Challenge with new garden, advice needed please

Hi ,

I've moved home and my garden is basically a concrete and flagstones rectangle . There is one tiny patch of grass surrounded by 3 narrow borders. I've prepared the borders for planting ( they were full of gravel and pebbles so removed all of that and enriched the underlying soil a little ), but they are not very deep, just a few inches. The grass is for my bunnies.

My challenge is what else can I do to make this garden as wildlife friendly as possible? I've watched a few YouTube videos on the importance of certain shrubs, such as the Buckthorns, Blackthorn, etc. Is it possible to grow them in large tree pots? The garden is south facing.


The pic isn't best, but you can get an idea of what I have. There is another border behind the patio wall. Behind the white brick shed is thd oil tank and small area of flagtones. The metal shed will be removed asap. Its on a concrete base and more concrete under that!

Any help and advice much appreciated . Thank you.

 

Maybe some wildlife friendly annuals would be a good idea for the first year, until you decide on something more permanent, lots of them would be happy in pots or in the ground.

 

Would not put blackthorn in an enclosed area, its a thug ! Berberis (still prickly) and perhaps, in the shed area, rowan would give berries for birds, as would blackcurrant. I might also grow some things for yourself, with thoughts to pollinators, such as sea holly, lavender, rosemary, and of course calendula and various others.

 

When you say the borders are very shallow, do you mean that there is concrete a few inches down?

My most bird-friendly plant is a pyracantha ("saphyr orange"). A lot of people don't like them because of the thorns, plus if you completely leave them to their own devices they can grow quite large and become tricky to manage. But I love mine. It has the most beautiful orange berries, it is the star of the show in Autumn and is also evergreen. Birds like to hide in it as it makes them feel protected and I have put a bird feeder next to it, so they have everything they need. Pyracanthas do grow well in containers.

 

If the soil isn't very deep, an option is to build some raised beds to increase the scope of plants you can grow. Either that, or, as you say, some large pots. Your lawn could provide worms for birds if it's healthy and you could install a bird bath and feeder to attract them. Plants that will attract bees which are quite shallow rooted include Erigeron, Nepeta, Salvia, Erysimum and Verbena plus annuals like Cosmos and Nasturtiums which will also grow well in containers.

 

I would explore and have a prod and poke at the edges of the concrete. If it isn’t very thick you could break it up and remove it

 

Hi @luciusmaximus , nice to have you back

I'd go for large raised beds all along the fence, plus some large containers, and a water feature. 50cm wide and at least knee high raised beds would allow you to grow pretty much what you wish, and would look great.

It's also possible to create a water feature inside a raised bed- preformed, linered or with simply any large container that fits. Water feature is a magnet for birds and insects.

The fences could house evergreen climbers, Lonicera Henryi is great.

I'll just whisper this as there are strict opinions against ... but Ivy would be excellent for wildlife in particular when it's mature and flowers.

I have just bought a few large terracotta planters from B&Q, the 50cm one is huge and I'm planning to plant either a Crabapple or a Quince on restricted rootstocks.

Looking forward to seeing how your new garden takes shape. Keep us posted!

 

Hi Everyone ,

Thanks for the ideas and advice .

The lawn area is for the benefit of my bunnies and not part of the wildlife space. The concrete shed base is 6 inches deep, same width of shed ( 102 inches and slightly longer than the shed, ( 74 inches ). Someone is coming Saturday to get the shed!

The concrete base could be a place to site a container pond and have raised beds. Depends on the cost of the raised beds. I'm considering whether I could make some, although DIY skills a bit limited and not attempted anything like this before. Have to see how I get on over next few months! .

One thing that I really want to do is try and block neighbours views into my garden from their upstairswindows. I do not want to be on view!! Don't want to block their light or that might cause friction. Any ideas on this, please??.

 

Hi ,

I agree totally with the Ivy! You might not have noticed but there is a pot on the patio that has a recently bought Ivy plant in it .

 

Feels a bit like Radio 4’s the excellent Gardeners’ Question Time.

Are you thinking of growing something up the shed, maybe Passion Flower as this has a long season or maybe Black Eye Susan or you could do both together.

 

I did think of that, but shed is going on Saturday. Can certainly grow things againgst the fences.