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Posted by collylolly (U3568562) on Wednesday, 22nd March 2006
We bought an 18th century cottage last year with a half acre garden plus an extra plot of land which stretches across the bottom of our own and next door's garden. It's about 200ft wide and about 50ft long, beyond that is a public footpath then a river, a nature reserve then open fields.
Due to the location we get quite a lot of wildlife in the garden. We want to do something with it to try and incorporate it into the rest of the garden. It's currently a little overgrown, plenty of trees some which we'd like to keep if possible but I'm worried about disturbing or discouraging the wildlife. It's separated from our garden by a mixed hedge, mainly hawthorn with a gap for access. Can anyone suggest what we could do with it please. We'd love to make use of it but can't decide what. Please Help.
Link to this forum: What can I do with some land backing onto a nature reserve?
Perhaps you could plant this up as a woodland garden ,with some spring flowering bulbs, rough grassland areas with mown paths through it. It sounds like a lovely place!
Link to this forum: What can I do with some land backing onto a nature reserve?
Hi Collylolly. The possibilities are endless !! Sounds big enough to do a variety of things with it but it all depends on what YOU want out of it. You could keep some of the trees, making part of it a woodland area with some snowdrops and bluebells etc under planting them. Perhaps you could also make a small meadow area with lots of grass and meadow flowers to encourage lots of wildlife. You could also plant some fruit trees and make a small orchard area or possibly even cultivate some vegetables in a veg plot. You could even dig out an olympic sized swimming pool or level it and use it as a footie pitch (for 5 a side anyway !) if you really wanted to. The possibilities are pretty much endless depending on how much work you want to put in and what you want to get out of it as an end result.
Good luck with the project.
FA
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And also consider a decent sized pond which will attract all sorts of wildlife and some log piles for critters to shelter.
Link to this forum: What can I do with some land backing onto a nature reserve?
Thanks for your ideas, though I don't think I'll show my two teenage boys the 5 a side footy pitch one, I could come home one day.....
I like the pond idea but I've already earmarked an area for a pond nearer to the house so I can watch the frogs and the resident pheasant (who lives down't bottom we think). I don't have any experience with ponds and I worry that the critters will arrive at the pond down the bottom first and not venture up any further, lazy little blighters.
Do you have any thoughts about a quick growing not too expensive (and not conifers) secure boundary? I really don't want to fence it, there are trees there and a fence at the moment but I want to plant something the other side of the trees (still within the boudary line you town planners)that will grow into a secure boundary so I can take the fence down, prickles and low maintenance would be nice too.
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Going with the natural theme I find blackthorn very prickly,Rosa rugosa is a nice prickly subject and berberis makes a good hedge.
Link to this forum: What can I do with some land backing onto a nature reserve?
Also pyracantha is prickly and evergreen and has blossom for insects and berries for birds. Ditto hawthorn except it's deciduous. Both are cheap.
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See this thread - - for more ideas on hedging.
Link to this forum: What can I do with some land backing onto a nature reserve?
Many thanks for hedging suggestions. It's the first time I'd posted on here and I'm really impressed and grateful for all suggestions.
Of the hedges recommended, which would you say is the fastest growing?
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Hawthorn. I planted some in November 3 yrs ago and cut each stem it down to about 15" above ground and they grew 6' in the next season. I keep trimming them to make them thicken up. It's got thorns so will deter unwanted people from pushing through it and procides food and habitat for a wide range of insects and birds. For a long hedge, I would still mix it up with some pyracantha for the evergreen foliage.
Link to this forum: What can I do with some land backing onto a nature reserve?
Another inspirational book you could get is Beth Chatto's Woodland Garden, it will have all the answers, trouble is it'll keep you busy for the next 40 years !!!!! Could get a tractor for one of the boys birthdays, it would come in very usefull.
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