I am struck by how giving this garden design is... she gets to enjoy the wildlife and songbirds drawn to the pond, as do her neighbors. Beneficial on many levels!
I can see why this type of garden got a gold medal. It’s so natural in form. It lends itself to the support of nature yet humans can throughly enjoy the splendor of it. I love what can be done with small spaces. These types of videos are such a learning experience. Although I have large expansive areas where I live here in Missouri it helps me divide up my area into rooms and incorporate things such as this wildlife garden. What a fantastic idea to keep the pond full with rainwater from the roof of the house. I’m going to keep this in mind for future reference. Video gets two thumbs up from me.
Just goes to show that you don't need a big garden to make an impact! Just love the simplicity and tranquillity of it all. What a total transformation. To think It's only 2 years old! We all need to do more to create ecologically friendly spaces in our gardens. She's lucky to had her son to help her out.I need to learn more as I'm a total newbie to gardening...been gardening only for 2 years. Thanks for this great video.
Ann's garden is amazing! Her son thought of everything, I love their kindness and thoughtfulness towards wildlife. I'm envious that she really doesnt have to work hard to have such a glorious garden. Thank you Alexandra for showing us this work of art.
I agree, we have decided to leave our garden to be wild, which being a third of an acre was quite overwhelming at times. It has been a lesson in NOT fiddling which has been a lesson in mindfulness in and of itself. I had a cloud of butterflies when I walked through the daisies the other morning. This morning through the longer grass at the bottom I noticed the black tips on the ears of a rabbit - which apparently could be a hare. I love my wild garden, but that is probably because I have not got any idea about planned borders. I just plant what I like and see what happens 😌 Thank you for the detailed instructions on the pond too. That's our next project is a wild pond. Really enjoyable video today.
I love everything about this garden. I’m doing something similar but on an even smaller scale and it makes me feel as though I’m contributing in the best way I can. I love The Middle-Sized garden and this is probably my favorite video so far. Absolutely lovely. Thank you
Since you introduced this style of gardening with Joel Ashton, I’ve been adding to my English garden here in the USA, Cleveland OH, wildlife friendly elements, so many new volunteers in the beds, it’s like nature saying, thank you for a place to live. Also William Robinson’s book has been a blessing. Today I noticed self heal blooming in my new meadow, joining the white clover. Amazing to see how easy and fun my garden is. My native plants are happy to live with the other flowers and shrubs. Thank you Alexandra, for expanding the possibility of what a garden can be!
What a delightful space! Alexandra, I just love the interviews you do! Thirty+ years ago my husband directed our downspouts to two half metal tanks partially buried into the ground, surrounded by a brick wall, to collect the water from the roof. Those "ponds" have attracted everything from ducks to deer. 💝
What a wonderful way to preserve wild life, be lucky enough to have a son able to carry out all the work with the eco system , and the knowledge to carry it out. An absolute pleasure to watch. A perfect treat for a Saturday afternoon.
We call those rain gardens here. In Indianapolis, the county gives you a discount on your sewer bill for installing one as the area is full of flood plains. But this garden takes it to a whole new level--it's relaxing and peaceful and looks a lot bigger than it did as just a patch of lawn.
Wonderful! Please bring us more of these transformations. They help inspire change. Native plants are truly the way to go. Too many people think that a weed free lawn and a few shrubs make a garden.
I really enjoyed this program and learned from it. I'd like to see more city wildlife gardens in the future. As always, I love the Middle-Sized Garden!
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden I would really love to see the plans and drawings for the garden (I'm assuming Tom, her son, did make some) as well as an aerial view. Would that be possible?
Morning Alexandra, what a magnificent garden. Again, looking, planning and practical designing. We do not have to have sculptured gardens like we see in over the top magazines, this family deserves that gold medal. In all fairness taking into account all climatic conditions, we can create this type of natural space. I also have many plants and trees that I enjoy that came from somewhere. I even have seeds that birds dropped from a magnificent palm tree and it is growing like it is nurtured for a prize garden. It has to be transplanted as it is growing next to the swimming pool. It is worth much money, what a treat and blessing. Pathways are great for our gardens, lamps can always be placed at night to add more loveliness. Thank you it was grand.
Great video again, amazing how "not planting plants" can result in such a beautiful garden. Inspiring, thanks for yet another splendid video. My now 1,5 year old garden really start looking like something (1500m2) due to advise from Alexandera and her videos. She even gets me enthousiastich when at times I don't feel I am getting anywhere with that huge piece of land around our house.
We found, once the grass was removed, native plants, waiting patiently under the deadland, emerged immediately. What a beautiful garden! Working for and with nature is so satisfying.
What a beautiful garden, and so full of wildlife! I'm so impressed by the boardwalk just above the garden (and edging the pond) which is such a clever idea ~ I have never see this in a domestic garden. The rainwater feed to the pond is also a genius idea! It makes so much sense.
So beautiful! What a tranquil, lush haven for both wild life and humans. Looks so calm and cozy, they've done a wonderful job. I imagine it must be a bit of a surprise for a first time visitor. And it still amazes me how a smal space crowded with so many plants and structures looks so much bigger than a plain open lawn 💚
What an interesting position to take on weeding (or rather not weeding). I have a yard that was almost completely neglected for many years, which I have been gradually naturescaping. Left to its own devices, it had become a mix of invasive plants with zero native species to speak of. I think it depends on your area and if you're in a place that has certain invasives that are really a scourge, for example I'm in the Northwest USA and here we have a big problem with Himalayan blackberry. No amount of other species can blow in on the wind and control it, unless a tree happens to survive to maturity and shade it out. So while I love the approach I'm not sure no weeding would work for everyone. What a lovely zen idea though not to get caught up in "plants I want" vs "plants I don't want", not to spend a gazillion dollars on native plants that die. But if I had done this I would have had none of the native species that I now enjoy.
I know what you mean. I have an eroded stream bank I'm trying to rehabilitate. Two years ago erosion happened from tornado damaged trees being to be removed. Now I've noticed plants are moving back in. I'm thrilled about the ferns, and the water primroses, and the jewelweed, but probably 60% of the plants colonizing here are undesirable. I've had to do judicious weed removal of numerous varieties of invasive grasses. Poison ivy is a native, but still very much in the noxious weed category. Except for the poison ivy which goes into trash bags all the other weeds I pull and leave in place as mulch.
@@botanicaltreasures2408 I've settled for only digging up certain things while others I just dead-head or weed whack, hoping that at least I can slow down their reproduction. Hopefully over time I'll have a slow conversion to more natives but I think I'll have to accept that it will never be perfect 😔
@@Hayley-sl9lm I wish you well. I’m following a similar process. I figure even weeds hold back erosion or produce biomass to enrich the soil until I can replace them with more desirable plants. Also I’m increasing my knowledge of which weeds are actually natives that are unloved like wild blue lettuce and horseweed. And I’m also learning what weeds can indicate about growing conditions acidic, boggy, etc. If I change the growing conditions, perhaps I’ll get a better set of weeds.🌱🌿🌱
It's a very beautiful garden, but I couldn't have a pond like that, it would worry me in case I tripped and fell in. I feel that you can be still be wildlife friendly to a degree, yet have a more traditional style of garden. I have woodpiles, a bee hotel, plenty of bushes for birds, but have a border and pots and grass too. I think I would miss just having somewhere to mooch about in on a sunny morning, I don't think I could mooch about that much in that one.
What a lovely garden, and so calming. I have a longish, narrow garden and I always have to consider how to get my bike along from the shed. I think I need a shed at the front so the bike could go in there. 🤔
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden exactly, when I see some beautiful TV gardens on Chelsea etc, I always say "that's no good for getting the bike in and out for me" 😂
Wow, wow, wow! This is MY type of garden! 🤩😍 Thank you for sharing another "wild" one, and for showing us how even the smallest space can be teeming with life! Now I have a new "problem": I just went outside to look at my tiny-tiny urban backyard--it's maybe half of this size---and I was telling myself, "I already have a mini-pond...Where can I make a wall of stacked tree branches?" I have a spot in mind, against my side fence...but I'm already keeping a secret from my neighbor: We have a shared garden snake...if I make a pile like that, we'll have 50 of them! 🤫
So happy to see this. We have a natural garden with two ponds, decking etc for about 15 years already .A small garden , for us it's low maintenance . A very beautiful natural garden, thank you for sharing. I like the idea of rain water. Greetings from Vienna Austria.
Super interesting video and very beautiful garden… we must tend in the future to mix those type of gardens with traditional gardens for those who are not convinced yet. Mine is almost totally wild and since I don’t mowe it every time, I am discovering wild orchids, and other beautiful plants that I don’t even know the name ! All this, in Switzerland. Thanks again for your videos and this is a very beautiful garden.
I absolutely adore this wildlife garden, its really beautiful. What a happy place to be. I also noticed the beautiful blackbird song in the beginning of the video. Thank you for sharing x
Thank you Alexandra for this very interesting and informative video. As always well thought through and very well structured. Congratulations to Anna and her son, great work, really inspiring. What a transformation! I only want to comment one thing: I see the benefits of the deck-path but it seems to me it takes away the feeling of connection with earth, that one has when walking on the ground, which I value.
I love the idea of a bog garden but here in Texas I am reticent to try it because of mosquitos.I doubt that sufficient amounts of birds could handle the proliferation of insects.Perhaps I'm wrong...
Yes, I understand the pond issue is different for mosquito prone countries although presumably wildlife does need water, so I will keep an eye out for how someone resolves these (if I'm travelling to a mosquito prone country).
@@botanicaltreasures2408 I don’t know the answer… I do know that in some countries with tropical or subtropical climate in southeast Asia (like Singapore) ponds in private gardens are either forbidden or heavily regulated. Luckily the dry climate of Texas is a completely different story.
@@alexandros1973 It is certain that every place has unique factors to consider. Maybe so many ponds have koi fish not just for beauty, but also mosquito control.
What a stunning garden. I see a bright future for her son, what a creative guy. Really love the deck path, not to mention no mowing or weed eating needed. Yet plenty for the wildlife to enjoy. Thanks for sharing, thank Anne and her son as well. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend.
That's a great idea using rain water to keep pond full... that probably wouldn't work here in far northern California, not enough rainfall, we are 3 yrs behind and extremely high temperatures in summer, with water restrictions, the pond would most likely dry up or just be a puddle.
What a great garden. So many prople use a lot of hard landscaping for a low maintenance garden, but that is a great example of leaving areas to develop naturally. I too am adding wildlife areas to our garden, as we get older the low maintenance aspect is very appealing and the wildlife benefit. Thank you Alexandra.
I have a wildlife garden but I never had anyone to do fancy things like connect downpipes to ponds and bogs and have never been able to afford a shed or get someone to lay a path or make a nice fence or just be able to order rocks and cobbles! All I’ve learned in the last 17 years of having a garden is you have to be rich or have strong helpers, unpaid labour. I wish my wildlife garden was as posh as this - and we don’t need lectures about tap water! Boy she went on and on about this.
I love this natural garden. And the fact that it is low maintenance and has self evolved is fabulous. There’s nothing like sitting in and just enjoying the garden. While the little creatures and plants do the same. This was lovely to watch. Thank you for sharing. 🌸🪴
I was so interested because at some angles it looks very reminiscent of the 'Rewilding Britain garden' at Chelsea and that caused such a lot of debate.
My garden is semi-wild, pretty (I hope) and wildlife friendly, but I would never call it "easy" or low- maintenance. There is always a lot of weeding and dead-heading to do. I use only rainwater; unfortunately, there is a heatwave in my country right now. I am waiting for rain.
I just loved this garden! Wonderful interview, too. I wonder what people do about cats that love to go after birds watering themselves at ground level...?
Really enjoyed this video, and have so many questions about the pond. Does it use a pump? What is the lining like? Would love more videos about ponds especially such as this one using rain water. Kindly expound more about how the pond here works. Not from your country so not able to see the garden live☹️. But enjoyed that you brought it closer to us ❤️
If the set-up is right then wildlife ponds have no need for pumps or filtration, it's all down to the oxygenating plants, rain-water isn't a necessity in the UK as chlorine in water disperses after a few days :) I make natural ponds that need no filtration as this is also down to the subsoil used in creation, which is very low nutrient and allows planting directly into the pond :) Best wishes - Joel
I'm glad to see that Joel Ashton has replied, he is a really good authority on it, and has several helpful videos about it on his channel. This pond doesn't have a pump, no and keeps its natural balance through planting.
A bunch of..seeds flying in the air to find a living place looked down on our poor maltreatment earth and say to the other seeds..Hey..what do you think to land here ..Nice place.Water..an old and very respectable apple tree to tell us ancient stories... ..a good company with wild carrots and certainly some fairies sleeping in the buttercups ...Isn't a true paradise..And there is this charming lady to protect us.......
I regularly top up my pond with tap water and have no problem with algae. As we have had practically no rain in Fife for last three months, without tap water there would be no pond. Lovely garden!
Thinking more about this delightful garden, I am really impressed by the wildlife habitat they included on purpose: hidden areas under the path decking, sloped pond for safe access, using rain water instrad of tap water, and building in the logs habitat very openly. Very impressed by the pathway built so it doesn't compress the earth. Many thanks for a great example of what can be done, especially in a narrow space to add livability all round.
I think that will be interesting and Anne says that it's a learning journey. As relatively few gardens are done like this, there's not too much past experience to go by.
This doesn't have a biofiltration system because it's fed only by rainwater so gets less algae. I don't know how it would scale up to a swimming pond though.
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden several birds in my trees begin singing or chirping at 1AM during the summer. After a few nights of wonder, the experience fades for lack of sleep. By the time fall arrives, I sort of miss their presence. It’s neat how the birds give the garden another dimension because they appreciate the food, water and shelter provided.
would you give a tip on pruning lavender pls? I have both English and French, and have pruned in the same way, but the result isn't the same 😢 and the English looks much better. Thank you.
I only have advice on English lavender which is to cut back hard. Here is my blog post about it - we have done our lavender in this way for 10 years and it has come back looking good, although it is now getting woody: www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/absolutely-best-way-prune-english-lavender-beautifully/
It’s a mixed bag for me. While there is a lot to love about a wildlife garden in a confined space right outside one’s door, I can’t help feeling trepidatious about pests. Maybe it’s because I live on an island with huge centipedes, flying termites and the like. Somehow the vast bird population here can’t eat them fast enough…
I am struck by how giving this garden design is... she gets to enjoy the wildlife and songbirds drawn to the pond, as do her neighbors. Beneficial on many levels!
I agree!
I can see why this type of garden got a gold medal. It’s so natural in form. It lends itself to the support of nature yet humans can throughly enjoy the splendor of it. I love what can be done with small spaces. These types of videos are such a learning experience. Although I have large expansive areas where I live here in Missouri it helps me divide up my area into rooms and incorporate things such as this wildlife garden. What a fantastic idea to keep the pond full with rainwater from the roof of the house. I’m going to keep this in mind for future reference. Video gets two thumbs up from me.
Thank you!
Just goes to show that you don't need a big garden to make an impact! Just love the simplicity and tranquillity of it all. What a total transformation. To think It's only 2 years old! We all need to do more to create ecologically friendly spaces in our gardens. She's lucky to had her son to help her out.I need to learn more as I'm a total newbie to gardening...been gardening only for 2 years. Thanks for this great video.
Thank you (and I think we all feel like 'newbies' in gardening...it's very much a journey but an enjoyable one, I hope).
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden certainly a journey for us all....just that i feel some are a lot further in that journey. Thanks again.
Ann's garden is amazing! Her son thought of everything, I love their kindness and thoughtfulness towards wildlife. I'm envious that she really doesnt have to work hard to have such a glorious garden. Thank you Alexandra for showing us this work of art.
Thank you!
I agree, we have decided to leave our garden to be wild, which being a third of an acre was quite overwhelming at times. It has been a lesson in NOT fiddling which has been a lesson in mindfulness in and of itself. I had a cloud of butterflies when I walked through the daisies the other morning. This morning through the longer grass at the bottom I noticed the black tips on the ears of a rabbit - which apparently could be a hare. I love my wild garden, but that is probably because I have not got any idea about planned borders. I just plant what I like and see what happens 😌 Thank you for the detailed instructions on the pond too. That's our next project is a wild pond. Really enjoyable video today.
That sounds delightful.
I love everything about this garden. I’m doing something similar but on an even smaller scale and it makes me feel as though I’m contributing in the best way I can. I love The Middle-Sized garden and this is probably my favorite video so far. Absolutely lovely. Thank you
Thank you!
It's my favourite so far as well.
Since you introduced this style of gardening with Joel Ashton, I’ve been adding to my English garden here in the USA, Cleveland OH, wildlife friendly elements, so many new volunteers in the beds, it’s like nature saying, thank you for a place to live. Also William Robinson’s book has been a blessing.
Today I noticed self heal blooming in my new meadow, joining the white clover. Amazing to see how easy and fun my garden is. My native plants are happy to live with the other flowers and shrubs.
Thank you Alexandra, for expanding the possibility of what a garden can be!
Thank you, and great to hear that you are trying it out.
So good to read that this is all going so well Rick :) Well done, you're certainly reaping the rewards - best wishes, Joel
this is just fabulous. well done mother and son!
I agree!
What a fantastic garden. It's SO interesting to observe the native animals, birds and insects!
How beautiful and serene. Well done! Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦
Glad you enjoyed it!
The most beautiful small garden I can think of. Brilliant design by her son and brilliant gardening by her.
What a delightful space! Alexandra, I just love the interviews you do! Thirty+ years ago my husband directed our downspouts to two half metal tanks partially buried into the ground, surrounded by a brick wall, to collect the water from the roof. Those "ponds" have attracted everything from ducks to deer. 💝
How lovely!
Love the details!! Thanks 🙏
What a wonderful way to preserve wild life, be lucky enough to have a son able to carry out all the work with the eco system , and the knowledge to carry it out. An absolute pleasure to watch. A perfect treat for a Saturday afternoon.
Thank you!
The psychological benefits of this kind of garden are immeasurable!!!!
This is just wonderful! I am amazed at the fact that it is largely self seeded and so low maintenance….my dream garden!
This is wonderful. We need to offer havens for nature in our gardens. Please show more of these types of gardens. They inspire us to do better!
We call those rain gardens here. In Indianapolis, the county gives you a discount on your sewer bill for installing one as the area is full of flood plains. But this garden takes it to a whole new level--it's relaxing and peaceful and looks a lot bigger than it did as just a patch of lawn.
Thank you!
It is amazing how much bigger the yard looks now!
What an amazing garden. I love that it's in such a small space and what was previously such a bog standard suburban garden. Inspiring.
A wonderful example of what we can do in our neighborhood small yards. Love it!
Wonderful! Please bring us more of these transformations. They help inspire change. Native plants are truly the way to go. Too many people think that a weed free lawn and a few shrubs make a garden.
Fascinating!! How ingenious yet uncomplicated. I love it!!
Glad you like it!
I really enjoyed this program and learned from it. I'd like to see more city wildlife gardens in the future. As always, I love the Middle-Sized Garden!
Thank you, and we will definitely be returning to the topic.
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden I would really love to see the plans and drawings for the garden (I'm assuming Tom, her son, did make some) as well as an aerial view. Would that be possible?
What a pretty garden. I’m sure they get hours of enjoyment watching the wildlife.
Morning Alexandra, what a magnificent garden. Again, looking, planning and practical designing. We do not have to have sculptured gardens like we see in over the top magazines, this family deserves that gold medal. In all fairness taking into account all climatic conditions, we can create this type of natural space. I also have many plants and trees that I enjoy that came from somewhere. I even have seeds that birds dropped from a magnificent palm tree and it is growing like it is nurtured for a prize garden. It has to be transplanted as it is growing next to the swimming pool. It is worth much money, what a treat and blessing. Pathways are great for our gardens, lamps can always be placed at night to add more loveliness. Thank you it was grand.
Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Great video again, amazing how "not planting plants" can result in such a beautiful garden. Inspiring, thanks for yet another splendid video. My now 1,5 year old garden really start looking like something (1500m2) due to advise from Alexandera and her videos. She even gets me enthousiastich when at times I don't feel I am getting anywhere with that huge piece of land around our house.
Thank you!
I am unsure... l mean l don't know you. Thank you for asking anyway.
We found, once the grass was removed, native plants, waiting patiently under the deadland, emerged immediately.
What a beautiful garden! Working for and with nature is so satisfying.
Lovely!
What a beautiful garden, and so full of wildlife! I'm so impressed by the boardwalk just above the garden (and edging the pond) which is such a clever idea ~ I have never see this in a domestic garden. The rainwater feed to the pond is also a genius idea! It makes so much sense.
It does!
Yes, isn't that smart? I wouldnt have thpught of that.
And good to have more water butts as backup.
So beautiful!
What a tranquil, lush haven for both wild life and humans. Looks so calm and cozy, they've done a wonderful job. I imagine it must be a bit of a surprise for a first time visitor.
And it still amazes me how a smal space crowded with so many plants and structures looks so much bigger than a plain open lawn 💚
Yes, I thought that was extraordinary too.
What an interesting position to take on weeding (or rather not weeding). I have a yard that was almost completely neglected for many years, which I have been gradually naturescaping. Left to its own devices, it had become a mix of invasive plants with zero native species to speak of. I think it depends on your area and if you're in a place that has certain invasives that are really a scourge, for example I'm in the Northwest USA and here we have a big problem with Himalayan blackberry. No amount of other species can blow in on the wind and control it, unless a tree happens to survive to maturity and shade it out. So while I love the approach I'm not sure no weeding would work for everyone. What a lovely zen idea though not to get caught up in "plants I want" vs "plants I don't want", not to spend a gazillion dollars on native plants that die. But if I had done this I would have had none of the native species that I now enjoy.
Very good point - certainly some areas have far more problems with invasive non-natives than others.
I know what you mean. I have an eroded stream bank I'm trying to rehabilitate. Two years ago erosion happened from tornado damaged trees being to be removed. Now I've noticed plants are moving back in. I'm thrilled about the ferns, and the water primroses, and the jewelweed, but probably 60% of the plants colonizing here are undesirable. I've had to do judicious weed removal of numerous varieties of invasive grasses. Poison ivy is a native, but still very much in the noxious weed category. Except for the poison ivy which goes into trash bags all the other weeds I pull and leave in place as mulch.
@@botanicaltreasures2408 I've settled for only digging up certain things while others I just dead-head or weed whack, hoping that at least I can slow down their reproduction. Hopefully over time I'll have a slow conversion to more natives but I think I'll have to accept that it will never be perfect 😔
@@Hayley-sl9lm I wish you well. I’m following a similar process. I figure even weeds hold back erosion or produce biomass to enrich the soil until I can replace them with more desirable plants. Also I’m increasing my knowledge of which weeds are actually natives that are unloved like wild blue lettuce and horseweed. And I’m also learning what weeds can indicate about growing conditions acidic, boggy, etc. If I change the growing conditions, perhaps I’ll get a better set of weeds.🌱🌿🌱
I am amazed at the transformation of this garden. From a rather dull looking garden to an oasis. A wonderful peaceful garden.
It's a very beautiful garden, but I couldn't have a pond like that, it would worry me in case I tripped and fell in. I feel that you can be still be wildlife friendly to a degree, yet have a more traditional style of garden. I have woodpiles, a bee hotel, plenty of bushes for birds, but have a border and pots and grass too. I think I would miss just having somewhere to mooch about in on a sunny morning, I don't think I could mooch about that much in that one.
I agree that you can be wildlife friendly in quite a traditional garden and pond safety is certainly important.
For those who doubt it can be done should watch David Crossley's the Great Outdoors to see what David has ceated in a tiny garden.
I'll hunt that down.
What a lovely lady and such a beautiful garden, really stunning.
Fabulous about letting the garden find its own rhythm!! Inspirational project. Thank you
What a lovely garden, and so calming. I have a longish, narrow garden and I always have to consider how to get my bike along from the shed. I think I need a shed at the front so the bike could go in there. 🤔
Bike storage is always a problem, we find that ours is quite fiddly to get in and out.
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden exactly, when I see some beautiful TV gardens on Chelsea etc, I always say "that's no good for getting the bike in and out for me" 😂
So beautiful! Hard to put into words, such thought went into this - amazing!
Splendid, thank you Alexandra and Anne. 👌💕
Wow, wow, wow! This is MY type of garden! 🤩😍 Thank you for sharing another "wild" one, and for showing us how even the smallest space can be teeming with life!
Now I have a new "problem": I just went outside to look at my tiny-tiny urban backyard--it's maybe half of this size---and I was telling myself, "I already have a mini-pond...Where can I make a wall of stacked tree branches?" I have a spot in mind, against my side fence...but I'm already keeping a secret from my neighbor: We have a shared garden snake...if I make a pile like that, we'll have 50 of them! 🤫
That won't be very popular! There are certainly very different factors to consider in different parts of the world.
So happy to see this. We have a natural garden with two ponds, decking etc for about 15 years already .A small garden , for us it's low maintenance . A very beautiful natural garden, thank you for sharing. I like the idea of rain water. Greetings from Vienna Austria.
Thank you!
Super interesting video and very beautiful garden… we must tend in the future to mix those type of gardens with traditional gardens for those who are not convinced yet. Mine is almost totally wild and since I don’t mowe it every time, I am discovering wild orchids, and other beautiful plants that I don’t even know the name ! All this, in Switzerland. Thanks again for your videos and this is a very beautiful garden.
Thank you!
This is a beautiful creation, bountiful and sharing with the natural world. What a joy! Top marks to your son and his generation.
awesome. The garden feels so much bigger when there are points to focus on
Thank you Alexandra
Hi 👋 Laura how is the weather over there?
@@michael8596 hi Michael. Hot and humid but we are getting rain so all good. Thanks
@@laura2842 where are you located?
Lovely and peaceful area, very interesting!
It’s beautiful and so lush for something so new and done all at once. Very impressive. Love the garden tours, so many ideas.
Thank you!
I absolutley love this channel! What a lovely garden 🌈🦋💗
Thank you so much!
I absolutely adore this wildlife garden, its really beautiful. What a happy place to be. I also noticed the beautiful blackbird song in the beginning of the video.
Thank you for sharing x
Thank you1
my favorite type of garden how lovely
I am SO impressed with this lovely, open-minded woman!! Amazing!! What a little slice of heaven her garden is.
We agree!
Thank you Alexandra for this very interesting and informative video. As always well thought through and very well structured. Congratulations to Anna and her son, great work, really inspiring. What a transformation! I only want to comment one thing: I see the benefits of the deck-path but it seems to me it takes away the feeling of connection with earth, that one has when walking on the ground, which I value.
I know what you mean!
I love the idea of a bog garden but here in Texas I am reticent to try it because of mosquitos.I doubt that sufficient amounts of birds could handle the proliferation of insects.Perhaps I'm wrong...
I think you are not wrong. In warmer climate this kind of pond would be a completely different story in more than one ways.
I wonder how much waterflow is necessary to discourage mosquitoes from breeding.
Yes, I understand the pond issue is different for mosquito prone countries although presumably wildlife does need water, so I will keep an eye out for how someone resolves these (if I'm travelling to a mosquito prone country).
@@botanicaltreasures2408 I don’t know the answer… I do know that in some countries with tropical or subtropical climate in southeast Asia (like Singapore) ponds in private gardens are either forbidden or heavily regulated. Luckily the dry climate of Texas is a completely different story.
@@alexandros1973 It is certain that every place has unique factors to consider. Maybe so many ponds have koi fish not just for beauty, but also mosquito control.
Just besutiful🌿thank you for the tour🌿
Glad you enjoyed it
Very pretty
Thank you! 😊
Magnificent
What a stunning garden. I see a bright future for her son, what a creative guy. Really love the deck path, not to mention no mowing or weed eating needed. Yet plenty for the wildlife to enjoy. Thanks for sharing, thank Anne and her son as well. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend.
Thank you!
Wonderful video.
Glad you enjoyed it
Beautiful
Thanks for sharing
My pleasure 😊
Beautiful design and so beneficial
It is really peaceful!
That's a great idea using rain water to keep pond full... that probably wouldn't work here in far northern California, not enough rainfall, we are 3 yrs behind and extremely high temperatures in summer, with water restrictions, the pond would most likely dry up or just be a puddle.
Yes, I can imagine it could be difficult in very dry areas. We don't have a lot of rain, but much more than you I suspect.
Fascinating garden that collaborates with nature, rather than dominating it.
Such a lovely garden! Great job! ❤
It is!
What a great garden. So many prople use a lot of hard landscaping for a low maintenance garden, but that is a great example of leaving areas to develop naturally.
I too am adding wildlife areas to our garden, as we get older the low maintenance aspect is very appealing and the wildlife benefit. Thank you Alexandra.
Thank you!
Really lovely garden with Mother Nature doing most of the work and overseen by you two beautiful ladies and a caring son in the background!
Thank you so much
Absolutely lovely. Have you revisited this garden Alexandra? I would love to see how it has developed.
Not yet! But I will see if I can
Wow I love that. How awesome to have that at your backdoor. Something very different.
Beautiful garden and not overwhelming for the space she has. Love the design beneficial to wildlife. Thank you!! 👏👏👏👩🌾💕
I have a wildlife garden but I never had anyone to do fancy things like connect downpipes to ponds and bogs and have never been able to afford a shed or get someone to lay a path or make a nice fence or just be able to order rocks and cobbles! All I’ve learned in the last 17 years of having a garden is you have to be rich or have strong helpers, unpaid labour. I wish my wildlife garden was as posh as this - and we don’t need lectures about tap water! Boy she went on and on about this.
I love this natural garden. And the fact that it is low maintenance and has self evolved is fabulous. There’s nothing like sitting in and just enjoying the garden. While the little creatures and plants do the same. This was lovely to watch. Thank you for sharing. 🌸🪴
Thank you!
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden you’re most welcome.
This is such a worthwhile debate to have! Thank you for sharing.
I was so interested because at some angles it looks very reminiscent of the 'Rewilding Britain garden' at Chelsea and that caused such a lot of debate.
My garden is semi-wild, pretty (I hope) and wildlife friendly, but I would never call it "easy" or low- maintenance. There is always a lot of weeding and dead-heading to do. I use only rainwater; unfortunately, there is a heatwave in my country right now. I am waiting for rain.
I hope you get some rain soon, I know that waiting!
I just loved this garden! Wonderful interview, too. I wonder what people do about cats that love to go after birds watering themselves at ground level...?
Really enjoyed this video, and have so many questions about the pond. Does it use a pump? What is the lining like? Would love more videos about ponds especially such as this one using rain water. Kindly expound more about how the pond here works. Not from your country so not able to see the garden live☹️. But enjoyed that you brought it closer to us ❤️
If the set-up is right then wildlife ponds have no need for pumps or filtration, it's all down to the oxygenating plants, rain-water isn't a necessity in the UK as chlorine in water disperses after a few days :) I make natural ponds that need no filtration as this is also down to the subsoil used in creation, which is very low nutrient and allows planting directly into the pond :) Best wishes - Joel
I'm glad to see that Joel Ashton has replied, he is a really good authority on it, and has several helpful videos about it on his channel. This pond doesn't have a pump, no and keeps its natural balance through planting.
A bunch of..seeds flying in the air to find a living place looked down on our poor maltreatment earth and say to the other seeds..Hey..what do you think to land here ..Nice place.Water..an old and very respectable
apple tree to tell us ancient stories...
..a good company with wild carrots and certainly some fairies sleeping in the buttercups ...Isn't a true paradise..And there is this charming lady to protect us.......
Lovely!
Lovely!
I regularly top up my pond with tap water and have no problem with algae. As we have had practically no rain in Fife for last three months, without tap water there would be no pond. Lovely garden!
Good to hear. I wonder if it's different in different areas as I think not all the water in our taps is the same...although I might have that wrong!
Thinking more about this delightful garden, I am really impressed by the wildlife habitat they included on purpose: hidden areas under the path decking, sloped pond for safe access, using rain water instrad of tap water, and building in the logs habitat very openly.
Very impressed by the pathway built so it doesn't compress the earth. Many thanks for a great example of what can be done, especially in a narrow space to add livability all round.
Not now.
Thank you, I thought it was so interesting too.
Well done..
Thank you!
Love this !
A wonderfull, natural garden with low maintanance
What a lovely garden I just luv how things blow in
Enjoyed visiting both this garden and yours Alexandra today, thank you:-)
Thank you and for supporting Faversham Open Gardens!
I love the introduction of garden possibilities I’ve never seen outside a large botanic garden. I wonder how it will do over time.
I think that will be interesting and Anne says that it's a learning journey. As relatively few gardens are done like this, there's not too much past experience to go by.
Such a lovely wild garden and so attractive very informative thank you so much.
Awesome. Should be much more backyards the same x 🧡💛🙏😇🇦🇺
Another fascinating garden, thank you Alexandra!
Glad you enjoyed it!
That was awesome! TU Alexandra!
I love this !What I am doing with my yard as well.
What a superb garden - inspiring!
Thanks so much!
Really creative! Thank you.
Glad you like it!
Absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Loved this
Another fantastic video, thank you!
Thank you!
I think I would like to have a son like hers. I haven’t any children. He sounds lovely.
He does.
Love it!
How lovely! I've been researching natural swimming ponds and I wonder if this pond has a biofiltration system to control the algae?
This doesn't have a biofiltration system because it's fed only by rainwater so gets less algae. I don't know how it would scale up to a swimming pond though.
More inspiring content !
Very nice. The system works for them and wildlife.
I wonder if the birds chirp in the middle of the night because it’s so friendly for them?
I think they start at first light (which is early enough these days) judging by my very noisy sparrows.
@@TheMiddlesizedGarden several birds in my trees begin singing or chirping at 1AM during the summer.
After a few nights of wonder, the experience fades for lack of sleep.
By the time fall arrives, I sort of miss their presence. It’s neat how the birds give the garden another dimension because they appreciate the food, water and shelter provided.
would you give a tip on pruning lavender pls? I have both English and French, and have pruned in the same way, but the result isn't the same 😢 and the English looks much better. Thank you.
I only have advice on English lavender which is to cut back hard. Here is my blog post about it - we have done our lavender in this way for 10 years and it has come back looking good, although it is now getting woody: www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/absolutely-best-way-prune-english-lavender-beautifully/
It’s a mixed bag for me. While there is a lot to love about a wildlife garden in a confined space right outside one’s door, I can’t help feeling trepidatious about pests. Maybe it’s because I live on an island with huge centipedes, flying termites and the like. Somehow the vast bird population here can’t eat them fast enough…
I agree that the UK is less challenging than some places when it comes to pests - we are fortunate.