Neglected Lincolnshire garden - one year on

Sapindus

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81867112#Comment_81867112

As far as I am aware the Wildlife and Countryside Act forbids the uprooting of wild plants without the landowner's permission, apart from a few specific very rare things which get extra protection. And the sale of bluebells and some others without a licence. Picking is not actually illegal, just rude.

Yes I have a plant fair to go to in March with an aquatic specialist down to attend, and will be stocking the pond up with all sorts of plants, tall things and floating things.

twopenny

Sorry if I was wrong Sapindus.. I tend to forget I live in a national park where it's restricted.

Great thing to have that plant fair for aquatics. I haven't been able to get any. The prices locally are mind boggling even for small plants.

You garden is looking exciting though. All sorts of interesting things to discover when it starts to get wilder. Please keep us updated.

Sapindus

The pond is the heart of the garden. I've realised that logs and branches look more natural and create little shady pathways into the pond if you put them jutting out instead of round the edge. The water is full of different sorts of beetles, water boatmen and pond skaters, and I've seen red damselfly, blue damselfly, broad bodied chaser and a "big" dragonfly. It's better than television, I just come out here several times a day and sit on the bridge and watch what's going on. On the right is the area the pond overflows into if it fills up, so I've put mostly natural looking bog plants in there like angelica, a white ragged robin, bistort, meadowsweet etc. The horsetail is everywhere so I just try and weed round newly planted things to get them started. Eventually I hope everything will come into balance like it does in the wild. Trying to get evergreen ground cover established to trail over the rocks, like creeping Jenny, Vinca minor and bugle.

Down under the trees I had snowdrops in the spring and now I've planted Geranium phaeum, forget-me-nots, ferns and a black-leaved cow parsley to go with all the wild white ones. This area should start getting more light once National Grid have dealt with the huge conifer, and I can do more planting when the men in orange have finished hoofing around. There's a wild honeysuckle in there, I may give it an obelisk to climb up. The idea here is to plant things which can self-seed. The main weed I have to contend with is plum suckers and seedlings

Some unusual things here: Szechuan pepper, Szechuan bramble, and Szechuan persimmon. Who knows if they will come to anything! A black leaved elder, Cornus mas, raspberries (suffered in the heatwave), Jostaberries, blackcurrant, two hazels and then the more ornamental evergreens to try a create a bit of a screen at the back: Berberis, Mahonia, Garrya. In the long grass I mulch each new thing with woodchip, I also strimmed this bit because it was mostly barren brome grass which I don't like very much. I'm trying to get more diversity into the sward, and deep rooted things like comfrey and horseradish. The willow dome has really struggled, but many of the poles are actually alive, they're just sprouting really slowly so I've watered it when I can. I've mowed paths into the long grass now, where I tend to naturally walk, and it's helped break it up into sections so I've got themed planting areas.

Near the house I have got a few vegetables and a little ornamental corner by the French windows. I'm going to have a lot more herbs here, where they are close to the kitchen. I'm thinking a ring of lavender around the base of the washing line, I've got some cuttings just waiting for them to root. Also I want asparagus. My neighbour has a big clump of it which the birds sowed, and she doesn't even pick it, so she has offered me some roots later in the year. The trellis against the house has a hardy self-fertile Kiwi fruit called Issai. The soil is very sandy - I can't quite get my head round hostas which actually escape being eaten by slugs! This is about the only part of the garden where I'm mowing with any regularity, and that's mainly to get mulch for the vegetables!

Hope you like my little piece of tamed wilderness. I love it.

Sapindus

When I said "big" dragonfly, I had not realised it was actually the UK's biggest. And we will have baby ones!