#Erigeron bonariensis

[f-l-o-w-e-r-138]

Erigeron bonariensis.

[pazaryerigundem]

Ormanya “Tür Say” etkinliğinde 462 gözlem gerçekleşti

https://pazaryerigundem.com/haber/174329/ormanya-tur-say-etkinliginde-462-gozlem-gerceklesti/

Ormanya “Tür Say” etkinliğinde 462 gözlem gerçekleşti

Türkiye’nin en ��ok ziyaret edilen ve korunan alanı Ormanya’da rehberler eşliğinde yaklaşık 200 doğasever flora ve faunada yer alan; bitki, kuş, kelebek gibi türleri kayıt altına aldı

KOCAELİ (İGFA) – Kocaeli Büyükşehir Belediyesinin düzenlediği Vatandaş Bilimi Etkinliği “Tür Say” Ormanya’da gerçekleştirildi. Bioblitz olarak bilinen ve Türkiye’de Tür Say olarak adlandırılan etkinlikte, bulunulan bölgenin flora ve faunası oluşturan tüm canlılar (ağaçlar, çiçekler, mantarlar, böcekler, kuşlar, memeliler vb.) cep telefonlarına yüklenen “inaturalist” adlı uygulamaya çekilen fotoğraflarla tür tanımı yapılarak gerçekleştirildi. Alanında uzman eğitmenler ve doğa rehberleri eşliğinde gerçekleştirilen etkinliğe katılanlar; dürbün, böcek gözlem kutuları veya büyüteçleri ve telefonlarını kullandı. 200’ü aşkın doğasever ile gerçekleştirilen etkinlik boyunca, 206 farklı tür kayıt alınarak 500’e yakın gözlem gerçekleştirildi. 200’e yakın doğaseverle gerçekleşen etkinlikte Böcek Doktoru olarak bilinen İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi Öğretim Üyesi Dr. Fatih Dikmen, www.kocaelibitkileri.com editörü Dr. Hüseyin Cahit Doğan, Ormanya Yaban Hayat Biyoloğu Sibel Öztürk, Yaban Hayat Fotoğrafçısı Ümit Malkoçoğlu ve Doğa Rehberi Ayşe Alioğlu eşliğinde gerçekleştirildi.

DOĞAYA YÜRÜYORUZ ETKİNLİĞİ

Ormanya’da düzenlenen “Doğaya Yürüyoruz” etkinliğinde doğaseverler, Yaban Hayatı Fotoğrafçısı ve Kuş Gözlemcisi Ümit Malkoçoğlu eşliğinde ormanın derinliklerine yolculuk yaptı. Katılımcılar, doğal güzellikleri keşfederken ormanın ekosistemi hakkında da bilgi edindi. Etkinlik sırasında yapılan bilgilendirme duraklarında, orman ekosisteminin önemi ve korunması gerektiği konularında eğitim verilmesinin yanı sıra Ormanya’da bulunan kuş türleri gözlemlenerek kayıt altına alındı.

ORMANYA’NIN ZENGİN BİYOÇEŞİTLİLİĞİ

İspinoz, sıvacı, büyük baştankara, sarı asma, kızıl gerdan, Benekli sinekkapan, şahin, karatavuk, öterardıç, çıvgın gibi önemli kuş türleri kayda geçirilirken uğur böceği, düz sırtlı kırkayak, tahta biti, Bombus Arısı ve Atalanta Kelebeği gibi çeşitli eklembacaklılar da Ormanya’da gözlemlenen türler arasına eklendi. Dr. Hüseyin Cahit Doğan eşliğinde flora gözlemine çıkan katılımcılar; Mercurialis annua (Sultan Otu), Polygonum aviculare (Kadımalak), Salvia forskaehlei (Dolmayaprağı), Phytolacca americana (Şekerciboyası), Erigeron bonariensis (Çakalotu), Sivri Salep (Anacamptis pyramidalis) gibi çeşitli bitkileri gözlemleyip, kayıt altına aldı.

KUŞ HALKALAMA İSTASYONUNDA ATÖLYE

Tür Say katılımcıları Ormanya kuş halkalama istasyonundaki halkalama çalışmalarına katılıp, Ormanya Uzman Veteriner Hekimi Muhammet Nalkıran’dan çalışmalar hakkında detaylı bilgi aldı. İstasyonda gerçekleştirilen eğitim boyunca, kuş halkalama nedir? Kuş halkalama nasıl yapılır? gibi sorular cevap bulurken, kuş türleri ve halkalama teknikleri hakkında detaylı bilgiler verildi. Klinikte tedavisi devam eden “saz kamışçını” türünü inceleyen doğaseverler, kuşun salınımına şahit oldular.

ORMANYA’DA UNUTULMAZ DOĞA ETKİNLİKLERİ

Ormanya’da gerçekleştirilen doğa etkinlikleri, katılımcıların büyük memnuniyetiyle sona erdi. Doğa Eğitmeni Ayşe Alioğlu eşliğinde arıların sevdiği çiçek tohumların��n yer aldığı tohum topu yapılarak doğaya atıldı. Doğayla iç içe geçirilen bu keyifli gün, doğaseverler için unutulmaz anılar ve yeni bilgilerle doluydu. Etkinliklere katılanlar, doğaya olan sevgilerini pekiştirirken, çevre koruma konusunda da bilinçlenmenin önemini vurguladılar.

TÜRSAY NEDİR?

Vatandaş bilimi etkinliği olarak bilinen TÜR SAY; bir alanda belirli süre boyunca gözlemlenebilen tüm canlıların kayıt altına alındığı bir biyolojik çeşitlilik tespit çalışmasıdır.

BU Haber İGF HABER AJANSI tarafından servis edilmiştir.

[gaytobymeres]

Plant list (not in any order relating to the collage):

pink camellia (my mum has one already so I'm not sure on specifics)

twisted willow

Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn'

Iberis sempervirens ‘Appen-Etz’

Tiarella ‘Pink Skyrocket’

Erigeron karvinskianus

Verbena bonariensis

Foxgloves Digitalis purpurea

Penstemon ‘Apple Blossom’

Cistus x purpureus ‘Alan Fradd’

Polystichum aculeatum

Fuchsia ‘Whiteknights Pearl’

Helleborus ericsmithii ‘Pirouette’

Allium hollandicum

snow drops (Galanthus nivalis)

Narcissus cyclamineus

Narcissus 'Tete-a-tete'

Crocus tommasinianus

Erythronium dens-canis (not pictured but a fave)

designing a planting scheme for a border in my parents' garden and it's so hard to choose plants, i have so many faves 😭

[akasizarabad]

Erigeron bonariensis is a species of Erigeron, found throughout the tropics and subtropics as a pioneer plant; its precise origin is unknown, but most likely it stems from Central America or South America. It has become naturalized in many other regions, including North America, Europe and Australia گیاه پیربهار در مناطق گرمسیری و نیمه گرمسیری به عنوان گیاه پیش گام یافت می شود، سرچشمه ی دقیق آن مشخص نیست، اما ریشه از آمریکای مرکزی یا جنوبی دارد. که در مناطقی دیگر من جمله آمریکای شمالی، اروپا و استرالیا به صورت طبیعی در آمده است 📸: @Mohammad.Rvn7 📌: ZarAbad - زرآباد . . . . #nature #green #plant #flower #white #fluffy #Erigeron #Erigeron_bonariensis #ZarAbad #Baluchestan #Iran #photography #بلوچستان #زرآباد #طبیعت #گیاه #گل #ایران #پیربهار #عکاسی (at Zarabad, Sistan Va Baluchestan, Iran) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgvwOwcsIdW/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[ijtsrd]

Qualitative Phytochemical Screening and In Vitro Assessment of Antioxidant and Anti Inflammatory Potential of Aqua Methanol and Aqua Acetone Extract of Cirsium Arvense and Erigeron Bonariensis

BY Deepti Rawat | P. B. Rao "Qualitative Phytochemical Screening and In-Vitro Assessment of Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Potential of Aqua Methanol and Aqua Acetone Extract of Cirsium Arvense and Erigeron Bonariensis"

Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-5 | Issue-5 , August 2021,

URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd43934.pdf

Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/biological-science/biotechnology/43934/qualitative-phytochemical-screening-and-invitro-assessment-of-antioxidant-and-antiinflammatory-potential-of-aqua-methanol-and-aqua-acetone-extract-of-cirsium-arvense-and-erigeron-bonariensis/deepti-rawat

peerreviewedjournals, reviewpapers

In the present study, two plant species of the family Asteraceae were selected for an evaluation of their phytochemical screening, antioxidant and anti inflammatory properties. Phytochemical alkaloids, phenols, protein, flavonoids, quinines, tannins, and terpenoids are present in the aqua methanol and aqua acetone extract s of Cirsium arvense L Cronquist and Erigeron bonariensis. The selected plant species exhibit anti inflammatory properties in both solvents. The enzymatic antioxidant property of selected plant species was evaluated by superoxide dismutase SOD , peroxidase POD , and catalase CAT . E. bonariensis shows 20.05±0.02 superoxide dismutase activity which is moreover equal to C. arvense 19.47±0.31 . POD and CAT activities of C. arvense 109.35±0.69 and 41.48±0.13 and E. bonariensis 105.91±1.53 and 39.63±0.035 respectively, the POD activity of C. arvense is slightly higher than E. bonariensis but CAT activity again higher in E. bonariensis same as SOD. 

[livingcorner]

Garden landscaping ideas: how to plan and create your perfect garden@|how to do your garden@|https://ksassets.timeincuk.net/wp/uploads/sites/56/2017/06/1-Garden-Southern-p140.jpg@|21

Jennifer Ebert March 25, 2021 3:37 pm

We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.

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Re-designing your garden is an exciting prospect. Do you wish you had somewhere to sit, relax, entertain or let the children play? Maybe you are just a little bored and want a garden design that is more colourful, varied or maintenance friendly. Garden landscaping is the ideal way to craft an attractive space to grow plants that give you a beautiful environment and design a practical layout that allows you to use your garden how you want.

But where do you start? Take a look at our answers to common garden landscaping questions; whether its planning and budgeting, resourcing and building or aesthetic planting, our guide holds the key to the garden landscaping design of your dreams.

How do I start my garden design?

Landscaping ideas start with good research. Take inspiration by visiting garden centres, public gardens, annual garden shows, even other people’s houses to get a feel of what is to your taste. Take into account your garden size and think about what you need your garden to do for you. Then, take to the drawing board to sketch your ideas and make mood boards from magazines and Pinterest of your dream garden landscape.

See all of our garden ideas for an inspirational starting point

Elements to consider when first planning garden landscaping ideas

Walls and boundaries Hedges and fences Paths and patios Lawns Water features Zoning areas (dining, playing, shading) Planting: trees, shrubs, pots Lighting Out-buildings

Next consider your plot. Look at the size and shape and take into consideration the direction if faces, the style of your house it will be framing and the surrounding area. Achieving balance is a strong aspect of good garden design; pay equal attention to all areas and remember that plants and shrubs will change size and shape throughout the seasons.

Do you prefer formal or informal gardens? Formal gardens tend to be tidy and geometric with lots of straight lines and clipped hedges, whereas informal gardens are made up of organic curves and planting is much more relaxed.

Garden landscaping ideas

1. Go large to make a statement

Image credit: Butter Wakefield Garden Design/ The Society of Garden Designers

Take inspiration from Butter Wakefield’s winning garden to play with scales. In this small garden she uses oversize copper containers filled with a glorious mix of trees, shrubs and perennials to create an urban oasis. The planting is chosen specifically to attract wildlife in the space.

‘Plants include multi-stem birch trees underplanted with evergreen Ferns and spring flowering Crocus; beech balls with Erigeron daisies and Muehlenbeckia and shrubs and perennials including Syringa microphyllia ‘Red Pixie’, Euphorbia schillingii, Geranium pyrcenaicum ‘Bill Wallis’ & Cirsium rivulare ‘Blue Wonder’.’

For all your budgeting questions answered read: Garden landscaping costs – how much to pay for garden landscaping

2. Soften a sloping garden with grass steps

Image credit: Helen Elks-Smith MSGD/ The Society of Garden Designers

If your garden is on different levels but you’re not keen on hard landscaping severely breaking things up take inspiration from this garden by Helen Elks-Smith MSGD. Instead of incorporating stone steps, Helen has used grass treads, integrating them into the existing lawn to connect the lower patio to the small sun terrace above. Creating a softer approach to the flow, seamlessly journeying from one space to the other.

3. Pave the way

Image credit: Claire Lloyd Davies

The trend for creating garden zones is hugely popular, meaning the need for having a garden path is great. A link that unites the different areas is not only highly practical, it can also be visually appealing as this example demonstrates.

Without a pathway you’ll soon find that you tread an unsightly channel into the lawn – which will ruin all your hard work with the overall garden aesthetic.

Read more: Garden path ideas – curved and straight walkway designs in gravel, brick and stone for every budget

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4. Favour environmental choices

Image credit: Sue Townsend/ The Society of Garden Designers

If you’re concerned about the environmental impact of your garden and looking for ways to make it more sustainable, look no further than Sue Townsend’s ‘Samphire’ garden. The winner of the Beth Chatto Award for best Eco Garden, this garden demonstrates how you can create an oasis that can benefit the planet and which is bursting with texture and visual interest.

‘The coastal garden in Suffolk uses a rich palette of drought-tolerant planting including native seaside plants, grasses and Mediterranean shrubs surrounded by a stone mulch in different sizes and set amongst paving of locally reclaimed York Stone,’ explain The Society of Garden Designers.

‘Plants include verbena bonariensis, eryngiums, euphorbias, lavender, achillea, ballota, miscanthus nepalensis, pennisetum, verbena and thymus. Make sure you use permeable surfaces to allow water to be released naturally into the ground.’

5. Plant for privacy

Image credit: Lizzie Orme / Future PLC – Garden designed by TJG Gardens

In terms of the space, the owner of this garden wanted a rear terrace to catch the evening light and provide the perfect spot for entertaining. Laurel hedging planted alongside gives the new terrace an instant sense of privacy. The imposing rear garden wall was painted a natural green colour, to blend in with the greens provided by nature.

6. Create a flowering roof

Image credit: Stuart Craine MSGD/ The Society of Garden Designers

Green roofs, living roofs, vegetated roofs, — whatever you call them, planted roofs are sprouting up everywhere! The growing new trend can be home to an array of plants from grasses to flowers, as well as being the perfect way to bring biodiversity into your garden.

‘In his garden in north London, winner of the Planting Award, Stuart Craine MSGD has created a stunning sedum roof in pastel powdery pinks – adding a softness to the abundant greenery in the surrounding garden’ explain The Society Of Garden Designers. ‘You can create a green roof on any flat surface or unsightly roof – from bin stores to bike sheds, and if you’re not sure what to plant simply lay a ready-seeded wildflower turf.’

7. Hard landscape dedicated levels

Image credit: Mark Bolton

Use hard landscaping to make a feature of a sloping garden, allowing the incline to create dedicated, defined levels for different zones.

Allow the zones to take on very different purposes – from a dining area to a relaxing lounging zone that makes the most of garden shade ideas.

8. Stick to a simple scheme

Image credit: Colin Poole

‘Simple, elegant detailing is often the key to a successful space,’ says garden designer Robert Myers. ‘People often over-complicate design by putting too many ideas and patterns into a small space, making it look busy and fussy.’

9. Go hard on the detail

Image credit: Annaick Guitteny

There’s no shortage of hard landscaping styles, from rustic to sleek and modern. In general, hard landscaping tends to be the star of contemporary designs, and the range of materials for such spaces is more extensive – mirror, metal, concrete and painted walls, to name a few – but there is nothing to stop you using these in traditional herbaceous gardens. The trick is to create a single, homogenous design.

10. Recycle materials to enhance planting

Image credit: Lizzie Orme / Future PLC – Garden designed by TJG Gardens

Recycled whelk shells light up the ground underneath this Acer palmatum at the back of the garden. The owner wanted to make a feature of the tree, and to hide the dark soil beneath – and it really does work well!

11. Change the shape

Image credit: Future PLC

Create more space by breaking free of a symmetrical layout. It’s easy to think in straight lines when it comes to garden landscaping, especially when it comes to the flooring. Adding curved lines and elongated sections can help to soften the transition from hard landscaping to planting or lawn.

Think about reshaping the lawn to allow for a sweeping shaped decking to give the landscape an interesting shape, or going for completely grassless garden ideas like in this deck and gravel scheme.

How to landscape a garden

Image credit: Mark Bolton

In order to understand how to landscape a garden, we have to understand what it actually means. ‘Landscape design is just the outdoors version of interior design -albeit with rather different materials’ says expert Tabi Jackson Gee, founder of TJG Gardens.  ‘The actual landscaping bit itself refers to any changes you’re making to your outdoor space – from creating new plant beds to building walls or terraces.’

‘Garden design can mean anything that’s to do with your outdoor space,’ Tabi goes on to explain. ‘With a basic understanding of architectural software (CAD) designers are able to draw up almost anything they want to create for a client – water features, feature walls, pathways, lighting designs, meadows, orchards, outdoor kitchens and so on.’

‘Both the hard landscaping and the soft landscaping (plants) need to be designed carefully to be functional and beautiful, and with budget, site and future uses all taken into consideration. Designers then work with landscaping contractors to make these ideas a reality. There’s so much that goes into the process which people don’t see – choosing the right materials, the right finishes, the right lighting and so all is all a skill that adds up to a beautiful garden.’

‘Most good designers can do both – you need an incredible amount of knowledge not just of plants but of materials, building practices, costs, supply chains – and it’s this knowledge which allows a designer to help a client get the most from their garden.’

The other side of garden design is of course the planting. And while that may sound obvious it’s far from easy and can end up costing you greatly if you don’t know what you’re doing. ‘Different plants thrive in different conditions from one garden to the next,’ Tabi explain.

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‘Soil health is really important to this too, and understanding this alone is what makes a garden designer such a help when you’re planning your outdoor space. How to space the plants, what grows well together, what suits the client’s lifestyle (e.g. low maintenance planting) – these are all factors that a designer will think about too.’

What landscaping materials will my garden need?

Select your materials with care and check the quantity and condition upon delivery.

Image credit: Colin Poole

Common landscaping materials are:

Bricks

Timber and decking

Paving and block paving

Aggregates and sand (check that the chemicals included are suitable for horticultural use)

Concrete, mortar and render

Damp proof membrane and landscaping fabric

Exterior paints and finishes

You’ll need to consider waste removal. There are two common methods; skip hire or muck away. Consult your local council and waste removal companies to find the most appropriate method or if hiring a professional to carry out your project talk to your contractor to establish whether clearance is included in their service.

Every construction project involves a fair degree of upheaval, so plan meticulously to smooth the way.

How do I keep the neighbours onside?

Inform neighbours every step of the way and double-check boundaries when erecting fencing and walls. Where dividing lines are shared, you must get their permission in writing.

How to I get rid of hard landscaping waste?

If you do not have access, ask neighbours or approach the local council if the area is public. Hire a skip for large amounts of soil, rubble and plants; expect to pay around £50-£200. You need a licence to put a skip on a public road; apply for this at your local council. Your landscaper can organise this for you; ask to see the permit. A landscaper will need to pay to use a commercial tip. If you tackle the project yourself, contact your local residential tip to see what it will take. Find out more at direct.gov.uk.

At this stage you should have realised whether your landscaping ideas will be a hands-on DIY job or a complete overhaul that will need the skills and labour of a professional landscape designer or tradesman that can do the work for you.

How do I landscape a garden the DIY route?

If you are tackling the job yourself, there are plenty of books, online guides or even short construction courses to help you get started. Most building materials (mentioned above) are easy to obtain from garden centres and builders merchants. Don’t overlook access points to your garden if materials are to be delivered and stored.

Image credit: Colin Poole

Also look into machinery hire – you may need a cement mixer or even a digger to prepare the ground. Off-the-peg materials such as bricks, blocks, slabs, timber are rectilinear and so are more straightforward and cost effective when building along straight lines. If your design is curved, use more flexible materials such as gravel, poured concrete or drystone techniques.

Related: Small garden ideas to make the most of a tiny space

Do I need planning permissions?

Planning restricts differ widely from one area to another. The answer is usually yes if you intend to build walls over 1m by a road and 2m elsewhere, or lay impermeable paving as part of your front garden ideas. For listed buildings and in conservation areas, you may need permission to remove and install hard landscaping.

For everyone else, outbuildings of up to 2.5m high are permitted beside the house, and those of 4m and taller need to be 2m away from the house. Decking and outbuildings must not take up more than 50 per cent of the garden.

Consult the planning department of your local council before going ahead, especially if you live near a Conservation Area. If planning permission is necessary your Planning Department will require an application together with fairly detailed plans and a fee. Find out more at www.gov.uk.

How long will my garden landscaping take?

This depends on the type of project. If you have the budget and are employing the professionals, they will give you a detailed time-frame and work-plan in their quote.

Image credit: David Giles

Working in stages can help with the cash-flow. Hard-landscaping should be completed first, if possible during winter months so the garden is ready for planting in the spring. Do not build walls or patio’s below 3 degrees as frost can weaken new concrete and mortar.

Which plants should I choose?

One of the simplest ways to transform your outdoor space, be it an urban garden or country garden is to invest in a scheme based around your plants. A good selection of flowers, trees and shrubs will create year round interest. Spend some time getting to know your soil and aspect in terms of sun, shade and exposure.

For structure invest in larger hedging and trees. For colour spend money on bedding plants and bulbs. Further research in books, garden centres and online will throw up so many planting suggestions. Potted flowers and plants are a great option for adding easy colour and the movability means you can change your design when the mood takes you. Be sure to plant them with plenty of drainage and water regularly.

Image credit: David Giles

The late, great garden designer Rosemary Verey once famously said, ‘True gardening is as much about the bones of a garden as it’s planting.’ Indeed, few outdoor schemes are complete without some form of hard landscaping. The materials used – from paving and aggregates to decking and decorative edging – will add texture, character and structure, leading the eye through the landscape.

While the best time to redesign your space is in winter when plants are dormant, looking at it in summer gives you the chance to really understand how you use the space. Or if you just want to add new surfaces, you can do so now and reap the rewards this summer.

Will you be using any of these garden landscaping ideas to create the space of your dreams?

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source https://livingcorner.com.au/garden-landscaping-ideas-how-to-plan-and-create-your-perfect-gardenhow-to-do-your-gardenhttps-ksassets-timeincuk-net-wp-uploads-sites-56-2017-06-1-garden-southern-p140-jpg21/

[decursa]

Erigeron bonariensis L. - Nome comune: Cespica di Buenos Aires

http://fioridisicilia.altervista.org/Erigeron_bonariensis_L/Erigeron_bonariensis_L..htm

[d0ntw0rrybehappy]

erigeron bonariensis, flax-leafed horseweed aka hairy fleabane perhaps. not native

[isabellelambert1975]

How to save lots of money and create an unusual garden

My friend Anna has a wonderful, unusual garden.

And practically everything in it has been swapped or acquired for free.

Swapping and recycling doesn’t just save you money. You’ll end up with an unusual garden – with lots of personality and stories to tell. And it helps improve gardening’s environmental impact, too.

So I asked Anna for her top tips on how to find great garden swaps and freebies.

Anna got shop mannequins (for free) via Freegle and they work as sculpture in her garden. The plant is an exceptionally long-flowering mallow bought at a plant fair.

You don’t need it to be labelled ‘garden’

Anna’s garden is full of things she’s sourced from all sorts of places. Recently she’s added several shop mannequins from Freegle (a giveaway/recycling site), used as statuary and planters.

Two of the Freegle mannequins. He’s waiting to have his neck cut off so his hollow body can be used as a planter. The table was picked up very cheaply as it was left over at the end of an auction. It was probably an office table.

And she’s sourced tractor tyres from a farm, as well as car tyres from several garages.

Anna’s garden is a long thin garden behind a 20th century row of terraced houses. However, it’s unusual in that the ground is very damp, and the garden stretches out into woodland. Each garden owns its own strip of woodland, but there is no fencing so the wood itself is open.

The path is made of car tyres (free)

‘It costs garages to get rid of tyres,’ says Anna. ‘So you can usually persuade them to drop them off for free.’

Anna’s terraced house backs onto a stream, a boggy area and a wood. It was originally part of Faversham’s gunpowder works and the trees were coppiced alders used to make charcoal for the works.

So, although we’re in Kent, it’s very damp ground. Anna got a whole load of free car tyres, then paid landscapers to set them into her garden as a path.

Anna’s path two years ago, just as the path was being made.

They are wedged into the soil upright (ie at the same angle as they would be when on a car) on either side of the path. There’s a middle tyre lying on its side between the two sides to make the main walkway of the path. It’s been infilled with soil, and is now covered in grass.

The car tyre path now covered with grass.

Put the word about

About ten years ago, Anna noticed that people were buying tree ferns but didn’t really know how to look after them. So there were alot of dead tree fern stumps scattered about. ‘I asked around, and collected them,’ she said.

Now, of course, we have Facebook, Twitter and more if we want to find or get rid of things. In those days, it was just about keeping an ear open. It’s still worth doing the old-fashioned way. People may not think of putting ‘I’ve got a dead tree fern stump if anyone wants it’ on Facebook.

Two dead tree ferns, planted with succulents and self-seeded plants mark off Anna’s terrace from the stream/swampy area beyond.

Anna is currently looking for all sorts of tree stumps, so if you have any you want to get rid of, get in touch (via the Comments or the Contact page here).

Freegle and Freecycle for a really unusual garden…

Freegle and Freecycle are both giveaway sites. If you have something to get rid of, someone may want it. Charity shops often won’t take certain items, such as electricals, for example, or bigger items.

Finding stuff on giveaway sites is somewhat random, but you can sign up to get a regular email. Keep an eye open – you never know what you might find. I had a quick look at a few local groups, and found quite a few old garden tools.

Anna’s latest Freegle acquisition – the mannequins. She collects Persicaria – this one came from a car boot fair, so she can’t remember which one it is. This mannequin is pointing to extra-tall corn which Anna grows in a tractor tyre (‘A tractor tyre holds loads of earth’, she says)

If you have anything to get rid of, it’s worth trying Freegle before taking it to the dump. ‘Don’t throw it away, give it away’ is Freegle’s motto. You sign up to your local group, as people usually come to get their stuff (unlike eBay where you often have to post it).

Freecycle was the original US version, and Freegle started up as a breakaway group in Britain. Many British Freecycle groups migrated to Freegle, but you can use both sites.

Free compost and mulch?

I found a good source of free horse manure on my local Freecycle/Freegle group. We took a couple of spades and lots of bags straight to the stables, and shovelled it in.

However, when you get it directly from the stables rather than packaged, it’s likely to have more weed seeds. I didn’t notice more weeds, but a friend did. Although she is much tidier than I am.

I’ve also got shredded paper from a local accountants to add to my compost.

I add shredded paper to the compost when we have alot of lawn clippings. It’s bagged up outside a local accountants, ready for collection, and they’ve said they’re happy for me to take a bag whenever I like.

We live in a part of Kent that still farms hops. They’re happy for Anna to take away hop waste at this time of year. It’ll compost down over the winter.

Think about what farms and industries are in your area. If they have natural waste, they usually have to pay for it to be taken away, so they may let you take some or all of it for free.

Local markets and car boot fairs

Anna and I both live in Faversham, which is becoming well known for its vintage and second-hand markets. Car boot fairs are excellent hunting grounds if you’re creating an unusual garden.

Anna and another friend spotted a box of coat-hangers under a table. ‘We bought the whole box between us,’ said Anna. ‘Friends keep telling me that it’s a good coat-hanger and I shouldn’t be hanging it outside, but I like it there.’

Anna has had the torso for so long, she can’t remember where it came from. The coat-hanger came from Faversham Markets and the ‘A’ literally dropped off an Atkinsons lorry. Anna found it by the side of the road!

Shops or businesses closing down

A few years ago, Anna passed a dress shop that was closing. She asked the owner what she was doing with the fittings: ‘I bought them for very little.’

This was a shop fitting from a dress shop. Now it hosts a Rhodochiton atrosanguineus ‘Purple Bells.’

Use one colour paint to bring everything together

Anna has painted her fence, garden shed and anything else relevant the same shade of grey. It really draws everything together. ‘I think grey is a really good garden neutral’, she says.

Paint a fence to make it look better. I love the blue-ish scene here with the leeks. Anna grows leeks from seeds and always grows some extra because leek flowers make wonderful, long-lasting cut flowers.

Plant and seed swaps…

You can google ‘seed swap near me’ or just keep an ear out. Or you can organise a local seed/plant swap yourself (Anna has organised several). There’s good post here from the Lovely Greens blog on how to organise a seed swap.

Anna got one teasel from a plant swap. ‘I’ll probably be weeding teasels out of my garden forever, as they can be quite invasive, but I do love them,’ she said.

But swaps aren’t just for seeds…

Anna has run and gone to many plant and seed swaps, so many of her plants are acquired this way. But when she got rid of some surplus furniture to a local vintage furniture dealer, she swapped it for this hop ladder.

The hop ladder was acquired via a swap. The shed was here when Anna bought the house, but it was in a different position. ‘It took six people to move it,’ she says. It’s painted her signature grey.

If something breaks, use it in the garden

A table with three stone legs broke during Anna’s last move. Now the legs are garden sculptures.

A broken table leg looks a bit like an ammonite. You can see the tree fern trunks close up here. One is upright and the other is lying down.

Serendipity and social media…

This could, perhaps, be re-titled ‘ask and ye shall find.’

Most areas have local Facebook groups where you can swap or share stuff. You can publicise seed or plant swaps on Twitter or Snapchat, and generally find out who’s got what.

Anna doesn’t really use social media, apart from a bit of Twitter. But one day she spotted a beautiful Persicaria orientalis on Twitter. She googled it and discovered that it was quite rare, and only stocked by two nurseries, one of which was out of stock.

Anna’s rare but serendipitous Persicaria orientalis. Spotted on Twitter in the morning, and then given to her by a friend by the evening.

That afternoon, she went to a friend’s house and spotted 24 pots of the same persicaria, waiting to be used for a wedding. They had two spare pots, and gave them to Anna.

When I was clearing out our garage, I found Facebook really useful (as well as Freecycle/Freegle). I posted that I had pallets, a dolls house and various other bits. Once again, people came to collect items. This was a huge help to me, because I was clearing the garage single-handedly and it was packed with some quite large pieces of furniture.

Self-seeders….

Where would an almost-free garden be without self-seeders? Anna brought one Erigeron karvinskianos and one Verbena bonariensis from her former home four years ago.

Anna’s terrace is frothing with self-seeded Erigeron karvinskianos and Verbena bonariensis.

Make it yourself…

I think Anna is a bit more handy than I am. But she says that these DIY bat boxes (below) were really easy to make from a pattern from the Kent Bat Group.

DIY bat boxes hung high in the trees. Bats need to swoop down so don’t have planting below bat boxes. This is the woody end of Anna’s garden – it was once an alder forest to supply charcoal to Faversham’s gunpowder industry. You can see how the trees have been coppiced.

Be patient…

I recently met someone who had just acquired a garden for the first time. She asked me what my top tip for a beginner gardener was.

I told her to take time over getting to know the garden. ‘Just weed and mulch the garden until you really know what you want from it’. I think she thought it was rather a boring tip.

But if you’re trying to save money, you can’t get the garden you want quickly. Even though Anna is an experienced gardener (she’s actually a professional garden designer), it took her four years to get the garden to this state.

Get your eye in…

If you get your plants and accessories from giveaway sites, junk shops, car boot fairs, swaps and markets it will take you a long time to find what you want. In that time, your garden acquires its character and you will get to know it better.

I’ve co-written several fleamarket/junk shop buying books with the stylist Liz Bauwens. They’re all about how to find beautiful things in a pile of junk and how people incorporate them into their homes.

They include Fleamarket Chic,  Thrifty Chic and Upcycled Chic & Modern Hacks. Every so often a reader writes to say that when she goes into a junk shop or a flea market, she never sees anything nice.

PS Those are affiliate links, which means I may get a small fee if you buy through them. But I did write them, so I guess that’s fair enough…

The secret is to develop a speciality – such as blue-and-white china, galvanised zinc or pressed glass. And be methodical. Go up and down the shop, the car boot fair or the market from top to bottom, looking out for specific things. If it’s an online giveaway site, read the emails every week. You won’t find something great every time. But you will find some unusual bargains if you persevere.

Happy hunting!

PS Let me know if there are some good sources of free garden stuff I’ve left out!

Pin for reference:

The post How to save lots of money and create an unusual garden appeared first on The Middle-Sized Garden.

from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/how-to-save-lots-of-money-and-create-an-unusual-garden/

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update... horseweed (erigeron canadensis) and hairy fleabane (erigeron bonariensis) are NOT the same thing. fuuuuck. back to the drawing board