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Trees - help me choose!
Hi all,
Our garden has been pretty neglected since we moved in (we have a hydrangea and a couple of Pieris, a heather, and very little else apart from dandelions and a sad patch of lawn.) We've been lazy, since the garden backing onto ours had a lovely mature garden, with many trees and buddleia - we stuck to putting out some bird seed, clearing weeds, and watching out our window at the charms of goldfinches using the neighbour's garden as their playground.
Sadly, the new owners of this garden today took a chainsaw and cut down every single piece of greenery (including some of next door's garden, an elderly man who watched sadly out the window as they pulled up established plants at the boundary, but who obviously didn't want to confront the chainsaw-wielding maniac.) Of course we are upset at the loss of habitat to birds and insects and are already making plans to replace some of the trees in our own garden.
Unfortunately I don't know exactly what to replace them with. I'm thinking of at least one tree which is bird-attractive, and one medium to large shrub to attract insects, maybe lilac. Our soil is not great quality and according to the hydrangea, our soil is acid. I want nothing with spines or spikes or that is harmful to animals or small children if ingested, if at all possible, and I'd prefer to keep the height to about 2.5m max. WE don't have tons of room due to another neighbour's garden having large conifers at the boundary.
Any suggestions? We're already going to define the boundaries with a trellis fence and a mix of trachelospermum jasminoides and as-yet undecided clematis, but I need a safe place for my little birdies to roost and feed. Any help is gratefully received, and I'm very sorry for going on so much!
Our garden has been pretty neglected since we moved in (we have a hydrangea and a couple of Pieris, a heather, and very little else apart from dandelions and a sad patch of lawn.) We've been lazy, since the garden backing onto ours had a lovely mature garden, with many trees and buddleia - we stuck to putting out some bird seed, clearing weeds, and watching out our window at the charms of goldfinches using the neighbour's garden as their playground.
Sadly, the new owners of this garden today took a chainsaw and cut down every single piece of greenery (including some of next door's garden, an elderly man who watched sadly out the window as they pulled up established plants at the boundary, but who obviously didn't want to confront the chainsaw-wielding maniac.) Of course we are upset at the loss of habitat to birds and insects and are already making plans to replace some of the trees in our own garden.
Unfortunately I don't know exactly what to replace them with. I'm thinking of at least one tree which is bird-attractive, and one medium to large shrub to attract insects, maybe lilac. Our soil is not great quality and according to the hydrangea, our soil is acid. I want nothing with spines or spikes or that is harmful to animals or small children if ingested, if at all possible, and I'd prefer to keep the height to about 2.5m max. WE don't have tons of room due to another neighbour's garden having large conifers at the boundary.
Any suggestions? We're already going to define the boundaries with a trellis fence and a mix of trachelospermum jasminoides and as-yet undecided clematis, but I need a safe place for my little birdies to roost and feed. Any help is gratefully received, and I'm very sorry for going on so much!
"All cruelty springs from weakness" - Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Personal pronouns are they/them/their, please.
I'm intolerant of wheat, citrus, grapes, grape products and dried vine fruits, tomato, and beetroot, and I am also somewhat caffeine sensitive.
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Comments
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Sorry I dont really know what to suggest...... but thats awful! Maybe you could get some buddleia of your own and a fruit tree or 2, dwarfs if your pushed for space?JAN GC- £155.77 out of £200
FEB GC £197.31 out of £180:o. MARCH GC - out of £2000 -
Like Bertiebots, I also thought of a buddlea... I have several in my garden and in Sept/Oct I prune the branches to halfway down (to stop the bush being rocked by winter winds and, then, in the spring, the Buddlea gets pruned very hard back so you can always keep it a manageable size... not only does it attract butterflies it also has a lovely perfume... I have a dark purple one and a light blue one.... so I would recommend them
Cheers0 -
I have a pyracantha (firethorn) which the smaller birds like to perch it, plus a clipped yew tree about 3m tall which blackbirds nest in.
(Doh! spiky and poisonous..oh, well...)0 -
The British Bird Lovers has a huge list of trees and the type of birds each one attracts and the RSPB offers loads of info.Greyer by the minute - Older by the hour - Wiser by the day0
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