My guilds are in colour groupings - I refer to them as "the yellow zone", "the red zone", "the blue zone" etc. Really makes my heart sing to see the same colour family but in all different heights and forms, playing off each other. Every year I add new perennials and a smattering of annuals (bonus points for self-seeders), slowly but surely expanding. I'm always on the lookout for edible perennials (especially natives), and I shoehorn in at least one new blueberry each year. It's funny, I always used to think that growing flowers was a waste of space and effort that could be used for growing food... but now I absolutely love having pops of colour mixed in. Every year I am seeing brand new insects, different native bees, frogs, lizards. The pests are still around but the diversity keeps things mostly in check (I could talk about trap plants all day). Guilds make me so happy! :)
That's a nice idea to group them into colours and I'm sure that's really impactful. Plus it must give different areas different feelings and atmospheres. Lovely! It really sounds like you and I have a similar sentiment about the garden in terms of what we like and appreciate.
Hi Niall i needed this video we've planted 7 fruit trees only last year but need flowers near them too for when when fruit which for most won't be this year but 🤞 next year
Wow! I also have Monarda (lavender), Cornflower (blue), Echinacea (purple), Yarrow (red). Instead of Hyssop, I have mealy blue sage. Instead of French Marigold, I am growing Tithonia. And I also planted calendulas ❤.
Good morning Niall,hope you're well, Fabulous lush guilds you've got going, can't wait to see how they look soon. We've had lots of nice days but then really wet ones so grass really has grown,think the hubby is going to try and cut it today but it's very wet just now. The tulips are beautiful just now lots of red ones that were my dad's and different stripey ones I bought last year. Some very tiny daffs are about to flower in my pots too. Something been eating my daffodils flowers,don't know what,do you.Got beautiful sunshine with a bit of a nip in the air. I've still got to get some seeds set the times flying by and with my arthritis hands it's not easy. I'll get there. Had a fab night at Take That concert with Olly Murs last night in Sheffield,it was buzzing. Well time for church so have a great Sunday,happy gardening,bye for now and thanks love your vlogs take care 😊xx.
Hi Hazel! ❤️ I think the current theme here is rain, wet, water, damp! We seem to have had constant rain to the point that there are patches of water in the grass and in the veg garden. Hopefully the weather is going to turn a corner soon. Potentially if something is eating the daffodil flowers it can be slugs and snails, particularly with such damp weather. Take That are brilliant - I bet it was a super night! Have a lovely week! xx
@@niallgardens hi Niall thanks for the reply, we've had lots of snails with the wet weather so you may be spot on there, small yellow shelled ones, nuisance they are, the tiny daffs are just flowering they're so sweet. The red tulips 🌷🌷,have really had a battering with the wind. Hubby cut the lawns Sunday at last bit wet but he managed,been lovely day today bit of a nip after yesterday torrential rain and heavy winds, don't get two days alike. Well tea time now so look forward to your next vlogs, take good care, thanks again, have a great week and happy gardening 🤗💐 xx
Hi Niall. You are just a wealth of knowledge and your love of the fruit tree guilds just shines through! You inspired me to build two fruit tree guilds and have to say it was the best fun going around the garden centre with my notes and trolley of all the types of plants I needed. I panicked though when I planted the fruit trees as I didn’t think the raised bed had sufficient depth for them, I moved them into large pots behind the raised beds so I know they won’t get the good stuff from all the supporters sadly. You’re a joy to watch! Love from N Ireland. X
They are growing so well and I can really see the benefit to having them. Puts a whole new edge to gardening and you feel there is such a purpose to what you’re doing. I made a wildlife pond yesterday, delighted with that and hopefully even more insects and hopefully frogs will make their way to it soon. X
They won't directly benefit from things like nitrogen fixers or biofumigants sharing the same soil, but they will definitely still benefit from nearby trap plants, pollinator friendly flowers, and plants that attract/house beneficial predators! 😊
@@uschiaala Thank you so much for that, extremely reassuring. I even planted a lavender plant in each fruit tree to draw in the bees to encourage the start of it all. I look forward to the next few months of all the activity in the garden. X
I never thought about all the good legume plants could bring to other parts of the garden, it should have been obvious to me. Next time a volunteer pea or bean plant shows up where it doesn't belong it will be welcomed with opened arms thanks to you. I can think of so many areas now where I will start planting them.
Thanks Jeffrey - glad it was helpful! Yeah I'll be honest, I normally only think of one or two things.... and it was when I was planning this video out that I went 'oh yeah, that too!'
Good morning, Niall. Beautiful informative video as always. I love nasturtium! ! Thank you for sharing your gardening knowledge! I hope you will watch a bit of the Boston Marathon! !!
Well now I'm fascinated by this! I think I probably use some of the factors already but this has given a really good overview of how I can improve. Looking forward to catching up on the rest of the series. Thanks Niall!
Niall,youve blown me away,a good few you recommend, i have already,and didnt know the other uses. Well done. Love all the info. Thank you so much.Have shared to our allotment whatsapp. Lots of us have the plants you mention growing.
Awesome, thank you Lorraine! ❤️ I think what's nice is that so many of the plants aren't anything particularly special or unusual, but they just work really well. How are things with you? I'm guessing you have the same issue as me... rain rain and more rain!... oh and stormy winds!
I love your videos Niall, l find them a great inspiration to keep going with my gardening skill as your teaching and tips are so practical. Thanks very much
Hi Niall, I love your more formal looking raised bed garden and how you’ve added tree guilds to them. I want to do the same in raised beds as we get a lot of rain here in 6B Nova Scotia, so am concerned about our clay soil holding on to too much moisture. Have you had any problems with too much settling around your fruit trees? How can I make sure I don’t add too much compost around the trunks from year to year?
So far I haven't though the guild garden is in the very early stages. What I've done to attempt to future-proof it from that point-of-view is to make sure that the trees are planted with a good few inches between the soil and the graft line. Then I'm hoping that I can still mulch and the natural settling of the soil / compost over time will allow me to add more, despite that to some degree the level of the tree may sink. Really at this stage it's a big experiment!
Just started my own fruit guild this spring after seeing your lovely guild from last year 😊 I have one question though, do you think ita possible to use wild garlic as a mulcher? (I don't have much gardening experience yet, but love experimenting)
I don't see why not, and you can certainly give it a try. It will also work as a repellent plant which will be handy. I'm not sure whether you've grown in before, but just in case you haven't, wild garlic can spread easily so just be wary before you plant it into your beds!
@@juliemclaughlin68 ooo interesting about tin foil….. I can see how that would work and it’s a very affordable thing to try… I’ll scrumple it up and staple to side of wood beds! Thanks
@@samatronn Absolutely! I have it under two sweet pea pots and they haven’t been touched at all the entire time they have been out. It’s the same reaction to copper tape, they don’t like the sensation. Hope things improve. X
We're fortunate that we have a pond that's filled with frogs every year so that helps. But this year I'm going to use nematodes for the first time and see how that goes as well.
My guilds are in colour groupings - I refer to them as "the yellow zone", "the red zone", "the blue zone" etc. Really makes my heart sing to see the same colour family but in all different heights and forms, playing off each other. Every year I add new perennials and a smattering of annuals (bonus points for self-seeders), slowly but surely expanding. I'm always on the lookout for edible perennials (especially natives), and I shoehorn in at least one new blueberry each year. It's funny, I always used to think that growing flowers was a waste of space and effort that could be used for growing food... but now I absolutely love having pops of colour mixed in. Every year I am seeing brand new insects, different native bees, frogs, lizards. The pests are still around but the diversity keeps things mostly in check (I could talk about trap plants all day). Guilds make me so happy! :)
That's a nice idea to group them into colours and I'm sure that's really impactful. Plus it must give different areas different feelings and atmospheres. Lovely! It really sounds like you and I have a similar sentiment about the garden in terms of what we like and appreciate.
Hi Niall i needed this video we've planted 7 fruit trees only last year but need flowers near them too for when when fruit which for most won't be this year but 🤞 next year
So glad you found the video useful Loraine!
Wow! I also have Monarda (lavender), Cornflower (blue), Echinacea (purple), Yarrow (red). Instead of Hyssop, I have mealy blue sage. Instead of French Marigold, I am growing Tithonia. And I also planted calendulas ❤.
Sounds great! You're growing loads of the same things!
Good morning Niall,hope you're well, Fabulous lush guilds you've got going, can't wait to see how they look soon. We've had lots of nice days but then really wet ones so grass really has grown,think the hubby is going to try and cut it today but it's very wet just now. The tulips are beautiful just now lots of red ones that were my dad's and different stripey ones I bought last year. Some very tiny daffs are about to flower in my pots too. Something been eating my daffodils flowers,don't know what,do you.Got beautiful sunshine with a bit of a nip in the air. I've still got to get some seeds set the times flying by and with my arthritis hands it's not easy. I'll get there. Had a fab night at Take That concert with Olly Murs last night in Sheffield,it was buzzing. Well time for church so have a great Sunday,happy gardening,bye for now and thanks love your vlogs take care 😊xx.
Hi Hazel! ❤️ I think the current theme here is rain, wet, water, damp! We seem to have had constant rain to the point that there are patches of water in the grass and in the veg garden. Hopefully the weather is going to turn a corner soon. Potentially if something is eating the daffodil flowers it can be slugs and snails, particularly with such damp weather. Take That are brilliant - I bet it was a super night! Have a lovely week! xx
@@niallgardens hi Niall thanks for the reply, we've had lots of snails with the wet weather so you may be spot on there, small yellow shelled ones, nuisance they are, the tiny daffs are just flowering they're so sweet. The red tulips 🌷🌷,have really had a battering with the wind.
Hubby cut the lawns Sunday at last bit wet but he managed,been lovely day today bit of a nip after yesterday torrential rain and heavy winds, don't get two days alike. Well tea time now so look forward to your next vlogs, take good care, thanks again, have a great week and happy gardening 🤗💐 xx
Thank for the great information what a beautiful garden .❤
Thanks for watching!
Hi Niall. You are just a wealth of knowledge and your love of the fruit tree guilds just shines through! You inspired me to build two fruit tree guilds and have to say it was the best fun going around the garden centre with my notes and trolley of all the types of plants I needed. I panicked though when I planted the fruit trees as I didn’t think the raised bed had sufficient depth for them, I moved them into large pots behind the raised beds so I know they won’t get the good stuff from all the supporters sadly. You’re a joy to watch! Love from N Ireland. X
Thanks so much Julie! That's great that you've got yourself more plants and hopefully they work brilliantly for you!
They are growing so well and I can really see the benefit to having them. Puts a whole new edge to gardening and you feel there is such a purpose to what you’re doing. I made a wildlife pond yesterday, delighted with that and hopefully even more insects and hopefully frogs will make their way to it soon. X
They won't directly benefit from things like nitrogen fixers or biofumigants sharing the same soil, but they will definitely still benefit from nearby trap plants, pollinator friendly flowers, and plants that attract/house beneficial predators! 😊
@@uschiaala Thank you so much for that, extremely reassuring. I even planted a lavender plant in each fruit tree to draw in the bees to encourage the start of it all. I look forward to the next few months of all the activity in the garden. X
I never thought about all the good legume plants could bring to other parts of the garden, it should have been obvious to me. Next time a volunteer pea or bean plant shows up where it doesn't belong it will be welcomed with opened arms thanks to you. I can think of so many areas now where I will start planting them.
Thanks Jeffrey - glad it was helpful! Yeah I'll be honest, I normally only think of one or two things.... and it was when I was planning this video out that I went 'oh yeah, that too!'
Good morning, Niall. Beautiful informative video as always. I love nasturtium! ! Thank you for sharing your gardening knowledge! I hope you will watch a bit of the Boston Marathon! !!
Hello over there in Boston from here in Ireland! Thanks Susan! Funny, I wax and wane when it comes to Nasturtiums but this year I want them!
Well now I'm fascinated by this! I think I probably use some of the factors already but this has given a really good overview of how I can improve. Looking forward to catching up on the rest of the series. Thanks Niall!
Thanks Jane! I'm hoping that come the summer it'll be great!
Niall,youve blown me away,a good few you recommend, i have already,and didnt know the other uses. Well done. Love all the info. Thank you so much.Have shared to our allotment whatsapp. Lots of us have the plants you mention growing.
Awesome, thank you Lorraine! ❤️ I think what's nice is that so many of the plants aren't anything particularly special or unusual, but they just work really well. How are things with you? I'm guessing you have the same issue as me... rain rain and more rain!... oh and stormy winds!
I can’t wait to see those arches covered in green. Also, this was an amazing video.
You and me both!
Blessings from Houston.thank you for sharing your knowledge with us😊
Thanks for watching! You're welcome!
I love your videos Niall, l find them a great inspiration to keep going with my gardening skill as your teaching and tips are so practical. Thanks very much
So nice of you, thanks Mairead!
Hi Niall, I love your more formal looking raised bed garden and how you’ve added tree guilds to them. I want to do the same in raised beds as we get a lot of rain here in 6B Nova Scotia, so am concerned about our clay soil holding on to too much moisture. Have you had any problems with too much settling around your fruit trees? How can I make sure I don’t add too much compost around the trunks from year to year?
So far I haven't though the guild garden is in the very early stages. What I've done to attempt to future-proof it from that point-of-view is to make sure that the trees are planted with a good few inches between the soil and the graft line. Then I'm hoping that I can still mulch and the natural settling of the soil / compost over time will allow me to add more, despite that to some degree the level of the tree may sink. Really at this stage it's a big experiment!
Thank you for explaining how nitrogen fixing plants work!
No problem!
Just started my own fruit guild this spring after seeing your lovely guild from last year 😊 I have one question though, do you think ita possible to use wild garlic as a mulcher?
(I don't have much gardening experience yet, but love experimenting)
I don't see why not, and you can certainly give it a try. It will also work as a repellent plant which will be handy. I'm not sure whether you've grown in before, but just in case you haven't, wild garlic can spread easily so just be wary before you plant it into your beds!
how do you control slugs? You have annoying lush growth atm. Anything I've grown is being mostly ravished
I'm planning on doing nematodes, mesh cover tunnels, cider traps and praying for my yound plants lol
@samatronn- Have you tried gravel or even tinfoil under pots? They don’t like to travel over those so worth a go.
@@juliemclaughlin68 ooo interesting about tin foil….. I can see how that would work and it’s a very affordable thing to try… I’ll scrumple it up and staple to side of wood beds! Thanks
@@samatronn Absolutely! I have it under two sweet pea pots and they haven’t been touched at all the entire time they have been out. It’s the same reaction to copper tape, they don’t like the sensation. Hope things improve. X
We're fortunate that we have a pond that's filled with frogs every year so that helps. But this year I'm going to use nematodes for the first time and see how that goes as well.