Creating Micro-climates
Pile left-over manure around the frame for added warmth and insulation. Radishes will be ready first, followed by lettuces. After the cauliflowers are harvested, use the bed for courgettes or marrows.
Wild habitats
The hallmark of a natural garden is a healthy companion system, where pollinating insects thrive and pests and their predators live in balance. Not only do plants (including vegetables) flourish in this environment, but people benefit too.
A pond can be a focus of design and interest, as well as attracting birds, insects, and other creatures; a brushwood pile can keep hibernating animals warm in winter and become part of a slow compost heap in the spring. Compost heaps—especially slow ones—are another rich mini-habitat.
A small city garden can be augmented with a rooftop lawn. Turf is already known as a roofing material in some cold regions, and it protects the roof from weathering. In a larger context, clothing rooftops with grass and other plants offers a method of replacing some of the vegetation lost to urban sprawl, bringing improvements in air quality as well as reducing city heat.
Even without going to such dramatic lengths though. any garden can be made into a richer environment simply by not being kept too tidy.
Small but positive investments that pay large dividends are represented by sink-ponds, birdboxes, batboxes, tiny corners of "waste" ground, and dead logs allowed to rot naturally.
Digging a pond
If you already have a boggy region or a shallow water-filled dip, all you may need do to turn it into a pond is dig a deeper hole. Aim to make a gentle slope on one side, getting deeper nearer the centre and, if you wish, carrying on deeply to the other side.
The slope allows small creatures (and children) to climb out easily, and the deeper region (at least 2 ft or 60 cm) gives a depth of water than doesn't easily freeze solid in the winter. An irregular outline is preferable to a tidy shape.
A possible practical problem is that digging the pond out can cut through a natural crust of fine particles that serve to retain water, so the initial effect may be that your puddle appears to drain away. If this happens, either wait patiently until the particles re-pack themselves, or leap in and "puddle" the bottom yourself; crudely, this means squelching around in the hole, compressing the bottom.
Lining the pond
A hole that doesn't hold water naturally needs a waterproof lining. The three main approaches to this are fibreglass, plastic, and cement. There are other more traditional methods which are much more time and people intensive but may be considered more appropriate, these will be discussed when suitable information is available.
Rigid fibreglass-reinforced resin shells are only suitable for small ponds. When using one of these, you must dig the hole to fit the shell so that all of it rests on firm ground. Use sand to mould the final fit.
Flexible pond liners have the advantage of fitting almost any size and shape of hole; also, they are quick and fairly easy to use. Their disadvantages are that they can be punctured easily and may break down because of weathering. Careful attention to detail can minimize these problems.
The hole ought to be smooth, without sharp stones, and free of bumps and hollows—these might strain the plastic. Ideally you should protect the sheet on both sides with a geotextile mat.
The length of sheet you will need is arrived at by adding the length of the pond to twice the deepest depth. The width will be the sum of the pond width plus twice the average depth. Add 2 ft (60 cm) in all directions, to allow for anchorage.
Lay the sheet methodically, making sure no air bubbles are left underneath. It doesn't have to be absolutely smooth. After the water goes in, this sheet will become inaccessible unless you destroy the entire pond, so it's worth taking trouble at this stage.
Ultra-violet light can perish the plastic, so ensure that all the sheeting which might emerge from the water is securely anchored with bricks bedded in sand and covered with turf, soil, stones, or gravel. If you use paving slabs, they can overhang slightly, but leave escape gaps.
The life expectancy of a plastic sheet lining depends on how well it's laid, how well it's protected from UV light, and the quality of plastic.
Standard-gauge polythene, although initially cheap, only lasts for 2 or 3 years; nylon-reinforced PVC lasts twice as long; butyl and other proprietary membranes are much more expensive but last indefinitely; this makes them the best choice for a serious pond.
A concrete-lined pond is more expensive to create, and not feasible on a large scale. Once made, however, it's likely to last, although concrete can crack and leak, and be difficult to repair.
Constructing a concrete pond is a straightforward mechanical job. It will need to he thoroughly weathered to ensure the chemicals in the cement are neutralized, before adding living things.
Begin by filling the pond with water, leaving it for a few days, then emptying. Repeat this process a few times. After several months, fill with fresh rain water and add gravel, mud, and water from a natural pond.
Some water weeds can be put in now, but don't introduce fish or other animals until a year has gone by. Smaller pond life will emerge from the added mud, and beetles, bugs, and other flying insects will probably arrive under their own steam.
Stocking the pond
A natural pond can be left to take care of itself. A plastic-lined pond can be kick-started with a good layer of muddy sand or fine gravel, brought quickly from a natural pond (without being allowed to dry out or deprived of air on the way), which will bring plenty of life with it.
Plants
Water plants with submerged leaves provide essential oxygen. They need sunlight to do this, so some of the pond ought to he open to the sky; a shaded region (created by overhanging plants or floating leaves such as water lilies) will provide open water by inhibiting weed growth, as well as helping to prevent the entire pond from overheating in the sun. Various pond weeds can he obtained.
Choose a native species, but avoid introducing Canadian pondweed (Elodea), which grows too vigorously. If you do have too much weed, there's nothing you can do except clear out as much of it as possible in the autumn. (Water weed makes good compost; leave piles of it to drain by the water's edge, so that small creatures can find their way back into the pond.)
Regular maintenance can be done at the same time, before the animals settle for the winter. Fallen leaves ought to be removed (for composting) before they sink and decay, as this can deplete the oxygen content of the pond.
New ponds are apt to develop a spring flush of algae due to excess nutrients. This problem should clear up in a few years, and in the meantime you can rake off the weed for compost as soon as it floats to the surface.
Marginal plants provide a range of microhabitats for small creatures, and it's also essential to have some stems emerging from the water itself, to form a land bridge for aquatic insects such as dragonflies.
Animals
Many animals (and plants) soon turn up. It may seem surprising that swimmers can do this, but pond creatures evolved techniques for getting around. Beetles and bugs take to the wing on warm days, and the tiniest one-celled creatures can turn themselves into a grain of dust to be blown on the wind.
Unless you want to add a particular species, there's no pressing need to introduce any animals at all.
Aquatic creatures are very sensitive to chemicals, and also to pyrethrum and derris, so avoid applying these where they could blow or seep into the pond.
Making the most of existing micro-habitats
Even a vast tract of apparently uniform prairie contains numerous micro-habitats—from termite hills to little piles of dung dropped by grazing animals. Your garden is far richer than this, with trees and shrubs, hedges and walls, paths arid pergolas. A single tree, for example, may offer permutations on north and south aspects, dry soil, summer shade, winter sun, winter shade, drip-zone, leaf litter, fallen fruit, exposure to wind, shelter from wind, and more.
When introducing native plants, find out the micro-climate they prefer and try to place them in a similar situation in your own garden. As well as making the best use of your space, this strategy is labour-saving, too, since plants that are thoroughly at hone will thrive without much help.
Walls
A raw wall can be made more inviting by painting or splashing with sour milk or diluted cow dung—this to neutralize any alkalinity caused by lime mortar and provide nourishment for algae and lichens; these, in turn, will in turn provide shelter and nourishment for other species.
The shady side of a wall can be used to grow delicate ferns, while the hot, dry, sunny side can support a completely different community. Many species of plants that naturally colonize walls tend to mature early in the year; they can provide welcome colour in early spring.
The foot of a wall is often drier than the surrounding land, presenting yet another microhabitat. There may be a slightly higher pH created by the lime washed down the wall by rain.
Paths
Paths need not be barren tracks, dedicated to human traffic alone. Instead of keeping paths meticulously tidy, allow plants to take their chances there. Apart from a few especially invasive weeds—and you'll soon learn to recognize them—it isn't usually difficult to remove anything that gets in the way.
Many plants are adapted to colonize rocky cracks, and can even survive grazing by wild goats. A shaded, moist path can be softened by clumps of violets, while a dry sunny one may support creeping thyme or chamomile.
Small rock plants such as stone crops can live on all but the most heavily used parts of a gravel path, which can also function as a seed bed for a variety of other species.
Shade
Shady spots occur in many situations. The poleward side of a wall can be shady all year round, as it is underneath evergreen trees. It's worth seeking out the specialized plants that thrive there.
The space beneath deciduous trees, on the other hand, tends to be shady during the summer and light in winter; it is an excellent place to cultivate wild woodland plants, whose life cycle is adapted to this pattern.
They tend to be early flowering species, getting through their year's work before the trees overhead blot out the sun, and they bring early bees to pollinate plums and early apples.
Green roof
A roof with a slope of about 100 is ideal for greening; it will drain freely but isn't steep enough to suffer from slippage. Flat roofs need positive drainage, and a steeper pitch (up to 30° is feasible) will need cross-struts to hold the growing medium. The strength of the roof must also be considered: a full load of turf needs a strong roof, for example, but a thin layer of sand planted with house leeks could be supported by most reasonable roofs.
Before starting, the roof should be checked for cracks and leaks. A waterproof membrane with a geotextile layer on top will protect the roof from water and the plant roots themselves. Once the cover is in place, the roof will be protected from deterioration due to UV light. The growing medium goes on top of the drainage layer and then the plants themselves are added, with protective netting, if necessary, to keep them in place while the roots establish.
Rockery
A stony patch in your garden can be put to a variety of uses. Big stones can be used for edging beds and paths, where they can be interplanted with stonecrops or other hardy crack-rooters. Large chunks of stone can also be bedded around the banks of a pond, founding yet another micro-habitat.
On the other hand, even a small pile of mixed stones can accommodate a variety of wildlife— hibernating newts in temperate regions or sunbathing lizards in tropical climes, for example. It will mellow slowly, accumulating soil and appropriate native plants and their followers. This is not to be confused with a conventional rockery, which is more difficult to make and less relevant to a non-rocky region (it's unlikely to be desired in a rocky one!).
Logs and log piles
Dead wood is a normal component of the natural world. A wealth of wildlife is adapted to make use of it, but it's in increasingly short supply.
Leaving a heap to be recycled to destruction will naturally be of greater benefit than a temporary firewood pile. Top it up regularly, and it will become a valuable natural resource.
Birdboxes
Nesting birds are among your greatest allies. Nearly all birds (except pigeons) feed their young on meat, so having a bird family in your garden ensures a dawn to dusk patrol picking off hundreds of caterpillars a day, and countless aphids.
A titmouse's faster than-vision beak action can peck up seven aphids a second, so it makes sense to tempt tits with customized nests.
Situate nest boxes facing west or poleward, about 7 ft (2.1 m) high, ideally where cats can't climb. Adjust the hole to the smallest size the species you're targeting will use, or leave the front half-open for flycatchers.
Batboxes
A batbox is very similar to a birdbox, but with a slit and a crawl-board instead of a hole and a perch. The whole thing can be made from a single unplanned board of untreated wood as shown (see ***). Hang batboxes on fruit trees, 6–9 ft (2–3 m) high, away from the sun. When the day shift of birds goes to sleep, the night shift of bats will take over, picking off moths coming to lay eggs in the orchard.
Bats regularly travel a long way between their roosts and their hunting grounds, so it won't be long before the boxes are "discovered". They may be used for summer roosts or even for hibernation. In either case, try to avoid disturbing the bats.
Beeboxes
Honey bees are only one species among hundreds. Many of the wild bees coming to pollinate your blossoms are solitary types, needing small nest sites rather than a single hive for a vast community.
One way to encourage them to stay is to provide them with places to nest. The simplest bee-quarters can be assembled from a can full of paper art straws, 0.3 in. (7 mm) in diameter. Paint the can with rustproof paint and lodge it i n a crevice in a wall.
Tunnelling bees will be delighted to find ready-made tunnels 0.3–0.4in (7–10 mm) wide in short bin (15 cm) lengths of softwood, slotted into the woodpile, attached to fence posts, or suspended horizontally under eaves.
Bumble bees can be tempted with a large clay flowerpot (drainage hole bunged with a cork) upside down on a suitable ledge. Add a filling of kapok (not cotton wool) a third deep.
Flexible options
Wherever possible, opt for permanence in your garden. choosing a woody clematis instead of one which is cut back annually will clothe a trellis, wall, or dead tree stump; it will provide shelter and food for wildlife.
Shun tidiness for its own sake. Bare soil serves no useful purpose; mulch is far better for maintaining fertility and moisture; it also shelters invertebrates and thus provides food for larger creatures. Cutting down dead stems in winter destroys the built-in frost protection of many perennials, reduces ladybird shelter, and removes a potential source of winter food for native and migrant birds.
Choose native trees and shrubs. Exotic ones don't fit into your ecosystem, which means they're not much use to the wildlife native to your region. An indigenous tree, on the other hand, may support hundreds of species and could even be a key component in the system.
Indigenous flowers and berries, too, will be more use to the wild than exotic ones.
Hang birdboxes in half-shade, out of reach of cats. Leave them undisturbed while birds are nesting, but clean out in winter. Never use treated wood.
Bees nest in early spring but prefer a weathered nest. Tunnels attract small bees; the flowerpot in a shady spot suits big bumbles. With a lid of glass underfelt, the two-room box (dimensions optional, kapok essential) becomes an observation hive.
