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    Tag Archives for: "Wildlife"
    Home » Wildlife
     Build a Garden Bug Hotel
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    By Alan Down
    In Gardening for Wildlife, Wildlife
    Posted November 4, 2019

    Build a Garden Bug Hotel

    How to build a Garden Bug Hotel In this blog I’ll explain just how easy it is to build a garden bug hotel. Do you remember when you last had to scrape squashed insects off the front of your [...]

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    About Alan

    Flora and fauna have always fascinated me but it was a lifelong career in horticulture that filled most days.

    Having grown up on a farm where boyhood days were filled with discoveries of the natural world I soon found that my passion for plants – wildflowers at that time – would direct my career…

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    Alan E Down @AlanEDown
    34 minutes ago
    I hope you’ve dried out now Chris? 🤣 https://t.co/2pHdGhTrnb
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    Chris Collins @cmcollins_hort
    A few glimpses of @thenewtsomerset , a garden that is a very worthwhile visit. Incredible fruit training , vistas out on the the beautiful Somerset landscape and of course some superb scuplture https://t.co/VeH92U7ERb
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    Alan E Down @AlanEDown
    7 hours ago
    I was very impressed with the Pharmacy of House Plants studio at last month's @The_RHS #chelseaflowershow . This was staged by @patch_plants & @EdibleBusStop . Read more here https://t.co/KXGhFH6M8v https://t.co/2tfIu1r4Ff
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    Alan E Down @AlanEDown
    1 day ago
    This such a brilliant project! https://t.co/Xf0nOs11bS
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    The Edible Bus Stop® ⧖⃝ @EdibleBusStop
    Tah dah! Our newly refreshed #TinyParks at St James’s Park tube station featuring succulents to surprise & delight! Great feedback from the station staff, passengers asking what the species where & which way was Paddington? Thanks @TfL for your continued support of this project🌵 https://t.co/6XzVSZS8UN
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    Mahonia Soft Caress has such great spineless leave Mahonia Soft Caress has such great spineless leaves and is now in flower in my garden. It’s an early autumn bloomer but sadly not strongly scented and as yet I’ve never seen any fruits. This Mahonia tolerates being cut hard back, if like this did, it gets too big. Soft Caress is happy in sun but I think looks best in shade. (Full name Mahonia eurybracteata subsp. ganpinensis 'Soft Caress') #inmygarden #autumnvibes #autumn #fall #mahonia #softcaressmahonia #garden #gardening #gardendesign #oregongrape
    Not every Sweet Gum #tree does this! It’s worth Not every Sweet Gum #tree does this! It’s worth planting a named clone of Liquidambar as seed raised trees may or may not colour up in #autumn. I think that this in a car park is Lane Roberts but Worplesdon is good too! #autumnvibes @gdnmediaguild #autumncolours #autumncolors #sweetgum #liquidambar #fall #fallcolors #red #herbst #celebratetheseason #celebratethelittlethings #embracingtheseasons #aseasonalshift #aseasonalyear #inspiremyinstagram #somerset
    It’s harvest time for chilies and sweet peppers! It’s harvest time for chilies and sweet peppers! The oh so prolific but small fruited F1 Apache packs a hot punch with Scoville heat units (SHU) of 70-80,000 units. Next comes the mild sweet green New Ace pepper which will ripen to red if left. And finally Fresno Supreme chilli is a mild taster at 5-6,000 SHU. All grown in an unheated @kedergreenhouse polytunnel. #celebratetheseason #autumn #autumnvibes #autumnharvest #fall #hotsauce #hotspicy #turnuptheheat #red #celebratethelittlethings #embracingtheseasons #aseasonalshift #aseasonalyear #inspiremyinstagram #somerset
    This young tree in a neighbour’s garden just get This young tree in a neighbour’s garden just gets better each day! I’m pretty sure that it’s the maple hybrid between Acer rubrum and Acer saccharinum and known as Acer x freemanii Autumn Blaze. I’ve planted one in my garden but it’s yet to change colour as it’s even younger. This variety if widely available. Isn’t it spectacular? #autumnvibes #autumncolours #red #fall #autumn #celebratetheseason #gardeninguk #trees #treesofinstagram
    Stag’s-horn sumach (Rhus typhina) is colouring u Stag’s-horn sumach (Rhus typhina) is colouring up so well now! @nickbailey365 flagged this up as one of his favourite small garden trees for autumn colour in BBC 2’s Gardener’s World and rightly warned that it has a habit to spread! I’ve seen acres of it in eastern USA and unchecked it is a bit of a monster that needs the root barrier Nick recommended. The cut leaf one he cited is far less of a wanderer and much more interesting -‘Tiger Eyes’ is a great one to look out for! This is a male form with the larger flower clusters that persist through winter. Female ‘cones’ are smaller. #autumnvibes #autumnvibes🍁 #autumnview #autumn #autumncolors #autumncolours #sumach #red #gardening #gardendesign #trees #hotcolours #gardenersworld
    A favourite vineyard in North Somerset makes fabul A favourite vineyard in North Somerset makes fabulous wines and they’re looking to expand! @DYvineyards are crowd funding to buy more land. What a great opportunity to get involved! https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/dunleavy-vineyards-crowdfunder #englishwine #vines #vineyard #northsomerset #wringtonvale #localbusiness #localdrinks #finewine #taste
    The rain and winds has done its best to wreck our The rain and winds has done its best to wreck our flower borders but some plants have just shrugged their shoulders! Aster (now Symphyotrichum) Little Carlow and S. novae angliae Harrington’s Pink are at their best now with Rudbeckia Goldsturm muscling in! When the sun shines it’s hive bee heaven out there. #aster #michaelmas #daisy #daisies #october #autumn #gardening #celebratetheseason #fall #fallcolors #bee #honeybees
    Plenty of colour still at NT Lytes Cary with the M Plenty of colour still at NT Lytes Cary with the Michaelmas daisies especially covered with hive bees. Slide left and admire the magnificent Arundo donax Variegata against the blue sky. And a very late blooming acid yellow Kniphofia that I’ve yet to positively identify. The final pic is I think of Aster - now Symphytotrichum - Pink Cloud which is such a great variety! #ntlytescary #somerset #autumn #autumngarden #visitsomerset #michaelmas #aster #bees #gardening #celebratetheseason #daisies #september
    Wind blown Tithonia rescued by @felicitypage51 mak Wind blown Tithonia rescued by @felicitypage51 makes a surprisingly good cut flower! Note- in the 2nd pic the gorgeous African elephant painting is by my great gifted friend @ashley.boon . This is a constant reminder of times spent with Ashley and these majestic beasts which hopefully one day we’ll repeat! #tithonia #mexican #mexicansunflower #mexicanflora #flowers #cutflowers #elephant #painter #wildlifeartist #ashleyboon @gdnmediaguild
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