Category Archives: Wildlife

A Very Hungry Caterpillar

When you saw the title of this blog, you may have thought you were about to read a review of the Eric Carle picture book, however, I would instead like to talk to you about a garden pest which we are starting to see increased infestations of locally. (If this were a film, this is the bit where the music would be building up to a Dun, Dun, Derrr….) The Box Moth ‘Cydalima Perspectalis’.

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Bird Box

Winter is coming. Spare a thought for the wildlife in your garden.

A few weeks ago, Tim and I were planting up a mixed hedge of pretty-much full-size trees to replace a Leylandii hedge for a lovely couple in Benson. When the client was explaining the reason behind the job, Tim and I stood aghast; the hedge (belonging to the neighbouring property) had been removed without warning by developers who were building new houses in the field next door. Our client had literally walked out into his garden one morning to find he no longer had a 20ft hedge screening his garden from the neighbouring field.

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Bee Kind

Bee kind…

The careful insect ‘midst his work I view,

ow from the flowers exhaust the fragrant dew,

With golden treasures loads his little thighs,

And steer his distant journey through the skies.

(John Gay, Rural Sports)

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Feeling hot, hot, hot…

Whilst August brought our gardens much needed rain after the longest heat wave on record since 1976, September is proving to be unseasonably warm and dry. As the amount of water our plants need increases, so does the scarcity of water and this is only set to worsen over the coming years. Scientists predict that due to climate change, the risk of extreme heatwaves is increasing across the world.

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A little help for those that need it in their Garden

My grandmother was a huge influence on my passion for gardening. I very fondly recall the long summer days spent alongside her and my parents at their shared allotment. Had you ever had the pleasure of visiting her, you wouldn’t have needed the exact address, you could have identified her front door by it being the one with the most pots and flowers and shrubs (and the odd garden gnome of course).

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Water, water, everywhere, but be sure to do it right!

We’re right in the middle of another Great British Summer so we of course should be expecting high temperatures and dry days. After a long, cold winter and a very late spring this year, the summer heat has been exceptional and even though you and I might be loving sitting out in the sunshine or preparing a steak for the barbeque, our gardens need to be managed at this time of year just as much as at other times.

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Top Garden Tips For May

May signals the start of a really exciting time in the garden. Every day brings new life to celebrate as new colours burst on the scene in our gardens, woodlands, countryside and hedgerow. In particular I love the incredible range and vibrance of the greens that are emerging and the way the vivid limes set off the subtle blues and purples, especially in our woodlands.

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