Have you planted any seeds yet this year? Now's the ideal time to get growing, and if you're looking for easy seeds to grow with children it's hard to beat sunflowers.As well as producing seriously impressive blooms, sunflower seeds are easy for little hands to deal with, and pretty low maintenance to grow. They're also brilliant for local wildlife; the flowers are great for bees and other pollinating insects, and birds love to eat the ...
#SpringBlooms fun with Dobbies Garden Centres
Well the weather has finally decided to behave like spring, hurrah!Now that things have started to warm up, you can really get cracking on some fun family gardening projects. Dobbies Garden Centres are encouraging us all to do just that with their #SpringBlooms campaign, and they asked us to get involved and hopefully inspire you to do the same.We popped into our local Dobbies store and picked up some plants, tools and accessories from ...
Taking the RSPB Wild Challenge: spotting signs of spring and sowing sunflowers
Last year we had a great time partnering with RSPB on family-friendly activities that would help to give nature a home in our garden. You might remember that we planted wildflower seeds, grew flowers for butterflies, made a frog and toad abode, grew plants for moths, and made a bird bath. It was a busy year! We’re thrilled to be working with RSPB again this year on some fun new projects. Over the next few months we’ll be bringing you more ...
Helping Britain’s bees with the Hozelock #PlantAPot campaign
You’re probably already aware that bees are in trouble, with numbers and species in quite dramatic decline. Bees play a crucial role in the pollination of plants - and not just our pretty garden plants, but also food crops. About a third of the food that we eat relies on bees for pollination, so the fact that they’re struggling is a really serious issue. The good news is that we can all help bees thrive in our gardens and outdoor spaces, by ...
Giving nature a home in our garden: sowing wildflowers
If you’re a regular reader, you’ll be aware that we’re joining forces with the RSPB 'Give nature a home in your garden' campaign. With 60% of the UK’s wildlife species seeing decline over the last fifty years, the campaign aims to encourage us all to take small, achievable steps to help nature in our own green spaces.We’re going to be sharing our experiences as we try out lots of fun family activities to make a home for nature ...
Review & Giveaway: RHS I Can Grow a Sunflower
If you’re a regular visitor to my blog you’ll know that getting children into gardening is a passion of mine. Gardening fits so well with lots of the things that kids tend to automatically like: hands-on activity, exploring nature, and helping the grown-ups spring instantly to mind, not to mention getting grubby! I’m always on the lookout for products, activities and crafts that encourage a love of gardening in children, and my latest discovery ...
How to make twig-wrapped flower pots
If, like us, you have an ever-growing stick collection, this is the perfect nature craft for you!Sticks and twigs are just brilliant for crafting, and this little project turns them into a lovely homemade gift. All you need is a plant pot, some string, and a little plant to pop in when you're finished.The idea is to create a length of tied-together twigs that you then fasten around the pot. Start off by measuring each stick against ...
How to make fun bird feeders
Do you feed the birds at this time of year? We try to do it all year round, but in winter it's particularly important to give wild birds a helping hand, because natural food sources are scarce. One of the kids' favourite craft activities is making our homemade feeders; I've lost count of the number of times we've made them, and whenever we put them out in the garden they vanish within a couple of days!This week we've been mixing it up a bit ...
Review: Vine House Farm super suet fat ball bird feed
Our garden has been a hive of activity in the last couple of weeks. We’ve been reviewing some high energy bird feed from Vine House Farm, and it’s safe to say it’s been a big hit! We always make an extra effort to feed our local wild birds in winter, because this season is really tough for them. The cold weather causes wild birds to use more energy keeping warm, and also natural food sources are thin on the ground. Providing a source of ...
11. The 10 minute gardener: winter wildlife gardening
Welcome to a special wildlife gardening edition in the 10 minute gardener series. This time I’m looking at quick gardening jobs you can fit into a busy schedule that will help your local wildlife during winter.Winter is a tough season for garden wildlife; the cold weather demands high-energy food, but natural food sources are hard to find. Because we don’t spend as much time outdoors in winter, it’s easy to forget that our local wildlife is ...