Category: Blog

Blogs, guides, and gardening ideas from TV Gardener and Chartered Horticulturalist David Domoney.

25 Astonishing Facts About Birds

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1) The beak of the great tit cleverly changes shape (very slightly) over the year to help it adapt to changes in its food supply from insects to nuts and seeds.

2) Starlings are superb mimics. They can copy the sounds of other birds, and even frogs!

3) House martins migrate all the way to Africa in winter, and then fly back to Britain and set up home in exactly the same nest.

4) Starlings come together at night to roost in enormous numbers. The largest roosts can contain a million birds!

5) Swifts gather flying insects into huge food balls, which contain between 300 and 1,000 insects each. The birds then use them to feed their young.

6) You can tell male and female starlings apart by the colour of the base of the bill – blue for males, pink for females.

7) Back when milk was delivered in glass bottles in Britain, blue tits used to pierce the foil lid and drink the cream. This largely stopped when semi-skimmed milk became popular.

8) Blackbirds love snails, but they don’t know how to break their shells. Instead, they listen for song thrushes that are breaking snails and then rob the spoils. Song thrushes, on the other hand, have special sites for this task, known as anvils.

9) Robins are incredibly charitable birds, sometimes feeding the chicks of other species – they just can’t resist helping a hungry baby bird!

10) Collared Doves are not master nest-makers – sometimes their chicks fall through the flimsy branches.

11) Blackbirds love to sunbathe! They sit on the ground and spread out their wings to catch the rays.

12) Birds have an incredibly high body temperature of 40°C, which requires a lot of energy to maintain. Birds have to eat enough during the day to keep them alive overnight – if not, they die before dawn.

13) Blue tits are so light, they weigh about the same as a pound coin.

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14) Great Spotted Woodpeckers make their distinctive knocking sound by striking a branch with their bills an incredible 40 times a second.

15) Wrens spend cold winters huddling together in nests for warmth. An astonishing 63 wrens were once found huddled in one nest box.

16) Swallows can cover enormous distances during daylight migration – up to 200 miles a day.

17) The jay stashes away about 5000 acorns every season in different hiding places. It can remember all the locations, but often it doesn’t need to eat all the acorns, leaving them to grow into oak trees. Jays are thought to (inadvertently) play an important role in the spread of oak woodlands.

18) Robins love singing so much, they do it all year round. They are normally the first to start the dawn chorus, and the last ones to stop at night.

19) During winter, blackbird couples split up, but as soon as breeding season arrives, the pair up again, often with the same partner as before. Aw!

20) Blue tits and great tits have linked their breeding season with the emergence of caterpillars, to make sure their chicks always have plenty to eat. A very hungry family can polish off 10,000 caterpillars before the chicks learn to fly. Mum and Dad can each fly 100km in total searching for food.

21) Coal tits often purposefully lost battles of superiority over food, so they can hide it for later. They build a winter store of peanuts and sunflower seeds.

22) Dunnocks have one main partner for life, but they also have many other mates on the side. Females are just as likely to have affairs as males.

23) During late summer and autumn, birds moult. Blackbirds are very embarrassed by this, and hide themselves away until their new feathers grow, leading people to think that the birds have disappeared.

24) British robins are not afraid of humans, often coming quite close when we’re gardening in the hope that we’ll turn over the soil and expose tasty grub for them. European robins are not so brave.

25) The tit family spend most of their lives looking for something to eat. The great tit spends around 75% of its time searching for food. For the blue tit, it’s more like 80%, and for the coal tit it can be 90%!

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For more garden planting ideas, check out my blog:

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Or check out my Pinterest board for more ideas:

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link=”https://new.daviddomoney.com/quick-guide-to-pots-planters-containers/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_self” link_attributes=”” alignment=”center” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”rgba(1,149,51,0)” button_gradient_bottom_color=”rgba(1,149,51,0)” button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#0e540f” button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#0e540f” accent_color=”#0e540f” accent_hover_color=”#ffffff” type=”” bevel_color=”” size=”large” stretch=”yes” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” border_color=”#0e540f” border_hover_color=”#ffffff” border_top=”3px” border_right=”3px” border_bottom=”3px” border_left=”3px”]Pots and planters[/fusion_button][/fusion_builder_column_inner][fusion_builder_column_inner type=”1_6″ layout=”1_6″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” 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March 21, 2014
Container Gardening – How to: plant up unusual objects

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Planting up on stage

Container gardening is brilliant. You can put plants in places that have no soil and refresh the contents each season. You can design the garden from scratch and revamp it by simply moving the pots around.

But with so many possibilities, why do so many of us settle for plain old plastic and terracotta pots? Unusual containers are much more fun and dynamic, as well as letting you put your own personal stamp on your garden.

The choices are endless – you’d be amazed what can hold a plant! Clothing, household objects, even stuff from your recycling bin. Here are some great ideas from my live planting challenge at the Ideal Home Show!

Saucepan

Recycle old saucepans from your kitchen, rather than just throwing them out. Or if you don’t want to plant up your best pans, you can buy cheap old ones anywhere.

If you can, drill holes in the bottom and add a layer of gravel to help drainage and stop your plants getting waterlogged.

Saucepans are usually quite deep and wide, making them great for herbs. It’s also a fun novelty to grow food in cookware items.

Put them outside by the back door so they’re close at hand when you’re cooking. Parsley, thyme and oregano and great fresh herbs to cut and use.

Wine glass

Orchids are the best plants to put in wine glasses. Moth orchids like this phalaenopsis are sold in clear pots and should be planted in clear containers. This is because in the wild they grow on the sides of trees and their green roots contain chlorophyll, meaning they can photosynthesise. But they need light in order to do this, so don’t cover them up!

The wine glass allows light to reach the roots and gives the orchid a bit more height and a really classy look.

Pint glass

Another good object is a pint glass, which is very deep. Be careful when you use glass containers because they have no drainage holes. Water little and often to stop your soil getting waterlogged.

Ivy is perfect for this kind of container as it’s a tough plant and trails nicely down the deep sides. The glass also provides interesting reflections.

Teapots

If you don’t have any spare teapots, you can buy them from recycling centres and charity shops for a few pennies. There are hundreds of different shapes, colours and designs, so why not create a display with a mismatched selection?

You can put them outside in the garden filled with spring bulbs, or use them to house different herbs for your kitchen. You can even fill them with houseplants and put them on the windowsill!

Here, I’ve used ivy again because it trails nicely around the container. You could just as easily use Flaming Katy, peace lilies or hypoestes.

Coffee cups

These are usually quite ornamental and the corrugated exterior adds a nice texture. It’s the perfect pot for a short term bedding plant like primula or spring bulbs.

Simply pull them out of their original plastic pots and pop them into the coffee cup for a fresh windowsill display.

Lampshade

Lampshades make excellent container covers. It’s best not to actually plant in the lampshade itself, but line it with a carrier bag and stand your planter inside it. Here I’ve used Sansevieria, also known as ‘the mother-in-law’s tongue’. The contrast with the lampshade makes a striking container display.

To water the plant I usually take the plant back out of the container cover, water it in the sink it and return it to the cover later.

Torch

I think this is really quirky and it adds a bit of colour too. I’ve planted an African violet in the top to directly contrast with the bright yellow of the torch, adding a bit of personality to any container display.

Cups

Cups are great things to plant up, and they’re easy for kids to do, making them great Mother’s Day gifts. On the one side I’ve used a crassula, also known as a ‘money tree’ which looks really quirky.

Or try a failsafe trailing ivy. Just remember to water little and often because there are no drainage holes.

Helicopter

I think this used to have an Easter egg in it before. I’ve planted a kalanchoe or ‘Flaming Katy’, which is a nice little succulent plant. It has an abundance of flowers and lasts really well in containers.

Rather than plant directly into this container, I’ve used it as a pot cover. It’s a very fun container and a great novelty for kids to make.

Boot

It’s always good fun to plant up a boot and leave it by the back door. Drill in a few drainage holes to stop it getting waterlogged.

I’ve planted ivy, but it would work with a whole host of flowering plants – fuchsias and geraniums work well.

Cat cookie jar

This is one of my favourites. I asked the live audience if they would prefer a fern or a flower and they all voted for the fern. So I planted it up!

Again, water little and often to make sure the soil doesn’t get waterlogged.

Vanity case

It’s perfect as a little basket planter. Here I’ve used a primula and a little palm to give a good effect. But it’s deep enough to hold a range of plants.

Socks

Use old socks to brighten up flowering plants like these balled primulas. I wrapped the sock around the container to make perfect windowsill plants.

You can choose socks to contrast or complement the colour of the flowers. When you’re finished with the display, you can take the socks off and plant the primulas in the ground.

Bucket

They make great containers because they’re big and can hold plenty of compost. Don’t forget to drill a few holes in the bottom!

Here I’ve planted rosemary – place the pot outside your back door and cut off a few fresh sprigs for your lamb dishes. Marvellous!

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For more garden planting ideas, check out my blog:

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Or check out my Pinterest board for more ideas:

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background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”false” border_position=”all” element_content=”” border_sizes_top=”0″ border_sizes_bottom=”0″ border_sizes_left=”0″ border_sizes_right=”0″ first=”true” spacing_right=””][/fusion_builder_column_inner][fusion_builder_column_inner type=”2_3″ layout=”2_3″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”false” border_position=”all” border_sizes_top=”0″ border_sizes_bottom=”0″ border_sizes_left=”0″ border_sizes_right=”0″ first=”false” spacing_right=””][fusion_imageframe image_id=”43061|large” max_width=”” style_type=”none” blur=”” stylecolor=”” hover_type=”none” bordersize=”” bordercolor=”” borderradius=”” align=”none” lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” lightbox_image_id=”” alt=”” link=”” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]https://new.daviddomoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/pots-and-planters-500×750.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”30px” bottom_margin=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_button link=”https://new.daviddomoney.com/quick-guide-to-pots-planters-containers/” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_self” link_attributes=”” alignment=”center” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”rgba(1,149,51,0)” button_gradient_bottom_color=”rgba(1,149,51,0)” button_gradient_top_color_hover=”#0e540f” button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”#0e540f” accent_color=”#0e540f” accent_hover_color=”#ffffff” type=”” bevel_color=”” size=”large” stretch=”yes” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” border_color=”#0e540f” border_hover_color=”#ffffff” border_top=”3px” border_right=”3px” border_bottom=”3px” border_left=”3px” border_radius_top_left=”0px” border_radius_top_right=”0px” border_radius_bottom_right=”0px” border_radius_bottom_left=”0px”]Pots and 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March 20, 2014
Gardening Talk at Letchworth Garden City with RHS

I headed to Letchworth Garden City in Hertfordshire on 1 April to launch the Community Gardening scheme and Grow Your Own Project with the Royal Horticultural Society and Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation.

For the project, a community garden involving local schoolchildren has been created in the town centre. It will provide a place for workshops to boost the gardening skills of everyone in the community, from young to old. Visit their website here: www.letchworth.com/rhs

All you thinking of entering Cultivation Street should take note, especially those thinking of entering for the Sustainability and Community Award!

Thanks to everyone who came along on the night to the Spirella ballroom to see my talk on the Magic of Community Gardening.

I hope I showed you the power and importance of plants not only to help build communities but to bring about health and well-being too. I also looked at wildlife and biodiversity, as well as how to enhance our existing spaces visually and environmentally.

I want to inspire people to get involved with community gardening projects. They are a fantastic way to bring people together and rebuild community bonds as neighbours share plants and advice and get growing together.

I firmly believe that we can bring communities back together through people, plants and pride. I started a campaign about it, after all!
March 19, 2014