic volunteers (well 11 of them) decend on the wildlife garden to help with everything from building a new trellis to planting some of the larger plants in our flower beds. The trellis will provide a great vertical surface for wildlife friendly plants such as ivy and honeysuckle to grow up.

In London where space is always hard to come by (for both people and wildlife) it's good to look for clever ways to increase the area where you can grow plants that will attract and support wildlife. Planting up vertical surfaces and putting a green roof on our shed are just two of the methods we're trying in the wildlife garden. Please let us know if you have any other space saving ideas that have worked for you.

Snow in the garden!

Another week for the wildlife garden and all seems to be holding up well, despite the garden experiencing its first snow. The turf is looking a bit bumpy but unfortunately it was really too wet when it was laid. However like the hedge, you need to get turf down quite quickly once it has been dug up so the roots don't dry out. Later when the ground is dryer in the spring, we will lift the uneven areas of turf and put some soil underneath to flatten it out.

Planting hedges

Volunteers planting the privet hedge would have found it easier if the ground wasn't quite so wet! However the hedge plants we ordered were bare-rooted which meant they needed to be planted straight away. Fortunately the soil wasn't too saturated so the roots won't drown. The plants should settle in well this spring.

Privets aren't the best of hedges for wildlife. Our other hedge consists of hawthorn and holly which are both excellent for attracting wildlife but as privet is such a common hedge plant we thought we would plant one just to show how it can be improved for wildlife. We will be planting species such as honeysuckle in the hedge which will make it more interesting to look at as well as provide more homes and food for wildlife.

How the sedum looks on the shed roof

Exciting week for the wildlife garden

Not only were 2 hedges planted, the turf laid and some plants put into the front garden, but the shed also arrived. The shed roof is topped with sedums and creates a wildlife habitat even when the ground below has been concreted over. The only care you have to give the sedums is an initial soaking and then an occasional watering if there is a really dry period.

The planting was carried out by volunteers and some young people from Rise Phoenix. One hedge planted was a hawthorn and holly mix, both of which provide berries for birds and are also good species for invertebrates to live in. The other is a privet hedge - this isn't so wildlife-friendly but we are going to improve it for wildlife by growing climbers such as honeysuckle through it. The front garden was planted with low growing plants that can survive in shade and also under a car.

Garden activities in January

We are looking forward to a month of activity in the wildlife garden. We will be planting some more hedge and laying some turf in the wildlife garden area. A small area of this grass will be allowed to grow long. This is really important for lots of insects including several species of butterfly which lay their eggs in long grass and their caterpillars feed on it too. The patch of long grass needn't be large nor take up too much valuable lawn area in order to provide some important space for wildlife.

Also in January, we are looking forward to the installation of our green-roofed shed. For people who don't have much space to garden, roofs are another place to think about using for this purpose. There are many ways of doing this and a whole wealth of information is on the web about how you might go about it.