Green Fingers

Instead of a walk by the canal today we decided to give the garden a bit of a spring clean and clear out. Our "garden" is really only a small back yard but even tiny spaces can be enjoyed by humans and wildlife.

During our tidy up we found an amazing amount of wildlife amongst the soil and rocks. There were worms, slugs, snails and even a few caterpillars and some centipedes. We also found some beetles and grubs which I've no idea what they are. We tried hard not to kill anything, but to move it to a new safe home or left safely alone. I expect some of the bugs that have been unearthed will become food for the sparrows next door but that's nature. Birds are often seen as pests in gardens but they eat a huge range of insects and this helps to keep the plants healthy. Finding a balance between the perfect garden and a wildlife friendly one doesn't have to be a struggle.

I was pleased to see that lots of the plants I bought have been grown in the UK, and also pleased to see that B&Q label their products clearly so you can see which are grown here and which are not. It's another  thing you don't often think about, well I don't, whether plants have been shipped in from other countries to fill our gardens.

So here is my flowerbed now, full of yellows and blues.

 I've planted some cornflower seeds at the back which, when they flower, will encourage bees and butterflies into the garden and hopefully I'll soon buy a buddleia, full of lovely smelling flowers and great for wildlife.

I'm looking forward to seeing what wildlife visitors my garden has over the next few months as spring kicks in, and I'm sure you'll be hearing about it all very soon!