[TV] Gardeners' World This Evening, BBC 2. Different to Usual.

[DumLum]

I watch every episode, I can’t wait to see this special on iplayer.

After quite a bit of planting in our front and back gardens in the last couple of years, virtually everything done for pollinators, the results are amazing just now. A wide array of bees, hover-flies and the odd butterfly, the sound of the bees is very special.

The plant stars - Borage, Vipers Bugloss, Stachys, Pulmonaria, 2 types of Lavender, Nepeta, Salvia.

So many people are now interested in doing something.

Do you get more coming indoors?

 

[Weststander]

Do you get more coming indoors?

No. They just seem obsessed with gorging on the nectar.

Just the usual unpleasant flies and mosquitos that come in anyway, especially if lights are left on in the evening.

 

[Deportivo Seagull]

Not a bee hotel but we do have a sweat bee nest in a rotting log next to our pond.

Not a particularly good picture I’m afraid but difficult to get the exact moment a bee is entering the nest.

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That looks remarkably like a wasp ........


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[Creaky]

That looks remarkably like a wasp ........


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Sweat bees are much smaller than wasps.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halictidae

 

[Norman Potting]

...What other football forum could transmogrify to a gardening one Because of this I am now halfway through the episode of "Gardeners World" mentioned (no Percy Thrower anymore I note). Photo above is of our "bee tree" - no idea of its proper name but the bees love it - can anyone tell me what it is really called?

Went to Nymans today - in addition to the lovely formal gardens they have a fair amount of meadow with lots of happy insects therein.

 

[Jack Straw]

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...What other football forum could transmogrify to a gardening one Because of this I am now halfway through the episode of "Gardeners World" mentioned (no Percy Thrower anymore I note). Photo above is of our "bee tree" - no idea of its proper name but the bees love it - can anyone tell me what it is really called?

Went to Nymans today - in addition to the lovely formal gardens they have a fair amount of meadow with lots of happy insects therein.

My money is on Cotoneaster "Cornubia", but nowhere near sure. Could you post a photo of the whole tree/bush? Is it evergreen or deciduous?
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/131692/Cotoneaster-Cornubia/Details
I'll also have an each-way bet on Viburnum lantana (Wayfaring Tree).

 

[Coldeanseagull]

I'd go with cotoneaster. Gives height and structure to a garden, but boring as hell

 

[Jack Straw]

I'd go with cotoneaster. Gives height and structure to a garden, but boring as hell

I'm now leaning towards the Viburnum. The leaves aren't ovate enough for Cotoneaster. I've seen Cotoneaster used in all sorts of situations, my favourite being horizontalis grown up a fence. Very unusual and effective. They're used a lot in Supermarket car parks as they're cheap and quick growing. It's Waxwings' favourite place to eat berries. They were part of a staple diet of cheap and cheerful shrubs used on housing estates built in Brighton in the 1960's. Very few people plant them nowadays. Why? They are quite unassuming, but great for birds and insects.

 

[Norman Potting]

Taken just now, evergreen and there are lots of berries waiting to ripen which the birds will guzzle and make a mess all over the decking

 

[AmexRuislip]

Gardeners' World was completely all about attracting insects in to your garden. No formal or vegetable stuff at all. Really interesting and informative. Will give you food for thought if you could give it a watch, no matter how small (if your lucky enough to have one) your garden may be.
We can all do a little bit, making a big bit!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0006nz2/gardeners-world-2019-episode-18

We've done all we can on our allotment, in the way of attracting wildlife and insects.
Building nest boxes, bamboo stick insect boxes and nectar rich plants.
We do have an abundance of visitors throughout the warmer months, which is fantastic.

 

[Weststander]

We've done all we can on our allotment, in the way of attracting wildlife and insects.
Building nest boxes, bamboo stick insect boxes and nectar rich plants.
We do have an abundance of visitors throughout the warmer months, which is fantastic.

Any photos? Sounds a great effort.

 

[AmexRuislip]

Any photos? Sounds a great effort.

 

[Coldeanseagull]

Not v.lantana and not v. macrocephalum. Also, neither are evergreen. Maybe cotoneaster lacteus? Might just stick with cornubia......or frigidus
Horizontalis was the first shrub I ever propagated, way back when I had a 'thing' for berries

 

[Weststander]

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Stunning. Not just a sunny square churning out fruit and veg.

Love the trees, Foxgloves(?) and Yellow Flag Irises ... is that a small pond or boggy section?

 

[AmexRuislip]

Stunning. Not just a sunny square churning out fruit and veg.

Love the trees, Foxgloves(?) and Yellow Flag Irises ... is that a small pond or boggy section?

We found an old cast iron bath buried at the back.
Cleaned it up, now a pond of sorts.
Cheers

 

[Weststander]

We found an old cast iron bath buried at the back.
Cleaned it up, now a pond of sorts.
Cheers

Any water ‘feature’ makes your plot so much more attractive to a whole host of fauna. Satisfying isn’t it, even on our micro scale, knowing that we’re making a difference.

 

[Norman Potting]

Stunning. Not just a sunny square churning out fruit and veg.

Love the trees, Foxgloves(?) and Yellow Flag Irises ... is that a small pond or boggy section?

 

[AmexRuislip]

Any water ‘feature’ makes your plot so much more attractive to a whole host of fauna. Satisfying isn’t it, even on our micro scale, knowing that we’re making a difference.

The resident toads won't argue with that

 

[Coldeanseagull]

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That's a very pleasant and tranquil looking place where you could lose yourself for hours just staring at trees

 

[Weststander]

The resident toads won't argue with that

How annoying for the slugs.