Weekly weekend chat over the virtual garden fence; talk about what's happening in your garden, and ask quick questions that may not require their own thread.

This old (metal - steel? Aluminum?) wheelbarrow with a broken handle had been sitting gathering rain in my yard.

• if I make it into a little pond/water garden, should I use a pond liner?
• could I partially bury it in the soil, or will that make it rust faster?

Weekly weekend chat over the virtual garden fence; talk about what's happening in your garden, and ask quick questions that may not require their own thread.

To get us thinking of Spring as snow covers us at present!

It's been asked before, but once a year it's fun to discuss the wildlife you're currently enjoying.

What's your favourite garden critter? If you answered before, has it changed? Why is it your favourite?

Alder was dying and we left a 15 foot stump for wildlife. I’m excited to see who uses it! Any suggestions for enhancing the utility for wildlife? We’re in the Pacific Northwest.

Throwback to a patch of lawn that I let grow out for a few months last summer. I was amazed by the diversity of flowers and grasses that became evident as it grew longer, and the insects loved it. I would certainly recommend setting aside even a small patch of grass for something like this

I recently started a moss garden on my patio, and it’s been an unexpectedly peaceful experience. As someone who grew up finding comfort under trees and watching nature, this little project has brought me back to those moments. There’s something grounding about nurturing a small patch of green in the middle of a busy city. Does anyone else have small ways they stay connected to nature? I’d love to hear your stories!

Weekly weekend chat over the virtual garden fence; talk about what's happening in your garden, and ask quick questions that may not require their own thread.

Hi all

Every few months I like to post one of these welcome threads to say 'Hi' and welcome anyone new to the community :)

If you have any queries about the community or just want to say hi, introduce us to your garden, or have a quick question, please comment here.

If you're not new, feel free to join in anyway! The more the merrier!

Resources and information on gardening for wildlife are in the wiki, and the community rules are here.

Let us know how you found us, always interesting to see how folks find their way here :)

Happy wild gardening :D

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P.S. It's really useful for you to have your rough location in your user flair for the community. This shows beside your username when you post or comment.

Don't be too specific - protect your personal information - but a rough idea of where in the world you are and/or your hardiness zone helps us help you if you need advice on plants or wildlife. Here's how to add user flair New reddit/redesign | Old/Classic/Legacy reddit | Mobile - official app.

Hi there,

My husband and I live on 27 acres in WNY. His family does traditional farming for their local business currently he uses about 10 acres for this. I'm wanting to start my own little garden herbs, flowers, and some edible foods. I watched that Marth Stewart doc on Netflix and got inspired to have a piece of peace on the property. Our entire property used to be an old hay field so the bio diversity is gone. How do I do this in a sustainable manner well making it a whimsical place to read at? Any ideas on what to plant or even where to begin? I'm thinking about maybe a quarter of an acre.

We need to install a garden fence - but I'm concerned about it negatively affecting the birds.

A bit of context - we live in the south of the UK, in a mid-terrace house with a relatively small back garden. Currently the south-facing boundary between us and our neighbour is a low wire fence, which is invisible because it's covered with overgrown brambles and honeysuckle (see picture), and various deciduous shrubs further up which offer no privacy in winter. I'm trying to make the garden as wildlife friendly as possible, and I've been dragging my heels over sorting this out because the birds love hiding in the current overgrown boundary, and I'm not adverse to having an overgrown feel to the garden. However, over the last few years it's got out of hand and despite cutting it back every year it grows further into our already tiny garden, and envelopes any pollinator-friendly flowers I plant in front of it.

So a few advice asks:

1. Can you reassure me that clearing the current boundary isn't going to devastate our garden wildlife? We'll still have a big privet bush along that side, as well as a buddleia, and a bushy evergreen tree which is covered with holly and ivy, so lots of nooks and crannies for the birds to hide in.
2. Can you advise me (in the UK) when the best time of year to clear it would be in order to cause minimal upset to the wildlife?
3. Do you have any ideas of things we could plant which will quickly cover the fence (we're not big fans of plain fences) and provide shelter for the birds?

https://preview.redd.it/yhm4vdn2dlce1.png?width=3264&format=png&auto=webp&s=424ddd1fc061aa63dd7e88d36ecce1dd69fae5af

Weekly weekend chat over the virtual garden fence; talk about what's happening in your garden, and ask quick questions that may not require their own thread.

I'm converting a boring grass garden into a fairly chaotic blend of trees, shrubs, flowers, and mixed habitat features. Last year I had some success with borage, sticking seeds in the soil here and there. Too much success, really, but I like borage and so do the bees.

I'm looking for similar species to borage, foxgloves, and honesty. Flowers that reliably germinate when sown directly or scattered on the ground. Most importantly, they need to set their own seed well. Growing flowers is a pain, so I want established populations that will spread and pop up in random corners. Pollinators are my primary concern, especially anything that supports lesser known pollinators.

In in the Midlands in the UK. Very wet climate, mixed shade and sun in the garden. Soils vary depending on how much I managed to improve them, but largely clay.

Hi guys

The community gets a bit quiet this time of year, which is normal, the census revealed just how many of us are in one corner of the Northern hemisphere (US, Canada, UK), where it's the middle of winter.

But I just wanted to shout out to those from other places - I hope you all feel welcome to post! Please share your gardens :D

If you are ever unsure if your post will be a fit, please modmail to ask - we're friendly, and the worst that can happen is that we say no :)

And for everyone else - one part of gardening for wildlife is extending the flowering season. So what do you have flowering right now if anything?

Weekly weekend chat over the virtual garden fence; talk about what's happening in your garden, and ask quick questions that may not require their own thread.

So last year I managed to get my first balcony garden going and I decided to focus on native plants on my balcony (along with some herbs / vegs). Everything went pretty well for my first time and as winter came I am now left with a couple of containers/pots of soil that has been used by other plants.

I had a container with native flowers which turned out to probably be too small. I am planning on moving the earth of that container (as it still contains seed) into a bigger container in which I grew a squash plant. I cut up the dead remains of the squash plant already and threw it into the soil and mixed it up along with some other dead plant material of other containers.

My question is: would I be able to just throw in the soil of the native flower container into the bigger container? And if so, are there some things I need to be aware of? AFAIK there were no real issues with the squash plant other than it being a squash plant sensitive to humidity (meaning, it died eventually).

I have a lot of new soil still but I'd rather re-use as much as possible and I figured that native flowers over here grow in all sorts of conditions in all sorts of soil.

Weekly weekend chat over the virtual garden fence; talk about what's happening in your garden, and ask quick questions that may not require their own thread.

Anyone here I’ve recently gotten into guerilla gardening and want to make the most out of wild plants around me. I’m curious about how to go about saving seeds from wild plants and the best practices for storing them to ensure they stay viable. I am based in the Netherlands myself

I do have a couple of specific questions:

1. When is the best time to harvest seeds from wild plants? Are there any specific signs to look for that indicate the seeds are ready?

2. How should I process the seeds after collecting them? For example, do they need to be cleaned, dried, or treated in any way?

3. What’s the best way to store seeds for long-term viability? Should I use specific containers or keep them in certain conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity)?

4. When is the best time to plant seeds for guerilla gardening? Are there specific times of the year or strategies that work better for wild plant seeds?

I’d love to hear from anyone who’s had success with this or has tips to share. I’m trying to be thoughtful about spreading native and resilient plants while helping the environment. Thanks in advance for any advice!

I am in southern Ontario. Snow on the ground and temperatures hovering around -5 to 0 Celsius.

I’ve got dogwood seeds coming from an online seed supplier and anticipate they will be here in the next week.

How best to stratify them so that they will germinate in the spring:

1. Cold stratification in the refrigerator
2. Put them in soil in pots out on the patio, protected from animals, then transplant in the spring
3. Get them in the ground now where I want them to ultimately germinate. This will take effort as the ground is frozen but possible

Thanks in advance

Seasons greetings!

Pop your festive chat here, talk about almost anything you like with the GardenWild community!

This is our annual off-topic thread (other rules still apply) so you can chat with other wild gardeners about your festivities :)

If you have something to share that doesn't quite fit the theme, here's your chance!

• Did you get any wildlife gardening gifts?
• Have you adorned a tree with suet treats for the birds?
• Know of any resources for a sustainable festive season next year?
• Or to help those who are alone right now?
• Got any frosty or snowy garden shots?
• Environmentally friendly, or wildlife themed decorations?

Let us know!

Happy festive season to all.