My Garden & Why it Attracts So Many Birds
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- Опубликовано: 13 фев 2021
- Gardening for Wildlife - In this video, we look at why my garden attracts so many birds and how you can encourage more into your own garden.
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Many thanks,
Joel Ashton
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One of my favourite videos, Joel. If my garden was like yours, I wouldn't get anything done! I'd just sit in the garden with a big smile on my face, listening and watching :o) Thanks to your inspiration, I now have the motivation to plan for more wildlife in our garden this year. Thanks for sharing. By the way, loved the live stream yesterday.
Thank you Debbie, so much :) I spend so much time in other people's gardens these days it's difficult to enjoy my own ;) but when I do it is a joy to know and see so many insects, amphibians, birds etc enjoying what is provided - all these shrubs helps the birds provide insects (and moisture) for their young in Spring, they have such a tough job finding sufficient insects these days and broods are lost. I am so glad this channel is encouraging others, it really does spur me on to keep providing the information/motivation for others and your support really does make a difference, not just to me but to nature too :) I'm really pleased you're enjoying the channel - stay safe and stay optimistic! Best wishes, as always - Joel
Absolutely enchanting Joel! I liked the way you simply contrasted your biodiversity friendly garden against the wildlife deserts of your neighbours conventional gardens. It makes you wonder what could be achieved if everyone converted. Goldfinches now seem to appear to favour sunflower hearts over nyger seeds in my suburban garden in Dublin. In fact almost every garden bird devours them with gusto. I must plant a Holly to encourage Fieldfares which rarely visit and for my Holly Blues which associate my the ivy. Anyhow wonderful stuff Joel!
Thanks for taking the time to leave such a positive and nice comment Shane, I really do appreciate it :) You're absolutely right, I do hope this way of gardening continues to grow and people realise that wild doesn't mean messy - even if my intentionally left meadow this year looks rather wild! ;) But it will be cut soon, the goldfinches and Blue/Great tits have been seen on the Teasels and Hemp Agrimony. Same here re the Nyger seed, a few indulge when the sunflower heart feeder ports are all occupied, but boy are they messy with the sunflower hearts, I thought they were going through them rather quick and went down a few weeks ago to refill, to find that at least a quarter of the seed was on the floor! Luckily the Robin and Blackbirds etc soon hoovered it up :) Would really recommend a Holly and if you have space then they're really attracted to Rowan - there's another short video on the channel about attracting Fieldfares and Redwing - I'm so glad you're enjoying the channel Shane - best wishes to you and yours - Joel
You have so many species of birds coming to visit your garden, it is quite amazing, given it is still winter and therefore cold in the UK. Kudos to you for making an environment that feathered friends find appealing and safe from predators. Well done and great advice as always, Joel👌🙂.
Thank you :) It doesn't look so attractive to "us" in winter but it certainly does to the birds - I really hope this channel encourages more and more people to think about how we can provide much needed habitat for these precious lives, they already have it so difficult. Thanks for your support - Joel
Amazingly beautiful! ❤️🕊️❤️
Just goes to show how much difference a single garden can make. A lesson learned.
Thank you Norman, couldn't agree more - thanks so much for your kind comments, they make all the difference :) Best wishes, Joel
Would love to see more of your garden throughout the season. We definitely have garden envy!
Thanks so much - if only it looked like this year round ;) But I do plan to put some footage up of the garden and what is attracted to it, aside from birds! I have some phone footage from last year, not a long video but I may well put that video up in a few days :) Really appreciate your support, best wishes to you - Joel
Enjoyed bird singing😆
All 20 seconds of it! Haha, as soon as I said it they decided to go quiet, except the sparrows of course! ;) Unfortunately a serious decline in sparrows in the UK so it's good to see them in such numbers in the garden :) Best wishes, Joel
I'm sorry I missed your live session yesterday, but I was out in the garden and lost track of time😊 I moved my bird boxes that haven't been used to where there is more cover, so hopefully they'll be occupied over the next year or two. I have two very large and mature camelias that are both host to colonies of tree sparrow, so I hope to attract more species. Thanks for the inspiration as always 👍
Hey, not a problem - it was a fantastic session with Dr Krishna, the live stream has been uploaded now if you get a chance to see it, or you can watch in small segments of course :) The birdboxes will be moved in time for Spring, they are prospecting now so I have no doubt you will be rewarded - thank you for the support and kind words - much appreciated, best wishes - Joel :)
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton checked my bird boxes today and I have a robin nesting in one, well chuffed 😊
Hi Joel, it’s so lovely to have all the birds visiting, your special bird seed is so popular that the feeders need filling every day, it’s my second job of the morning after the kettle goes on! So sad to hear of councils fining people for feeding birds in their own gardens, if some busy body complains about a pigeon or two, what a sad state of affairs. So glad for your online community of bird and wildlife defenders 😊love this site, thank you
Wow 👏 so beautiful
Thank you so much - I really do appreciate you leaving such a nice comment, it really does make a difference and I hope you are enjoying the channel and it's giving some advice on how you can help nature too, wherever in the world you are - best wishes, take good care - Joel
How wonderful! I'm so jealous as I live in a flat and only have a very tidy communal garden. If it was up to me, it'd be a little jungle :) Hopefully one day!
Thank you - I think people need encouraging in that wild doesn't have to be unkempt or messy, it's just providing the right flowers/plants/shrubs etc to help nature - many of our popular flowers these days all come from breeding of the ones found naturally. Even non-natives can be of benefit, if they're providing food it all helps :) Good luck with your mission - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Thank you! And thank you for your careful reply.
@@jojoba11 You're very welcome, I am happy to help :) Stay safe and you know where I am if you need any advice etc - best wishes, Joel
Amazing garden. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you 😊
I didn't realize till recently how important water and cover was to the birds. On local chat groups when talking about getting birds into gardens all people mention is giving them food. Most go out and buy the cheapest type which generally a lot of birds won't want and place it in an open area so they can see the birds (just like I've done). We have given more thought to water locations and added a couple more baths, along with giving the birds nearby getaway places ie when we trimmed an overgrown large tree we put the very large tangled branches near to the feeders to help get rid of the open space. Ever since we did this we can see the increase in birds we get daily in our garden.
This is SO good to read! I am absolutely thrilled that this video was helpful to you and the fellow gardeners, there's so much we can do to encourage wildlife and support it and it's really good to know that there are many people out there wanting to help. Great work, and so rewarding :) Best wishes, Joel
Great video, wise and uplifting. Thank you.
It’s fun to watch the different birds. My place is right be a park and there is a huge variety of trees and shrubs. Enjoyed your video . I can feel your joy.
Wow Sooo many beautiful birds, how adorable. I was bought up in the countryside and taught to feed and admire the birds from a very young age. Thank you dearest late mum x
What a lovely comment, thank you - and thank you to your mum too for passing on this interest. Welcome to the channel, best wishes - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Thank you for your lovely words, that meant a lot:)
@@ChopsyMiche You're very welcome, I hope you find the channel useful, we have a wonderful community here :)
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton I love this channel, its uplifting and beautiful. I tune in to feed my heart and soul:)
@@ChopsyMiche You have reminded me of this: "I may never traverse the halls of art, yet the dawning day is mine, and the fading twilight, and the lake at eve, and the galaxy of the midnight sky.... I may never place in a Dresden vase one single hothouse flower, but I may lave me in a field of yellow buttercups." - Muriel Strode (1875-1964)
sparrows love my backyard. every season I'll leave cherries up top of the tree for the robins and sparrows. great video. from Michigan
This is great to hear and you already know the rewards for doing this, many thanks and best wishes to you and yours in Michigan - Joel
Wonderful. Thanks Joel.
Thank you Mark - really appreciate the support :)
Beautiful garden tour video uploaded 👌
Thanks my friend 💌 greetings from India 🌷🇮🇳🌹💌
What a lovely comment! Thank you so much for taking the time to be so encouraging, it means a lot - I have received so much support from India and I am so very grateful to you all :) Best wishes to you and yours - Joel
Its gorgeous. Well done☆
Wow ... nice to see all that wild life in your garden 👌 .... very nice Joel
Thanks Clive - more of the garden to come tomorrow - can't wait to share it all with you :)
I have a lot of tall trees and cover as well! Makes a wonderful bird and wildlife haven! I have 80 ft pine trees, oaks, apple, pear, cherry, and peach trees, blackberry bushes. Giving the birds and wildlife plenty of cover and plenty of fruit and insects to eat.
wonderful garden my friend
you make a warm and beautiful home for birds, love it !❤️🐦👍👍
Thank you - I hope it helps inspire you and others to garden with nature in mind or make the most of green spaces - I really appreciate your comments TT - best wishes, Joel
You have eyes like a Hawk, absolutely beautiful yes I will definitely be building a frame for plants to grow around this year, the birds are lovely.
Hey Carrie - thank you, glad this was helpful and yes at the moment my eyes are pretty good (!) - glad you enjoyed this, welcome to the channel! Best wishes - Joel
This is excellent advice. My garden looks like this and it's full of birds (I do feed them). They also love the wildlife pond.
LOL - wall to wall buddlieas..!
There’s about 7 and they are beautiful in the summer. They are covered in butterflies and moths in the evening in the summer. That along with a meadow, a wildlife pond and native trees and shrubs make it very appealing to wildlife. Thanks for commenting 😊👍
Wonderful Joel It goes to show the importance of cover and safety for the birds. Hearing bird song is so important to well being it was great to see people beginning to notice bird song during the first lockdown. I know my neighbour asked me if I noticed, there I am feeding them everyday 🤷♀️ But at least he’d begun to take an interest. The contrast between gardens can look so stark. I know they do by me. Great garden.
Agreed! :) Thank you Tracey. I know this style of garden is not to all tastes of course, but if it's good for nature it's good for me :) I'll definitely do more detailed videos on the garden when I can actually get time to get out there, I fully appreciate how lucky I am to be doing this for a job and to be able to convert/revert all these important spaces, but I seem to get less time to actually spend in the garden here but when I do it definitely shows the benefits of gardening in this way. It's going to be very different when lockdown is eased, I hope we don't have to strain to hear the birdsong.... Take good care and speak soon Tracey, enjoy the week - Joel
This is my dream garden! So glad your feeding the birds! Great video!
Thank you Jade, so much :) I hope this encourages others and shows that more cover brings more birds - the more you consider nature the more "free" visitors you have in your own back garden, it's a delight in Spring and Summer but also Autumn and Winter as it's not barren with no life, but has lots of visitors then too, providing interest all year round :) I really appreciate your support - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton nature is so calming and I love to bring nature to my backyard! But it’s just ashame I don’t have any bushes and trees in my garden and they take years to grow full.
I always wanted to see your garden:) Maybe you could create a tour during the spring time?
Hi Marek! That is the plan and then again in summer - I do have some phone footage somewhere of last year, I'll try to get that out and upload a short video. Just got to find time to be in my own garden this year! ;) Hope all is good, speak soon - best wishes to you and yours - Joel
wonderful video !!
A wonderful haven for the many birds!
Thank you so much! Sorry for not responding sooner but I have just got back from 10 days away in France and back to client works, but I am glad you enjoyed this :) Best wishes, Joel
I have really enjoyed catching up on all your videos. My sister’s garden has a good amount of cover and she consistently feeds the birds which gathers a great variety. This included Sparrowhawks which I thought was great but watching the predation distressed her and did cause the birds to abandon the garden for long periods. First the feeders were moved into cover but the Sparrowhawks still found their entry. So I enclosed the feeders further by putting up two sides of trellising with a gap at the bottom for blackbirds to hop under but low enough to prevent cat attacks. It has worked really well and the extra cover definitely allows to birds to feed much more securely. I have never before seen trellising used to help protect feeding stations from cat and Sparrowhawk attacks but it works really well.
Thank you, that means a lot :) I am not sure if I mentioned in this video about the blue pergola - this was not only installed to help support the huge buddleija but also to thwart the sparrowhawk somewhat as previous to this he (and a she!) used to divebomb the buddleija when the sparrows took refuge in it, he/she would usually end up crashing into the french doors (unharmed, just looking a bit annoyed!) - I do understand that this is nature in action and they have to eat, but when feeding the birds and encouraging them, it seems only fair to give them a chance also :) Really enjoyed reading your message, thank you :) Best wishes to you and your sister - Joel
💗 Love it...2 sides of my garden is all hedgerow & I too have lots of birds visiting (key also is to have lots of feeding stations) and like you, I have an ‘army’ of sparrows living here....and boy do they like to talk! We have to shout at them to be quiet sometimes when we are sitting in the garden, as they are all vying to get their opinions heard and thus they get louder & louder 📢 🤣🤣
Hi Lucy - sorry for the delay in responding - it's been one of those years already! ;) So good to know you have an army of sparrows, I have around 30 regular visitors and empathise re the incessant chatting and squabbling - it sounds like you are the perfect host though :) Best wishes, Joel
Heaven.😊
Another great video , if you don't mind , make a video on your garden tour like Pault's world!;);)
Thank you - I am already planning one for Spring and then Summer :)
Just about to suggest the same thing. Paul T is great though he has not posted a video for quite a while .
Pretty cool! I'm planning to have a similar garden one day
That's fantastic to hear :) Wishing you all the best with it, and know that I'm here if you have any questions or need advice - best wishes to you, and thank you - Joel
Wow
Thank you George :)
Very beautiful സൂപ്പർ വീഡിയോ
വളരെ നന്ദി! നിങ്ങളുടെ അഭിപ്രായത്തെ ഞാൻ ശരിക്കും അഭിനന്ദിക്കുന്നു :) നിങ്ങൾക്ക് ആശംസകൾ
Great video and great garden.
Robin, house sparrows, blue tit, coal tit, great tit, magpie, crow, jackdaw, dove, wood pigeon, one sparrow-hawk, starling, linnet and, seagulls and one heron. These are the birds I have been seeing since we moved in our new house three months ago. It is going to more in next Spring I guess. Such as black birds.
Thanks so much. Really pleased you liked the video. Wow - you have a good list so far! Keep looking up - you never know what you might see 😊👍
HIS GARDEN IS TEEMING
Teeming... love that word! ;) It certainly attracts a lot of creatures and is worth the wait for summer too when it looks a tad more attractive to the human eye :) Thanks Taylor, best wishes - Joel
Joel, your channel is solid gold. I really appreciate it, especially as we start the process of rewilding our own garden and try to optimize for wildlife. We happen to have a creek running through our property where we’ve recently removed invasive blackberries. Do you have suggestions or best-practices when planting along creeks (vs. a new pond)? Thanks a million!
Hi there Norm, so sorry I missed your comment, so many to catch up on these days but I'm trying my best. If you wanted to send me an email with a few photos to enquiries@hazelwoodlandscapes.com I can certainly do my best to help you. Apologies again for the delay and thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement - best wishes, Joel
Thanks, Joel, really appreciate it! We’re working with a native plants nursery near us along the creek, think we’ve got that base covered. I’m moreso wondering about what advice you give to folks in general with moving water through their property and how to manage it best for wildlife. Leave it alone altogether and let it grow/change/evolve organically? Thin out certain parts of it to encourage new growth? Add a diversity of structures and materials to optimize habitat? Open up stretches for bats to get a drink? Thanks again!
One huge benefit to wildlife in the garden is the cover /shelter from wind and rain, the more cover for shelter means that wildlife require less food to keep warm, we have a 20 ft high Bay tree which is always full of sheltering birds in winter, and a great nest site for Collard Doves and Finches in Summer, there are very few other evergreen trees here, so any shelter is very much appreciated by the local wildlife, the dense shelter also gives a god protection from the Sparrow Hawk which takes every opportunity to bounce any unwary birds. Stay safe ! Chris B.
Spot on as always Chris :) Thank you - best wishes, stay safe to and speak soon - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton One thing that I have noticed is that every day there are different flocks of finches in the garden, it is almost like the flocks are moving around to a different area each day, I have not seen man Chaffinches here this year, then this morning we had a flock of circa 40 of them, but there were less Goldfinches on the feeding area, I also noticed that the Chaffinches appeared to be in pairs, although that is not so easy to see with the Goldfinches, it could be that they are starting to pair up ready to nest. Chris B.
@@453421abcdefg12345 That's great to hear Chris, particularly the Chaffinches - I guess you already know but they're such a rarity here now, I don't think I ever see more than about 3 together these days - I'm sure last time I read about it the decline was around 30% between 2007 and 2018. So good to hear they're in decent numbers near you - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton I had not realised the Chaffinch was in decline ! It was always the most common of the finches, the Bullfinch is the one we see less frequently here, although I think the weather patterns here bring surprise influxes of of various species, like the massive numbers of Hawfinch and Bramblings we had a few years ago, caused by high winds in Bulgaria I think.
@@453421abcdefg12345 Yep, as ever there seem to be various potential reasons - the awful Trichomonosis, farming practices and of course habitat loss, there are several studies underway I believe. There are still good sightings but I've personally noted their absence for a good few years. I have noted the increase in greenfinches in my garden though :)
👍👍👍
Thank you Owen :)
Thanks Joel, great video - I have already watched it more than once, paused and studied too! I have some of these elements in the garden already. More to do though, need to persuade my husband to have a buddleja! I have a fair bit of mature ivy in my garden (planted by me) but don't seem to get flowers, why would this be? Take care.
Hi Suzanne, thanks so much :) I think because buddlejas are so good at colonising the most barren of places they are looked on less favourably. I'll put a link at the end of this message to a video I did on why they're so good, it might be worth showing him :) Re the ivy - is there a way you could take a quick photo and send to me at wildyourgarden@gmail.com please? I might be able to let you know why then as I'll be able to see which ivy it is :) Ok, here's the link to the buddleja video made a few years ago now... you'll note the amount of butterflies on it...
ruclips.net/video/__NPWUwllPQ/видео.html
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Hi Joel, thanks for your reply. Apologies for the delay in getting back to you. We have watched the video about buddlejas, amazing to see all those butterflies! As for the ivy, I didn't know you could get non flowering ivy, as I bought it from a garden centre many years ago I am imagining I purchased a non flowering variety. Thanks so much for all you do to encourage us to support wildlife. Take care. PS. Love this video, keep watching it!!!
@@suzannebramble6564 That's great to hear Suzanne, thank you so much - don't worry about not responding sooner, I think YT notifications can be quite random - I often think I've managed to address questions and then see I've missed one, quite by accident! Even non-flowering ivy will provide a good nesting site for a good few birds :) So glad you're enjoying the channel and thrilled it's of help to people - stay safe and best wishes to you and yours - Joel
8000 subscribers amazing Joel if your just browsing why not subscribe this is an amazing RUclips channel about every aspect of wildlife 💚🐸💚
Hello! So sorry I missed this comment! What a wonderful thing to say and I really do appreciate it, I'm doing my best to keep up with people and questions etc, apologies again that I didn't acknowledge this - many many thanks :) Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton no problems Joel and it’s fine mate you don’t have to apologise. You got 8000 people to keep up with now 😉 but seriously mate glad your channel is doing so well you deserve it 💚🐸💚
@@UkAmphibians Hey, you know I mean this when I say I couldn't do it without the support of people like you - I have to pinch myself most times when I see the engagement, positive comments and subscriber numbers - I'll do my utmost to help everyone I can - the more people I help to help nature, the better it will be for all :) Thank you, sincerely - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton lovely words Joel and that’s the reason why you have and deserve so many subscribers
I’m here anytime to help out mate just give me a shout 👍🏻 💚🐸💚
@@UkAmphibians Careful now.. I've got your number and lots of work coming up! ;) My main aim right now is to get to you to film those fantastic frogs of yours, and you know which one I'll be set on having a starring role already..... the waiting... the staring... haha! Thanks so much - Joel
Your garden puts mine to shame 🥴
Need to get cracking on wilding my garden
Buddlejas will soon establish George, the one on the left has been left to it's own devices, as it would do without human intervention in the "wild". You will soon reap the rewards, I'm positive of that and I am absolutely thrilled by the amount of people that are helping to make a difference. I have even more visitors in the Spring as there are so many insects etc attracted by the shrubs/trees and this of course provides moisture for chicks, as of course birds can't "carry" water back to the nest for their young :) Hope to see you real soon - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Thank you Joel
I did get in touch via email on hazel wood landscapes hotmail.com.
I’m ordering online flowering hedges for wild life to start on the other side of the garden.
@@george-1961 Hi George - was just replying to your email - see your inbox! :) Best wishes, Joel
Lovely garden . I’m looking at making a native uk garden . Although I have hens so don’t really want to actively encourage wild birds due to bird flu but I do want some native trees and plants . I may add some bird boxes away from the hens
That's a great idea Finnerz :) I am not sure what country you are in but the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) in the UK advised recently that very few song birds seem to have been affected by the virus. I am hoping that it not only stays this way, but that other birds also find an immunity somehow, it's all just so sad when you see the sea birds etc that have been decimated by it. I hope you are having a good weekend - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton I am also from the UK. I’m hoping it a more of just a precautionary thing I’ve not heard that many cases other than what is announced by the government in regards to avian flu
Love the wildlife in the garden! In the Netherlands, it isn't allowed to have a tree taller than 3 meter in the garden. I have one in front, it grew by itself and I'm not cutting it. I have blue tits family quite often there and one European Robin. I enjoy looking at them from my window. I created a feeding place for them there. They were so happy when discovered that. Father tit called others to come.
Hello :) That's so good to hear - and good for you for standing your ground and not cutting it! I have a large sycamore that, although it's not a native to the UK, it was already in the front garden of the property and the aphids that are attracted to it in the Spring provide a lot of "soft" natural food for the birds when feeding their young - also the flowers, although not obvious, are a great nectar source for bees and other pollinating insects. Thanks so much for letting me know about your garden and the birds, and for your support - it's appreciated - best wishes to you and yours - Joel
Beautiful 😍 I've always hacked back the buddleja in spring, it's a job on the to do list just now but maybe I should let it go wild for a year and see what happens 🤔 always laden with butterfly, same with cotoneaster 🦋 Goldfinches are messy eaters as you said earlier 🙄 didn't realise the mess!! Is a climbing ivy invasive, ie self growing if it has contact with the ground? We have 4x hop vines to go out but I'm thinking of another rose arbour and maybe even a raised bed at the bases to contain ivy? I have Holly to transplant and 2x new to go in somewhere 😎 will make an effort with bird boxes next week, took notes earlier and nest material on order
If ever I needed an ambassador, it would be you!! I love reading what you've been up to and your plans for the very near future :) Absolutely I'd recommend letting your buddleja grow as it would choose to in the wild - the one on the left is quite a brute but is around 16 years old now - I'll get some shots of the trunk for you, it's interwoven and almost looks like out of a fairytale. Along with the pergola it stymies any attempts by the Sparrowhawk to ambush the smaller birds completely - he does make the extra effort though and regularly flies under it and past those french doors to the left of the image when I'm live-streaming! Hop will bring such great rewards, in the first year I found several Comma caterpillars on mine, their original food plant of course along with nettles. You do realise you've talked yourself into an appearance on one of the livestreams now as a guest don't you? ;) Best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Morning, haha, credit where credit is due, you're a wildlife guru! Not many of you around but we could do with an ever expanding army of warriors promoting and making changes for the better :D Wow, 16 years old! Sounds magical it's interwoven and a proper hideaway. Now that's cool, to have a bird of prey do a fly by when you're live streaming lol. The buddleja is out the front and a bit in the way... Maybe this summer I can re-landscape it as I have another 4 buddleja to go in, all different types and want to create more privacy, so a nice wall of buddleja could be the way to go. It's SE facing too and seems a world of different style of planting to the back garden!! Maybe even hops too (TOH is a homebrewer and I am originally from Kent) - in fact, vertical hops could screen a side window just nicely...! 8-10m of raised beds, pergola up and over, hops climbing up and over. Boom! Good thinking, Batman! Wanna come up and build it for me?? Lol, maybe once the garden has taken shape a bit more I'd feel comfortable as a guest :) Krishna was a great guest, love that he's bought it to prevent future human interference and it's a great bargaining chip to be able to give permission to others without lots of government paperwork - it's an absolute win all round. Looking forward to the next session already. Take care and have a good day
@@donnageorge-henderson5419 Sorry Donna, completely missed this! Sounds absolutely fantastic and I *will* get you on somehow, someway ;) I'm absolutely intrigued to know how this turns out, but am resting assured you are providing the right habitat completely - well done you! :)
I love how the massive buddleia attracts the sparrows. I’ve always cut my buddleia back hard in Spring - do you do any pruning or have you just left it alone?
Hi there - thank you. The buddleja has to be at least 16 years old now, I more or less leave it to it's own devices, I have several buddleja and the others are pruned occasionally. However, this one I wanted to leave, as it would do if left to it's own devices in nature. It has the most wonderful structure when looking up from ground level - it's featured in this video of the garden here from about 8 mins into the video:
ruclips.net/video/GWQsOoePD08/видео.html
Hope this helps, and if you have room, do try leaving it for a season or two, they can always be pruned if it gets too much. Best wishes, Joel
Great demonstration Joel, similar thing here where concrete, driveways and even plastic grass are the slim options for birds. BTW does your bird population make it a cat magnet?! 👍
We already have two cats so I'm doing what I can to provide cat proof habitat for birds. I've got 8m of native wildlife hedgerow just been coppiced coming up, a couple of years and it will be ideal. I'm also sticking in a couple of gorse (your recommendation!) Next to the wildlife pond number 2 which is about to be dug. Jealous of your holly trees, I planted two full standard photonia red robin instead of holly 3 years ago because of budget but having buyers regret now 😣. Fortunately it's flanked by hawthorn, pyracantha and Rowan.
Thank you so much! I just received your email, and am absolutely thrilled to say the least :) The neighbours on the right have two cats, one an adept killer so some cat proof (but not harmful) spikes have been purchased for the fencing to try to thwart it somewhat. Strangely enough the dogs now relate the warning call of the Blackbird to the cat being in the garden and they beg to go out as soon as they hear this alarm - they're usually too late to put the cat off but I look at the Blackbird perched in the holly and he almost has a smug look seeing his body-guards in action! The Photonia will still provide cover and the flanking shrubs will certainly bring the rewards. I have just responded, briefly for now, to the email but wow... absolutely in awe, I have contacted the group just now too to offer my services, to see if there's anything I can do to help too :) Best wishes to you and yours (even the cats!) - Joel :)
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton ha, that's amazing the dogs have become in tune! Fortunately only one of our cats can hunt so I'm just trying to reign her in a bit and send her out a full belly. I've lost count how many collars she's ditched. Thorns, thorns and more thorns is the way to go next.
Glad to put you in touch, looking forward to seeing what comes out of it ;)
@@tuscan440r Haha re the collars. I remember many years ago reading a local news story and someone had been recommended a "magnetic" cat collar, to allow only their cat through the cat-flap, rather than the neighbour's ones - the collar activated the other magnet on the "door". The photo they sent to the newspaper was hilarious, several tin can lids, an old teaspoon and other items attached to the cat's collar! The cat didn't look pleased at all. Thank you so much again for that recommendation and I hope to see you real soon :)
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton 😂. Think I'll give the magnetic collars a miss!
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Thank you! :) Best wishes, Joel
What plants would you reccommend for a very small urban garden? I have a pear tree that the butterflies seem to love. Thanks in advance
Hi there Ibrahim :) Fruit trees are indeed loved by butterflies, particularly in the autumn if the fruit is left to drop (you don't have to sacrifice it all - just a few pears left to rot will attract many butterflies, particularly the Red Admiral) - the blossom is of course good for so many insects too. There are many plants suitable for a small garden, they're one of my favourite to design as they are so effective in helping so many creatures - this is not a plug for a sale, but you may not be aware of my book which has a whole host of plants listed in the back - you can find it here:
wildyourgarden.com/product/wild-your-garden-book/
There are a lot of plants that I recommend on this channel too - if you go to "videos" section you will see them there, they are all suitable for a small garden - I hope that this is helpful to you Ibrahim, I am here if you need any more help - best wishes, Joel
Wonderful video Joel - can you recommend climbers for birds that will grow in pots up trellis? I know birds love ivy but can it grow in a pot - I’ve just planted honeysuckle & clematis & a wisteria but need one more - can you recommend please?
Pyracantha is a good one, great for nesting birds, great nectar source for insects and great autumn berries for birds too :) That would be my choice - hope that helps, thanks so much for your kind comment too, it makes all the difference - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton thank-you!!! 😊😊
@@busynana7917 You're very welcome Robyn :)
Have you got any suggested plants and shrubs that will do well in a North facing garden that struggles for light?
Hi there Ed - absolutely I have :) Ok, shrubs: Holly, Yew, Box (Buxus) - plants-wise I would suggest Red Campion, Foxgloves, Nettle-Leaved Bellflower, Stinking Hellebore (it doesn't actually stink and is adored by bees!) and Gladdon - hope that helps a bit, if that's not enough just let me know :) Best wishes to you and yours Ed, Joel
Perfect. Thanks a lot Joel. The concrete slabs are coming up very soon and some of these things will be going in. I'm going to put Hawthorn in as a centrepiece shrub in the area that does get a decent amount of light.
@@edwilson5416 So good to hear! Hawthorn make absolutely wonderful specimen trees, and of course attract so much wildlife - not sure if you've seen one of the older videos about the hawthorn, but it's in the link here - apologies if you've seen it already but it shows what beautiful specimens they can make :) ....
ruclips.net/video/9jyLRdiVQQI/видео.html
All well and good but then the rats come how do you deal with them as soon as I get a good bunch of birds the rats appear
Love this video! I would also love to attract more birds into my garden in the winter by feeding them. However every time we do this we end up with an invasion of rats 😤 Anyone have any tips how to attract bird but not the rats??
Thank you! Tricky one re the rats. Can you put the feeders in a more open area where the rats won’t visit?
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Good idea! I will try putting the bird food on a table with metal legs and take the food away each evening. Hopefully this will help!
Amazing birds! Thank you so much for sharing these videos!
Did you say that you have a tree of heaven? Once again, I’m struck by how a plant that works in the UK is a *terrible* invader in the US. Ailanthus altissima trees are horrible pests in the US, and have earned the name “trash tree.”
Hi Lisa - yes, tree of Heaven, it was already in the garden when I moved here, they are pretty invasive here but I couldn't bring myself to cut this one down due to the birds that use it for shelter, and I have to say it casts perfect dappled light. They do sucker easily so any new growth around or adjacent to the base is quickly removed. Glad you enjoyed the video otherwise :) Best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton I totally understand your reluctance to remove that tree
@@lisascenic Thank you Lisa, it's always difficult knowing you have a choice whether to kill something that is living and, as always, has only found itself in that situation due to human beings (circa 150 years ago) introducing them to the UK, but at the same time appreciate how invasive they can be and harmful to other native plant life if not kept in check. Best wishes, Joel
Just to ask about the Holly blue butterflies, was it the Holly or ivy that will attract them in ?
Hi there - it's both! The Holly is important for the spring brood as they lay eggs on the flower buds and in late summer the second brood will lay eggs on the ivy and the caterpillars will feast on the developing flower buds :) Hope that helps - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton thank you, yes I have really been wanting a Holly tree in the garden and this is a very good excuse now to get one, will they still produce berries if clipped into a neater shape as space is limited due to me planting a lot of other trees and shrubs. And if so, when would be best to clip as I wouldn’t want to shave off the butterfly eggs!
@@kurtpjxhmac20 Hi there - in the next month would be good - they will start laying on the Holly in Spring. The holly will still produce berries, my neighbour does his best to hack at one of my taller ones but it hasn't stopped the berries at all ;) You'll be rewarded for having one either way.
what trees would u recommend to plant that are really fast grow
Hi there Nikola, it does depend on where in the world you are, but for the UK and Europe - Goat Willow, Birch, Alder Trees are all good - here's a video you might enjoy, it lists lots of trees as part of a hedgerow, but of course they are only hedges because we contain them, they are beautiful if allowed to grow as nature intended:
ruclips.net/video/W2cpqVCec3M/видео.html
Best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton europe Serbia, thanks alot
They should be available to you - I'd love to visit Serbia one day, the butterfly species are incredible and there is so much wildlife and untouched areas. So glad that the info was helpful to you - best wishes, Joel
What a wonderful environment. Such a pity neighbours don't take a leaf (or maybe a whole shrub/tree of them!) out of your book.
Yes - what's worse is before the older lady moved out, who lived there before, the garden was packed with several mature Holly trees (convinced that's where "mine" seeded from originally), the husband had spent most of his retirement ensuring the garden was packed with beneficial plants/trees etc - oh and a beautiful and ancient cherry tree that was full of bees each Spring - within weeks it'd all come down and the lawn now mown at least 4 times a week, not kidding! It made me more determined to pack mine out and replace what had been lost. Best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton So depressing! But thankfully you came along 🐝🦋🐞
@@flowerfairy1950 Absolutely, it's just awful thinking about all the "homelessness" created when habitat is stripped, these creatures are already struggling - I can't see how looking out on a barren plot is in any way "relaxing", gardens seen as utility areas rather than a space you can not only learn from but enjoy all the visitors - but we will keep working on halting this, if unable to reverse it right now :)
There are people like that all over, and I just don’t understand what is wrong with them. If someone wants to live in a barren wasteland, why buy a place with lots of trees and shrubs in the first place? It’s just sick to come in and destroy nature when there are plenty of places that already have nothing but concrete and grass that they could have bought. A young couple nearby had all the trees in the yard cut down the day they moved into the house. Not only did that cost a fortune (they had 3 trees with trunks at least 18 inches in diameter), but they immediately lowered their home value by at least 20k. (Large trees add about 10k apiece to the sales price according to real estate studies).
@@aliannarodriguez1581 These people make me weep
I only have a yard but i will get buddlea in a pot
Hi Deborah - Buddleja grow anywhere they can :) A pot should do fine, make it a large one though - you'll be rewarded by the visiting butterflies :) Best wishes, Joel
Divideo ini suasana dipekarangan rumah anda pribadi ya pak?
Izin bertanya: anda perokok juga?..
Sebab dihadapan anda saya melihat adanya asap.
Ya - ini dari tingkap bilik tidur belakang :) Gambar pertama pada musim panas dan kemudian saya menerangkan burung dan penutup yang mereka gunakan dari pokok - kebun jiran tidak mempunyai begitu banyak pokok dan pokok renek sehingga tidak ada burung :) Saya tidak merokok. .. itu adalah wap dari sistem pemanasan jiran - ia kelihatan lebih kerana sejuk :)
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton ❤️❤️❤️
Unfortunately, tree of (hell!) Is a non-native invasive in the US, as well as buddleia. Perhaps you could update this video.
Hello friend 🌹
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@@artinpoetsoulnature Hello! Hope all is good where you are :)
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton India, wow already have forgotten me!
@@artinpoetsoulnature Haha! I know where you are of course :)
Making video's now to make use jeaulous, Joel? 😉
Haha! This helps remind me what it looks like in better weather - I've been working away so much I can't remember the last time I've seen my own garden! ;) Best wishes - Joel
My only criticism is why did you play piano music over the bird song?
I know it’s seems hard to help wildlife but it really isn’t that hard and as you say let your buddleja grow tall as that provides a cover and a home for so many species yet people seem to want a low maintenance garden and associate that with nothing in it at all 🤷🏻♂️
Totally agree Karlito - I think in the UK people still view "wildlife gardens" as "messy" or just an ignored patch with overgrown brambles etc, which is not the case of course - I am determined to show people how gardening with wildlife in mind can provide so many more rewards and they're interesting in winter with birds visiting and architectural seed-heads, whereas you and I both know that a minimalist garden (with the dreaded artificial turf) looks the same all year round - barren! ;) Best wishes - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton absolutely spot on Joel!
I was loving your videos but why give birds bread? Irs really bad like cheese
Hi Wyatt - apologies for the delay - it was some left over bread for the seagulls, they eat anything around here, chips, pizzas left out and discarded - you are right though that smaller birds should not be given bread - here in the UK hard cheese is recommended for blackbirds etc but I've never tried using it as the feeders are always full. The Gulls were desperate for food and they wouldn't have been able to pick out individual seed thrown for them unfortunately. Best wishes - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Really ? cheese recommended ? thats crazy isnt there allot of salt in there ? kidneys of birds can not handle it like penut butter is so much salt its insane :# thanks for the respond
Sorry but gulls are vermin