Award-winning garden designer Fern Alder’s garden is wildlife-friendly, colourful and easy to garden. She shares her top tips on how to create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly and sustainable garden.
0:00 Introduction
0:20 Gardens Illustrated Magazine: https://www.gardensillustrated.com/
1:58 How to make a mini wildlife pond out of an oak barrel https://youtu.be/NDF_X7e7MNk
3:12 How to grow roses – interview with Neil Miller of Hever Castle Gardens: https://youtu.be/CsOAr8mZrnA
5:08 Why your soil matters!
6:21 No Dig (no till) for flower borders with Charles Dowding: https://youtu.be/MqfFOdup8Wc
7:30 Shelter for wildlife in your garden
8:19 Flowers for a wildlife friendly garden
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34 Comments
Hello, Alexandra! Thank you for another informative and entertaining video. I have watched every one – today's is number 209! – sometimes twice. As winter approaches, I hope you will persevere with a very early morning to photograph frost covered gardens. The ones you did 2 years ago are among my favorites. I also want to thank you for reviewing gardening books. I bought 'The Living Jigsaw' by Val Bourne and began reading it yesterday so today's video is an excellent companion to the book. I have a favor to ask. Could you please consider scent in the garden for a video. The other year, I began buying roses based on scent; what a pleasure to have a bouquet on my bedside table. This fall, I am planting scented daffodils, so I'm really looking forward to spring. 'Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities' by Kim Smith (an amazing woman!) details the development of her garden based on scent. Either book would make a wonderful gift for a gardener.
I have over 55 water bodies in my 29' x 29' back yard. I use no chemicals, not even chemical fertilisers. I have frogs, tadpoles, I've seen four different types of lizards. Slugs and snails and a myriad of spiders, insects, ladybirds, birds etc., and I love it. My garden is less than four years old and completely full with several hundred pot plants of all sizes. I really am extremely grateful to God for His provision. When I'm not moving things around in my garden I am either watering it or sitting here looking out at all the gorgeousness from twilight to dark. I am so blessed… Praise God and Jesus my Savior x
Good observations…Greetings from Italy (like n.470)
Great video Alexandra, lots of great tips. Many thanks :0)
Thank you for this. Beautifully wild, less work for me, happier creatures are my garden goals!
You are always so informative!
Oh I love this post ! So informative and kind to nature.. it's lovely to raise this awareness ❤️
When wildlife come into my garden I consider it the greatest of compliments. 🦋
Many thanks great gardening tips mgt
Thank you, Alexandra, for another great video. I love this topic and would be happy to see more videos on native gardening, especially on care. I have no idea if native plants should be left to fend for themselves totally or should be tended in some ways. For instance, l wonder should some plants be pruned, thinned periodically, or cut back at certain times? I would also enjoy more on wildlife garden design. I know you have shown some gardens with a mix of native and cultivated plants. The dos and don'ts of mixing would also be welcome. Actually, I welcome all your videos, whatever the topics.
This is one of your best! Thank you.
The large spiral topiary looks fine in the corner with the wall as back drop. This was a good, thought provoking video, thank you.
Thank you, love your videos. The coming spring will be the third at my new house. I have a lovely entry garden that I keep very manicured. The rest of it- anything goes! We have large old trees for shade, a thick vinca foundation planting that praying mantis love, a small pond safe for small animals, a long old lilac hedge that I blow the fall leaves into, and compost piles. Today I trimmed back sunflowers and echinacea (we've had a hard frost) and wove the stems into our back fencing for the birds. Gardening is such a joy and so rewarding. I've been gardening for 50 years now and I'm 53! I'll never give up!
Very informative, thank you👌
These are some great tips!
Very interesting video, you have given me some good ideas to improve our garden, thank you.
💕💕💕💕 thanks for the bit on winter flowers. This is my first season gardening outside of what my landscapers do and needed to understand what was proper to plant for winter zone 7-8 USA. Thank you!!
Love hearing about wildlife gardens
What about slugs and snails ? Snails I pick up in an open tub and relocate to my local park. Slugs I scoop and tip over the back of my fence. Caterpillars I let be , I enjoy seeing them wiggle around haha .
Only just found your channel Alexandra and I love it! Your message is so important.
I'm English by birth and moved to South Australia when I was twenty nine. Our winters are more like the English summers I remember in the 60's and 70's (well it does get bit colder as winter progresses and yes, I feel cold!) but summers are brutal – yesterday was 38 C !!! and we don't get much rain so that can be a great challenge. I try to leave straw and other mulches around but I'm also very aware that South Australia has some pretty deadly snakes – haven't seen one yet TG (and I hope that I don't meet one!)
It was an amazing and excellent talk. I felt that when I can sit in front of u and talk to u for hours to gather 😊👍
We really try to do our part in the yard& gardens for all wildlife i donot.use chemicals & i.do a think.call Chop and Drop it feeds the plants & helps the soil .iam glad others are thinking.diffrent . I.love theses wonderful VIDEOs.
Beautiful
Gardeners minimising use of chemicals? Using fewer chemicals? How about the most sane approach — namely none at all? Give exception to household vinegar and salt, and a drop of gentle washing-up liquid in water as a spray.
Well said.
I always love your videos. Thank you.
Plants which are native to the UK and specifically to your area are the only plants that your native wildlife can use.
Thank you for your content! New subscriber here 🙂
Great video and like the tips on developing and encouraging wildlife in the garden. And thank you for the important reminder to have different levels in ones pond for access and a safe retreat for the creatures using it.
Can you provide a link for fern?
It all starts with soil: buy TURFFREE!
And do not make ponds from old cartyres: they are pure poison due to the never ending emission of plastic fumes.
Good video and good info on "pests"!
I collect the snails and slugs for "my" hedgehog. Allways put out water for them, and higher up for birds/bats, but do clean those out every day. In this aspect: stop buying grit for cattoilets; whole regions in Eastern-Europe are destroyed for that. Better to buy recycled woodpallets. I do not agree at all on on the advice on bird/batboxes. Our new houses are build in such a way that swallows, a lot of other birds, and bats can not find shelter.
Really excellent. Thank you so much.
Thank you for all your wildlife friendly advice. I’d love to see more.