In our garden we have what I lovingly call ‘The Bluebell Wood’. In reality this is a neglected part of our garden where the Bluebells have made themselves comfortably at home throughout the lawn. Everyone has a bit of their garden which is a bit dreadful and messy, and ours is no exception. It’s shady and full of bramble, but it’s a little wildlife haven and I don’t want to lose that. Last year a fox even decided to channel out a den.
Being a bit of a lazy gardener, instead of tidying it all up I decided to accentuate this feature by adding a woodpile of dead tree stumps and logs. I know we have hedgehogs snuffling about, and they should love this. I’m really hoping the solitary bees and beetles will also make a home here. Perhaps even a Stag Beetle or two. My personal favourite.
Planting the bits in between the logs with ferns, Solomon’s Seal, Hellebores and Snakeshead Fritillaries our ‘Blubell wood’ now reminds me of a little corner Epping Forest where I grew up. Now, I’m quite proud of my little reminder of home. There’s still the odd bit of monstrous bramble, but I don’t mind. It’s a work in progress and I’ll be adding in some Snowdrops and Winter Aconite.
The Bluebells in our garden are a mix of the hybrid of the Spanish and English Bluebells but I am gradually replacing these with the native non-scripta species. I’ll have to wait a little longer for them to bloom, but in the meantime get your Bluebell fix with my Painting a Bluebell video on You Tube.