lg cottage garden challenge for single mum help!

Rummer

We have some larger bits of wood around the garden for insects and any hedge clippings/twigs/branches are put in a pile at the bottom of the garden. To make the bug hotel we used lots of spare materials that we had including canes/slates/bricks/stones. This site is useful:

http://www.wildlifegardener.co.uk/

hollydays

www.cottage-garden.org.uk

The Cottage Garden Society.

There are a list of regional groups you could join,a cheap way to get plants and advice.
There is also a booklet called "A cottage garden Planner" which I think is £3 or £4.

Lotus-eater

I started doing all this wildlife area stuff, then realised it didn't matter how many empty sticks and wood, old stuff I left in an opportune site, the old brambly hedge down the bottom of the garden was way better, more natural and a much much much bigger than anything I could do.

So plant something to attract some things, but if you have an overgrown garden anyway, just leave a bit of it and you will be fine. I reckon these wildlife hotels are for the more perfect garden areas, which sprung up because of tv makeover shows.

The one exception is a bee hotel, because I found it just worked so damned well.

cootambear

The golden rule - do not try and do everything at once, you will be overwhelmed.

You may want to try easy to grow crops like strawbs, courgettes, salady leaves, beans etc to give you and the kids quick rewards and build confidence.

I have to disagree with an earlier post, strawbs are very easy to grow in pots, you just have to be careful not to let them dry out, or overwater them, in summer.

singlemum_to_3

thankyou to everyone for their ideas, will try strawbs in some containers and in the ground will be an experiment for DS2&DS1,
this i hope will keep my minde buisy and of Ex OH scary doing it all on your own and we all miss him teribly, sorry spelling isnt my best thingy!:cool:

does any one know how to upload photos?

cant sleep so off to look at gardening books....see you all tomorow.

am picking some cuttings and plants of my parents tomorow..wounder what ill get:T night night all

ixwood

You need to upload the photos to photobucket or flickr or somewhere like that and then post the link that they'll give you in a message on here and it'll include the photo.

ixwood

Sorry to hear about your situation. Things will get easier. Just throw yourself into your garden and don't look back.

Cottage gardens are lovely and very good for wildlife, as they generally cram loads of flowers, herbs and fruit in, all of which are great for wildlife.

xnatalie81x

just wanted to say hi - i am also a single mummy to 4 children. I left my OH last April so nearly a year on and you will get through it - i have a humungous garden now and like you am trying to sort it into some sort of self-sufficient and nice place to be for me and the kiddies I also have lots of photos but a very wriggly 4.5mth old here so shall save these for another time - PM me if you want details to find me on facebook though as maybe we could spur each other on xxxxxx

ab7167

Good luck with it! I'm not a single mum, but have a massive garden and we are just getting into our first veg growing season. My kids (3 and 1) now spend hours outside digging holes and playing with (eating?) worms and bugs instead of inside. They are happier, and we have stuff sprouting like crazy. Would suggest courgettes for a quick grow, they seems to go crazy - also rhubarb, it's growing quicker than I can eat it and you can't beat a good rhubarb crumble... I've also planted some bumblebee and butterfly wildflower mixes to try and encourage them to come and pollinate. Look fOrward to following your progress :-)

hollydays

Just looking at my cottage garden reference books,they mention annuals and,biennials such as honesty,love in a mist,foxgloves,cornflowers and poppies,mullein,nasturtiums, as being cheap and easy to grow from seed direct into the ground.

plants for the water margin-perrenial lobelia.

wildflowers red campion,foxgloves,mullein,oxeyedaisy,cranesbill,cowslips,scabious as being easy ish.
"cornfield "weeds such as corncockle,poppies,cornflower,corn marigold.
Pond marginals such as yellow flag,ragged robin,meadowsweet,and purple loosetrife.
Hedgerows-primroses,violets,oxlip,bugle.
My book says if you want to create a perrenial flowering lawn,its best to establish the grass first and grow (wild) plants seperately,introducing them when they are quite large and growing strongly.Such grassland can only be mown late in the season once the plants have flowered and set seed,or the flowers will all eventually disappear.
hth.scuse typing.

You could buy some seed mixes,not done this yet,but just an idea.

http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/garden-shop/seeds/wildflower-conservation-mix/cottage-garden-mixture/all