The Garden Year: May 2025

For this year’s Garden Year linky I’m continuing to share advice from Songbird Survival about how we can make our gardens the best they can be for birds.

This past month seems to have whizzed by and been one dominated by blossom, which is never a bad thing. Our little crab apple tree has finally blossomed and the branches are thick with white, fragrant flowers so I’m hopeful we’ll have a good crop of crab apples in the autumn. I also got my fill of blossom in the gardens at Gravetye Manor in West Sussex, and that’s the post I’ve linked this month. We also went along to the Newark Garden Show again at the end of April, so look out for a post from there soon.

#ThinkBirds

Consider taking part in #NoMowMay to support insect life, and/or celebrate International Dawn Chorus Day on Sunday 4 May by putting out a treat for the birds, and enjoying their birdsong.

Advice, inspiration and places to visit

Leave a link below to share what you’ve been up to in the last month, or add a comment sharing your plans for the upcoming month.

“TheGardenYear

The Garden Year: April 2025

For this year’s Garden Year linky I”m going to share advice from Songbird Survival about how we can make our gardens the best they can be for birds.

My garden has sprung into life in the past month, and it’s been a very welcome sight. MOH has started to cut the grass, though now he’s realised the blades on the lawn mower need some attention so that’s on his list to sort out. I roped him in to help me catch up with the lavender bushes too, just giving them a light trim as we missed the opportunity to cut the flowers back at the end of their flowering season last year. Thankfully it was a gloriously sunny morning, which was just as well as we had five lavender bushes to tackle.

#ThinkBirds

April is a good time to prepare for summer and sow wildflower meadows and hardy annuals, which are great for encouraging insects. Or why not plant a buddleia, there’s a very good reason they’re often known as the butterfly bush!

Advice, inspiration and places to visit

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“TheGardenYear

The Garden Year: November 2024

Welcome to the last Garden Year linky of the year as realistically there’s little to post about over the winter months, and so this linky takes a break. Thanks to everyone who’s joined me throughout the year - enjoy the winter, let’s hope it’s kind.

This past month I’ve been trying to catch up in my garden - I’ve still lavender that hasn’t been cut, and realistically much of which remains uncut is likely to stay uncut. I’ve got some done on the nicer days, but with an unexplained pain in my wrist I’m trying to do less of what aggravates it - and it seems chopping and secateur use is on that list. It gets better when rested though, so that’s good news.

I am hoping to do some small tree tidying work, though may have to enlist MOH to help with that - which will be good, but also trying as explaining exactly where to cut things can sometimes get lost in translation to a not-so-keen gardener!

Leave a link below to share what you’ve been up to in the last month, or add a comment sharing your plans for the upcoming month.

Advice, inspiration and places to visit

“TheGardenYear