Category: Wildlife

Young birds in Our Garden@19.

July this year has been one of the wettest on record here in some areas of the united kingdom. Last year we were experiencing 40°C heat at this time of year. Learning how to garden with these changing conditions, is going to prove very difficult It must be even more so for the wildlife around … Continue reading Young birds in Our Garden@19. →

‘Feed The Birds’

With a second period of cold weather here in sunny Worcester I thought it was a good time to repost this article. 'Feed the birds tuppence a bag' goes the song from the film Mary Poppins.   I feed the birds in the garden all year round, it costs a little more these days. Observing … Continue reading ‘Feed The Birds’ →

St Wulstan’s Nature Reserve.

I have previously written about St Wulstan's Nature Reserve being a favourite walk. These pictures are from our visit yesterday. Even a wet December day can provided some photo opportunities. Photographs taken with a Canon EOS1100D with a Canon 18-200mm lens.

Autumn Up Close.

Trees and Leaves. Acer griseum Malus Golden HornetHydrangea quercifolia BurgundyVitis ' Spetchley red ' Cotoneaster horizontalisRhus hirta Staghorn sumac.Viburnum sargentii 'Onondaga'Ricinus communis var. gibsonii SeedRicinus communis var. gibsoniiLiquidamber slyraciflua 'Stella' seed.Liquidamber slyraciflua 'Stella'Cherry Tree from an upstairs window.Cherry Tree upclose. Betula utilis Jacquemontii (syn Dorrenbos) Seed Heads. Echinops ritroEryngium planumEryngium Giganteum (Miss Willmotts Ghost) Flowers. Fuchsia … Continue reading Autumn Up Close. →

Wildlife in Our Garden and Autumn Colour.

Goldfinches feeding on sunflower hearts. Vitis ' Spetchley red '  Fuchia 'Mrs Popple’ Malus Golden Hornet and Tithonia ‘Torch’ The Alpine Boxes and pots. Nerine Bowdenii Please select Watch on YouTube then full screen for video. https://youtu.be/ShCKEqdnLeQ What is giving you Autumn Joy in the garden or countryside?

A colourful garden visitor.

This is the first time this colourful garden visitor has been seen this year. These markings are of a juvenile, thankfully it stayed feeding long enough for me to fetch my camera.

Spetchley Park Gardens in May.

With the tentative easing of lock down restrictions our first garden visits have been to Spetchley Park Gardens with 30 acres to roam there is space for everyone. Spetchley Park, Worcester has been privately owned for over 400 years, with a good garden history due to its connection with Miss Willmott. It also has tea … Continue reading Spetchley Park Gardens in May. →

Spring (ing) into action!

This winter in Our Garden@19 has been busy with 'Estate Maintenance'. I previously posted about replacing the trellis and fence in the white and green garden, then as now my brother Derek has been my right hand man. Replacing the entrance to the propagation area was the simplest of our recent efforts. We gave it … Continue reading Spring (ing) into action! →

Ivy and the Bees.

Why you should allow some ivy to grow in your garden. https://youtu.be/Ct2GOuKMFlI I do grow some cultivated variegated forms, ivy does not produce any flowers until their adult growth stage when the leaf shape changes, usually at around 10years. They can be kept pruned to their juvenile stage and leaf shape when they will at … Continue reading Ivy and the Bees. →

St Wulstan’s Nature Reserve.

A favourite walk of ours even before lockdown was St. Wulstan’s Nature Reserve. Before it became a nature reserve, it had a fascinating history as a US army hospital, a TB hospital and a psychiatric hospital, it is managed by Worcestershire county council. These pictures are from a visit in early July, the open areas … Continue reading St Wulstan’s Nature Reserve. →

The Six NGS Gardens of Hanley Swan.

This weekend six gardens in the village of Hanley Swan should have been opening in aid of the NGS nursing charities. Due to the Covid-19, this has been cancelled, so together with the other garden openers, we have created a video tour of the gardens. Please make yourself a cup of tea or any beverage … Continue reading The Six NGS Gardens of Hanley Swan. →

Tulip Video Tour.

Every year since 2011 our village church has held open gardens over this bank holiday weekend, we have taken part every year bar one. This year, along with all open gardens it has had to be cancelled. With the public unable to come to the garden, this weekend, I have produced a tulip video tour … Continue reading Tulip Video Tour. →

Spring Video Tour 2

This tour takes us around Our Garden@19 to see what is adding colour and interest in late March-early April. Happy Easter, stay well and enjoy. Brian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns13CPfXwvo

A Winter Project and a Wildlife Friendly Experiment.

When we purchased the house, I designed the garden and the rear of the main border, now named the blue border, was planted with climbing roses, trained to rope swags. Unfortunately, the rope soon rotted and was replaced with trellis. Now several years later the trellis along with some of the posts required replacing this … Continue reading A Winter Project and a Wildlife Friendly Experiment. →

Autumn Project 4, Unexpected!

Banana Bench & Boston Ivy, Autumn 2018. This year I noticed that the Parthenocissus Tri. Veitch, Boston Ivy, behind the banana bench, had been almost completely replaced with wild Ivy. Now while I like Ivy in the garden for its benefit to wildlife, here I would prefer to see a more colourful plant. I decided … Continue reading Autumn Project 4, Unexpected! →

Plant of the month.

Asters, Michaelmas Daisies or Symphyotrichum, as some of them have now been renamed, are one of the autumn garden flowers I have always loved to see. This is probably because of the wonderful stand that grew in my parents and grandparents gardens. There are many to choose from, for October's plant of the month, in … Continue reading Plant of the month. →

Plant of the month.

Choosing a plant of the month at this time of year is a little like choosing your favourite child. Daucus carota, the wild annual carrot, flowering in the blue border mainly from self sown plants is my choice. I grew it two years ago from seed, there was none in the garden last year, now … Continue reading Plant of the month. →

There’s a Buzz in the air!

Prunus serrula is an all year round favourite tree in Our Garden@19. However at this time of year it is also popular with the bees, especially the honey bees. The flowers are quite small and insignificant compared to the bark. Standing under the canopy when in flower it is a buzz with bees. You will … Continue reading There’s a Buzz in the air! →

April Top Ten.

A quick tour around Our Garden@19 to capture my Top Ten, joining Chloris at The Blooming Garden. The Lego inspired Bug Hotel with Roof Garden. You can see more April Top Ten by visiting The Blooming Garden Do you have a favourite or a top ten of your own?

Bulbs, Sunshine, Tea and Cake.

The churchyard at Birlingham, Nr Pershore in Worcestershire has long been a pilgrimage for snowdrop lovers in the area. Bulb Teas are held each Saturday and Sunday in February until Sunday 24th February in the Village Hall from 11.00am to 4.00 pm. The Grade II listed church of St James with its 15C tower, which … Continue reading Bulbs, Sunshine, Tea and Cake. →

A feeding frenzy in the rain.

I have observed over the years that the birds visit our feeders in greater numbers on a wet day, more than any other weather, except snow. These pictures were taken on Friday through the dining room window with the flash turned off. The Goldfinches were joined by a pair of Siskins and a Bluetit during … Continue reading A feeding frenzy in the rain. →

The season of Mellow Fruitfulness & Pooh Sticks.

The end of the summer holiday saw us, with the grandchildren, visiting the Knapp and Paper-mill reserve of the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. Link                                              The reserve lies in the Teme valley and the Malvern Hills area … Continue reading The season of Mellow Fruitfulness & Pooh Sticks. →

New Winter Visitor.

Today's snow brought a new visitor to the garden, for this winter, the Pied Wagtail. From the RSPB website: "The pied wagtail, Motacilla alba, is a delightful small, long-tailed and rather sprightly black and white bird. When not standing and frantically wagging its tail up and down it can be seen dashing about over lawns or car … Continue reading New Winter Visitor. →

Feed the Birds. March 2018.

The snow has brought on extra demand around the bird feeding stations with the arrival of the Thrush family, most notably the Fieldfares and the Redwings. they come in search of any berries on the holly bushes and remaining crab apples. I usually add to this natural supply with cut up apples.     To … Continue reading Feed the Birds. March 2018. →

New Visitors.

I along with many fellow bloggers enjoy watching and feeding the birds that visit our gardens throughout the year.  New visitors to our garden@19 this winter have been, a fleeting glimpse of a Gold Crest, a male Bullfinch and on the niger seed feeder, the male and female Siskin. They are sometimes referred to as … Continue reading New Visitors. →

Croome Park.

One of our favourite local places to visit is Croome Court (NT). Ideally situated for a walk in the park land, visit to the house, church and end up with refreshments in the restaurant. During busy periods refreshments are served from a Tea Car and in a cafe in the Court. "Croome Park was Lancelot … Continue reading Croome Park. →

The Birds and the Bees…

Today (Friday) was the first day of sunshine here and after too many days of rain, it does bring a song into your heart. I ventured out into the garden to finish pruning the climbing roses, before I began, I decided to do a tour with the camera. The gardener's friend, was as usual, keeping … Continue reading The Birds and the Bees… →

Ten Top for November.

I am joining Chloris and her many followers in posting my Top Ten for November, please visit The Blooming Garden to see what their Top Ten are. Number one, the seed heads of the Lunaria, which provides a silvery shine in the low November sunlight. This plant provides interest through out the whole year, from the young … Continue reading Ten Top for November. →

A ‘Charm’ in the rain.

On Thursday here in sunny Worcestershire the day turned into a very wet one. One thing I have observed over the years feeding birds in Our Garden@19 is the feeding frenzy that develops during wet weather. I predominantly feed sunflower hearts, which all species of birds enjoy... I also feed Niger seeds especially for the … Continue reading A ‘Charm’ in the rain. →

‘Feed The Birds’

'Feed the birds tuppence a bag' goes the song from the film Mary Poppins.                  I feed the birds in the garden all year round, it costs a little more these days. Observing birds in the garden and feeding them is, for me, an important element of enjoying … Continue reading ‘Feed The Birds’ →

Frosted Cobwebs.

When we have a frost the cobwebs on the windows of the summer-house are there for all to see. Such beautiful intricate patterns. `I took these pictures in December 2016. Where would we be today without the gift of the 'Web'?

Clash of the Titans.

  We visited the National Trust property, Charlecote Park in Warwickshire in October. They have an historic fallow deer herd which comprises all four colours of the species - common, menil (the spots are more distinct), melanistic (very dark) and leucistic- almost white.

Raptor Day.

My two daughters gave me a voucher for a Raptors Day as a birthday present. It was a very enjoyable day spent with a bird on my arm. Thank you. PS. I have to give Irene credit for taking the photographs with me in.