The trouble with keeping lots of plates spinning all at the same time (a parenting superpower)Β is itβs only a matter of time before one of them falls off.
For us that plate is our allotment, which has been so neglected since the arrival of baby number three that Iβm expecting a weed notice from the council to drop on the mat any day now.
This time last year I had transformed our allotment into a havenΒ where I could get away from it all complete with my very own she-shed, andΒ I even made it onto the pages of Prima magazine in a feature about mums with their own private bolt holes.
But this year, after a nine month pregnancy and now with a new baby, itβs a different story and youβll find more dandelions than dahlias.
So when Mumsnet and Homebase got in touch to see if weβd be up for their #GardenGoals challenge, which is all about transforming your outside space using bitesize how-to guides on their website, Iβve been galvanized into action.
Their #GardenGoals challenge in collaboration with the garden designer and TV presenter Ann-Marie Powell ranges from creating an edible garden to adding colour to your garden, and theyβve charged us with the task of creating a wildlife-friendly garden the whole family can enjoy.
How to create a wildlife-friendly garden
The how-to guides on Homebase’s website are helpfully split into three sections β one hour tasks, half day tasks and full day tasks which all come with shopping lists – so you can pick and choose which task to undertake depending how much (or little) time youβve got on your hands.
Weβve decided to create a pond in a pot (apparently this will take one hour), encourage bees and butterflies onto our allotment (a half a day task) and attract hedgehogs (a one day task), so armed with a Β£100 Homebase voucher and the relevant shopping lists we went to our local Homebase to buy the necessary.
I must admit Homebase wouldnβt normally be my first port of call for garden supplies (I tend to think of them more for DIY) but I was surprised by the range and quality of plants and equipment on offer.
Everything is clearly labelled and youβll find symbols and information on the labels of plants telling you what theyβre good for, so it doesnβt matter if you donβt consider yourself green fingered or have much of a clue about gardening.
We want to encourage bees and butterflies onto our allotment so BB had great fun looking for labels with pictures of bees on telling us the plant is good for pollinators.
A hedgehog house and a bee and bug house were also among the items on our shopping list, but unfortunately our local Homebase didnβt have these in stock and you canβt order them online for home delivery either. Instead we reserved them online and collected them from a different store, which was straightforward enough.
Weβve now got everything we need to transformΒ a neglectedΒ bed on our allotmentΒ into a haven for wildlife – now allΒ we need to do isΒ get our hands dirty! Watch this space for the big reveal later this month!
Do you have a garden or allotment and have you done anything to attract wildlife? If youβve got any top tips Iβd love to hear them!
I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity. I have received a voucher in return for writing this post.
Linking up withβ¦
Living in South Africa is a bit different. We spend a lot of time outside. However we have chosen to live in a High Security Estate to provide the best security for our family that we can afford. Unfortunately that means we have had to compromise and instead of a free range style garden, we have one of those perfectly manicured and landscaped gardens with not much room for making it our own. I do try to encourage the wild birds, but in turn feel guilty because my cats love that. Fortuantely my cats are too fat and lazy to actually catch any of the birds yet.
#familyfun
Good luck with the plans…your she shed looks stunning!! Don’t worry about the dandelions, they are great for making cookies with (we did it this week and they were yummy!!). Enjoy transforming it π #familyfun
Oh I just love the idea of a hedgehog house how fab! Glad you’re getting back tot he allotment! Thank you for linking up to #FamilyFun
Hedgehog houses and bee and bug houses sound like something right up my kids’ street! Some really good ideas here. #familyfunlinky
I really love your ideas. My garden needs a makeover #familfun
[…] to a house fit for a hedgehog! Regular readers will know we’re in the process of creating a wildlife garden on our allotment as part of Homebase’s #GardenGoals challenge, and here’s a sneak peek! The garden […]
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[…] the beginning of May we were charged with the task of transforming an unloved patch of garden on our allotment into a haven for wildlife as part of Homebaseβs #GardenGoals challenge β and the time has come to unveil the fruits of our […]