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Planting around rubble
Lloyd-
Posts: 2
Hi. I have just moved into a rented house with a large garden. Half of the garden is lawn and patio and beyond a small fence there's an area of rubble (old outhouse foundations, bricks etc) and I am scratching my head wondering what to do with it. As it's a rented property we don't really want the expense of removing it all, so we're wondering how to work around it?
What plants would grow well while attracting wildlife? As I said, we have a lawn and patio so this area would preferably be 'wild'.
Thanks for your help! 
Last edited: 11 February 2017 14:17:16
0
Posts
If it gets plenty of sun I'd clear the rubbish then scatter lots of Creeping Thyme seeds and similar - they'll grow in the cracks and not mind restricted root runs, and the bees and other pollinators will love them.
Then you can grow other insect-friendly plants in pots in that area too - it'll look great.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
if that black stuff is plastic sheet I'd get as much of that off as you can. Lot's of things grow in rubble, (trust me, my garden is built on rubble), brick rubble is OK but plastic sheet isn't good.
For wildflife, Viper's Bugloss, lovely blue biennial but you can get a small annual version that would get you flowers this year. I'd start with a selection of cheap and cherrful annuals and see what does well.
If it's a solid base with cracks, seeds are the best way forward
In the sticks near Peterborough
The plastic is all going to be removed ☺️
You can buy 'bumble bee margin' mixes of wild flower seeds - usually things like borage and phacelia with some other bits and bobs thrown in. You could try throwing some of those around anywhere you can see a bit of soil. Or butterfly mixes - same sort of thing. Nasturtiums grow in practically no soil at all and cover a lot of ground very quickly with edible flowers and leaves (which insects also love - especially but not only cabbage white butterflies).
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”