by Sarah Johnson | Nov 24, 2019 | flowers, Gardens, Wildlife
With the popularity of shows like Springwatch, and its seasonal cousin Autumnwatch, encouraging wildlife to adopt your garden as their own has never been easier. For experienced gardeners, the importance of planting pollinators and providing food and refuge in... 
by Sarah Johnson | Sep 12, 2019 | Wildlife
Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly Wow! What a summer it is for butterflies. Last week I was planting a new border for a client; within minutes of planting some purple Verbena bonariensis, two Peacock butterflies had already started probing their flowers for nectar.... 
by Sarah Johnson | Mar 15, 2019 | Wildlife
Insect mass extinction We are in the midst of a major alarm at the drop in insects’ numbers, with headlines saying we face the extinction of all insect life within decades. That’s serious stuff, let’s not kid ourselves here no insects = no us. Estimates vary but most... 
by Annabel Bridge | Jul 20, 2015 | Wildlife
I’ve just joined Sir David Attenborough and Joanna Lumley in taking part in the Big Butterfly Count, run by the charity Butterfly Conservation. It only took me 15 minutes and it’s great to know I’ve played as a citizen scientist in the UK annual count to check on the... 
by Annabel Bridge | Oct 30, 2014 | Tips & Tricks, Wildlife
Did you know that Shakespeare knew all about compost? In Hamlet Act 3 he has Hamlet pleading with Gertrude not to ‘spread compost upon the weeds, to make them ranker’…. sounds erious stuff! While you can, of course, spread your compost on weeds if you really want to,... 
by Sarah Johnson | Jan 8, 2014 | Gardens, Wildlife
At this time of year we get a lot of pretty gloomy advice in the media – supposedly to help us deal with the after–effects of the Christmas period; the weight we’ve added to our hips… and lost from our wallets! Added to that there’s the dark evenings, the...