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Take a look at these Plume Thistles, aren't they gorgeous! Great for wide borders and easy to look after. Bees love them.And the best thing about them, is they are not spiky and thorny, they have smooth leaves and smooth stems, making them easy to manage

WOW! A hosepipe ban has just been announced for Kent and Sussex. I can never recall a hosepipe ban so early in the summer, but then we have just had net migration of 1 million people in just the last 2 years. I worked it out that based on 150 litres average daily use per person (OFWAT) that is a yearly increase in demand equivalent to the UK's 9th largest reservoir. Do you think the water companies have built such a reservoir in the last 24 months? Of course not, so it just means the reservoirs we do have will be emptying faster. Strangely, no-one even considers this huge impact, people might mention traffic, GP waiting times, school class sizes etc, but not water.

So, if you want to water your garden order a water butt here!

https://www.gardenis.co.uk/collections/grow-your-own

It's amazing what can visit small garden wildlife ponds. A pond really is the best thing you can add to your garden to make it wildlife friendly. Have a look at this page over at our niche pond website;

https://www.gardenpondshop.co.uk/pond-visitors

It is 'no mow May', a national campaign to not cut the grass, to let some wildflowers grow, and help pollinating insects. If you want wildflowers that will last for months, not just May, then here is some tips for creating a mini wildflower meadow in your garden.

https://www.gardenandgreen.co.uk/garden-wildflower-meadow

If your garden doesn't get much sun, it might limit the range of plants that can grow well in it. however, you can still have a beautiful garden, if you ensure you use shade tolerant plants. Here is an article with some tips for a creating a garden in the shade.

https://www.gardenandgreen.co.uk/shaded-garden

https://www.gardenandgreen.co.uk/native-british-pond-plants

Britain is blessed with a temperate climate, that means many plants can be grown here, that could not survive in parts of the USA, that get hotter summers, but colder winters. Most parts of Britain are at least 8a cold hardiness (the higher the more tropical), in contrast states in the USA with similar or hotter summers, such as New Hampshire, due to their snowy winters, can only grow plants that can survive to 5b. This means we can grow quite tropical plants, that have a bit of cold hardiness, that would not grow in places like New Hampshire as they would not last the cold winters. 

Coastal areas, such as Cornwall, are even milder, with a classification of 9b. That is the same, or even higher than many parts of Spain!

Here are some plant ideas for a temperate tropical garden.

Cold hardy tropical plants (gardenandgreen.co.uk)

If you have long dreamed of having a garden pond, but thought it might be too expensive, or hard work, this preformed medium pond is a perfect entry level pond. It is super easy to install; simply dig a hole, add the pond, then some native aquatic plants. Suddenly, you will have a mini wildlife habitat in your garden, that can attract birds, as well as frogs, toads, and even possibly newts, plus aquatic insects. All for £66 including UK courier delivery.

Available here - 

Preformed Pond - 3 sizes plastic garden pond wildlife pond ready made – Gardenis.co.uk