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Wilderness Tamed offer a range of niche services to benefit wildlife and enhance your garden. From adding small features to complete overhauls and redesigns. Landscape design with a difference in the North East. Full Or Partial Garden Transformations Design, Consultation & Jungle Busting Renovations. Partial transformations Wilderness Tamed can add a wildlife friendly feature to an existing garden helping to enhance your space for the benefit of birds, insects small mammals and amphibians. Bug hotel in a nature reserve. Call Now Full Garden Transformations Let Wilderness Tamed transform your garden into a wildlife friendly haven. From initial site visit to final design and construction. Complete transformation Blackhall Mill Call Now Garden Design Consultation Wilderness Tamed offer a range of consultation services to help you self design your own garden, if that is what you would like to attempt. Or I can offer a full design service Call Now Jungle Busting Jungle Busting for those who require a jolly good clearance session to rediscover a lost garden. Hedge restoration in Stocksfield Call Now

A volunteer group set up to encourage mowers with scythes to help each other out as a community. Join our mailing list. The North East Cereal Killers Scythe Group Are all scythers from around Northumberland and Durham who have trained with John R Grundy of Wilderness Tamed. A volunteer group set up to encourage mowers with scythes to help each other out as a community. Some of our members have large gardens or areas they help manage in a traditional way. They can call on the rest of the group to help out with mowing in exchange for refreshments. This helps mowers practice on different vegetation types, meet each other and enjoy a pleasant day in good company and surroundings. Scything was traditionally a group effort. Whether harvesting crops or managing the lawns and verges of stately homes and local byways or common ground. Join the North East Cereal Killers mailing list Now Available to help with mowing and management of wild flower meadows, lawns and control of invasive plants. If you would like any help with vegetation you want managing please get in contact Find out how to mow with an Austrian scythe here We also do ingrowing toenails and soul removal.

Everybody needs it these days and scythe instructors are no different to any other tutor, instructor, guide, guru, or teacher.

Learn to mow with our scythe course egift card full days training. Gift a unique experience with our scythe course egift card today! Scything Course eGift Card Choose the gift card that suits you best. £65 Individual day training course. Supply your own scythe. £85 Individual day training course with scythe supplied by Wilderness Tamed. £110 Discounted couples day training course. Supply your own scythes. £160 Discounted couples day training course with scythes supplied by Wilderness Tamed Scythe Course £65 Wilderness Tamed welcomes you to this scything course where you will learn how to mow with an Austrian scythe. Please email contact@wildernesstamed.com to arrange your course. ... Read more Amount £65 £85 £110 £160 Quantity Buy Now

Offering a concise mowing regime for wild flower meadows and lawns in school, business and domestic situations. Contract Mowing & Meadow Management Consultations For land owners wanting to manage their meadows in a more eco friendly traditional way. Contract Mowing John Grundy of Wilderness Tamed is available to carry out contract mowing of wildlife lawns and meadows across the North East of England. To arrange to have your meadow mown click the button below. Contact Meadow Management You may be a voluntary community group, conservation charity or landowner wanting a large area of land mowing. Wilderness Tamed can help with meadow management and improvement. Consultation If you are looking for a concise management plan or some guidance Wilderness Tamed can help you out. Perhaps you want to know how to manage a newly acquired or existing area of grassland. You may be starting from scratch on bare soil or have a neglected meadow that you would like to see restored. Contact Wildflower meadow creation near Wylam.

Creating and managing wildlife lawns and meadows for customers in the North East of England. Using native species. Wildlife Lawns & Meadows Creating and managing a wildlife lawn or meadow using native wild flowers can add a massive amount of interest to your garden. Attract pollinating insects like butterflies and bees. Decrease your workload in the garden. Wild flowers only require mowing once in a year. Spend more time relaxing and enjoying the garden. Choose your seeds from a wide range of individual wild flower species or meadow mixes to suit all soil types, in the store. We also sell plug plants. The benefits of wildflower lawns & meadows in your garden Preparing the soil in your garden for wildflower turf or seed. Wildflower lawns verses formal lawns. How easy are they? Making life easy. Management of your wildflower garden.

This risk assessment covers all aspects of learning to scythe so you can prepare a safe course. Scythe Risk Assessment Below is the link to the actual risk assessment document. This includes all possible hazards you may encounter while out in the field learning to mow with an Austrian scythe. Also covered are environmental hazards such as reactions to vegetation and insects. Scratches, stings, bites etc. Not many people will have seen a risk assessment for scything before. Pretty sure back in the day, I was the first person to write one for the National Trust. It has been refined since then to encompass different venue types and groups. Risk Assessment Insurance Everybody needs it these days and scythe instructors are no different to any other tutor, instructor, guide, guru, or teacher. Thanks to the Pole-lathe turners & Green woodworkers for their dedicated public liability insurance cover up to £5.000.000. insurance document

Learn how to build a vibrant self sustaining wildlife pond in your garden. An easy to follow guide for beginners. How to build a wildlife pond On this page you will learn the basic principles to help you build a vibrant, self sustaining wildlife pond. People think ponds are high maintenance.....wrong! People think they need expensive pump and filter systems to keep the water clear......wrong! How many naturally occurring ponds have you seen in the wild with pumps and filters?.........None! People think ponds are dangerous for children. If you leave you're children unattended when they're playing around a pond then it isn't the pond that's the problem. This is one of the larger ponds I've created over the years. The hole was dug using a mini digger. I used underlay felt to protect the liner both underneath and on top. Some of the subsoil was kept from the excavation, to use back in the pond for planting. A native seed mix was sown around the edge. It was allowed to fill naturally with rain water and planted up in stages as if filled. Originally a contractor was employed to dig out the pond with a large excavator. The result was a soil profile that resembled a bomb crater. Despite being given a sketch showing how it should be dug. I then hired a mini digger myself to re profile the pond edges. This shot shows the underlay just beneath the butyl liner. Then overlay on top to protect the liner from the soil as it is filled back on top. The sub soil, that was dug out from the pond, is used to plant back into as the pond fills with water. Once the liner is covered with sub soil the pond is ready for the water. Allowing the pond to fill naturally and gradually with rain water prevents the soil from clouding the water too rapidly. The rain will soak the soil and allow particles to become waterlogged so they remain on the bottom rather than float in the water. As the pond fills you can begin adding the plants. Start with oxygenators and deep water plants like lilies. Then as the water level rises you can add in emergent plants. Those are plants that like to be beneath the water but will send up leaves and flower stems above the water. As with all ponds a spirit level was used to create the top edge The top edge of the liner was covered with some of the turf that was removed prior to excavating the hole. A mix of native marginal plants was sown around the edges early on before the pond filled. This meant a good selection of plants would develop below the maximum water level as well as above it. This guarantees the pond edge is as natural looking as possible with a striking mix of plants flowering almost throughout the year. During natural seasonal changes in water level from rain fall and evaporation the pond will always have that natural vegetated look. This is so much better than having a paved edge where the liner is visible from all angles regardless of the water level. The pond two years on with seating on either side to relax on and enjoy the view. Birds come to bathe and drink as well as regular visits in the summer from dragon and damsel flies. Newts have also been seen.

If you have a question about wildlife friendly gardening, Wilderness Tamed has the answer. Most other landscapers can't help. FAQ's Do I need to control pests in a wild flower garden? No. I could literally leave it at that. A wild flower lawn or meadow is a self contained ecosystem. Yes there will be slugs and snails and caterpillars munching their merry way through the plants. But there will also be, predatory insects, spiders, amphibians, birds and small mammals all helping to keep things in check. I used to be at war with slugs and snails in my garden. Not any more. Changing from exotic plants to native has saved me so much time money and effort in trying to battle with nature. How do I plant my new wild flower plug plants? Simply choose the site and dig a hole large enough to accommodate the root ball with a little space round the sides. Firm the plant into the hole. Loosen the soil around the plant beyond the root ball so the gaps are filled. Keep well watered in dry conditions until established. ie new leaves begin to emerge. Why is my pond murky? If it's a young or new pond you need to allow time for the plants and invertebrate population to establish. A pond, like any ecosystem, needs to find it's balance. Once a pond is balanced and all the life forms in it are working well the water will begin to clear. Natural ponds don't have pumps and filters running 24-7 and are generally happy, healthy and crystal clear. How do I plant my new pond plants? This depends on what part of the pond they want to be in. Deep water plants like lilies need to be anchored into the mud at the bottom of the pond. You might have to wade in if it's a large pond. Emergent plants that grow below the water level but send up leaves and flowers above the water can be planted into the mud around the pond edge. Marginals that grow around the wet edges of the pond, usually above water level, are easily planted in the same way as your plug plants. Take care not to pop your pond liner with your planting trowel. Another option, though far less natural is to fill pond baskets with well washed course grit. Anchor the plants into this then lower the basket into place at a depth to suit the plants. How do I care for my wild flowers in Autumn and Winter? Simply cut the plants down to ground level each Autumn once the flowers have faded and often before they go to seed. Remove all cut material from the site. That's it. Watch how to in these videos I have amphibians in my garden, what do I do?" Enjoy the company! Amphibians, like frogs, toads and newts offer hours of entertainment while they are courting and breeding in a garden pond. But you may find them in your garden even if you have no pond. Remember amphibians only need water to breed in, it isn't where they spend their entire lives. Once they have metamorphosed from the tadpole stage into the adult stage, they will leave the water and spend the next few years foraging and feeding on land. They wont need to return to a pond until they are ready to breed. This can take three to four years. If you find a wandering amphibian in your garden leave it be to go about it's business. It's business can also be of benefit to you, as they feed on slugs and other insect pests in the garden. If you find an amphibian on land then do not assume it needs to be moved to the nearest body of water. Again, leave it be unless it is in immediate danger from you doing some gardening work or a cat. How do I keep my kids safe around a garden pond? This is a common question with several possible options. This usually occurs with families who are moving into new homes, where there is an established pond. While I worked at a local National Trust property and for the local Wildlife Trust I would host family activities which included pond dipping sessions. These were always, without doubt, the most popular events we hosted. Kids love water and ponds and bugs and beasties! Fact! I have installed ponds at several schools in Durham and Northumberland as they all realise how important outdoor education is for kids. So how do you keep your kids safe when there is a pond in the garden? You need to consider a few things. Is this pond home to a population of amphibians? If so, are you really going to add to their problems, of extinctioin due to habitat loss, by filling it in? NO!! Especially when they are in there breeding.........Trust me I know it happens. The most simple way to protect both your precious little ones and the kids is to have a small picket fence put up around the pond. Or across the garden to divide the play areas from the wildlife areas. As you'll see from my videos, the area around a pond should be a little wild to provide shelter for foraging amphibians. Put in a small gate so your children can access the pond whilst you are there to supervise. Which you will be at all times when your kids are playing around water. Wont you? Of Course! This ROSPA page highlights how many children, between 0 and 5 years of age, die from drowning in an average year. Notice how many drown in the bath at home and ask 'Where were the parents?' Are you going to get rid of your car? Many more children die in fatal car crashes per year then drown in ponds. Are you going to have the family dog destroyed because, once again, many more children are mauled to death by the family pet each year. What about your oven, fridge, washing machine or tumble dryer? Going to get rid of all of those as well as the pond??? How do I sow my new wild flower seeds? Sowing native wild flower seeds is easy. Prepare the area by taking up existing turf or plants. Lightly dig to about 10cm deep to loosen the soil. Rake the area over to level it off. Sow the seed at a rate of about 4grams per square meter. Lightly firm over the soil to make sure the seed is in good contact with the soil. Keep well watered in dry conditions. We recommend a sprinkler attachment on a hose. How do I care for my pond plants in Autumn and Winter? In much the same way as your wild flowers. Cut the stems and flower stalks of all pond plants to as close to the base of the plant as possible. Remove all growth to reduce the risk of rotting plant matter in the pond. Watch our pond videos. Too much decomposing material can cause gasses to build up in the water. If the pond freezes over in Winter these gasses can build up and affect the invertebrates and any hibernating amphibians. What is the best way to water new seeds and plug plants? We always recommend using a sprinkler attachment on a hose. This allows you to set it away and go and do something else, like have your dinner, enjoy a bath or go and watch a couple of Wilderness Tamed Youtube videos. Anything that lasts about an hour. Essentially you should water in such a way as to encourage seeds and new plants to send their roots as deeply as possible. This will help them survive long dry spells. Early evening when the sun has gone off the area is best. The water wont evaporate off the soil as quickly and there is less chance of leaf scorch. Where bright sun light shines through water droplets onto the leaves like a magnifying glass. If you want to stand for an hour with a hose in your hand get a fine spray nozzle so as not to wash out small seeds. An hour should mean the water penetrates the soil to a decent depth. How do I disguise the liner around my pond edge? Visible pond liner (VPL) No one likes VPL and I never have any on the ponds I have built or re profiled. It is a simple thing to disguise liner with overlapping turf, sub soil or stone. While I don't particularly think stone surrounds look that natural, especially paved edges. You don't come across natural wildlife ponds with paved edges that's for sure. Paved edges....Urgh! I do enjoy working with stone and attempt to make ponds look as much a part of the landscape as possible. Below the top edge of the pond, have a second lower lying shelf on which to position the first layer of stones. These will sit in the water and help diguise the liner. The top layer of stone can be built above this first layer. This means that as the water level rises and falls through rain or evaporation, no liner will show. As you will see in several of my videos I always emphasise how important the spirit level is. It doesn't matter what you use to dig out a pond, from a teaspoon to an excavator, as long as your top edge has been profiled using a spirit level. So many of the ponds I see have liner showing at some point where the edge is higher than at other points. Shoddy workmanship! How do I get rid of blanket weed and algae in my pond? Both are a result of the same thing. High nutrient levels and sun light in the pond. Again balance is the key. Plenty of plants filtering nutrients through their roots will reduce algae. And surface cover from floating leaves like frogsbit, lilies and broad leaved pond weed will cut down on UV light which can cause blanketweed blooms. We also sell reusable Barley Straw pouches that can accelerate the demise of blanketweed. Answering the questions, most landscapers can't, about wildlife friendly gardening.

See a variety of ways to hide your pond liner for a more natural look. How to disguise pond liner Nobody likes VPL! Visible Pond Liner. The common idea of pond construction is to use flat 'crazy paving' slabs on the top edge of the pond. You've seen them, with their slightly overlapping edges, desperately trying to hide any signs of liner. Fail! There are several easy and effective ways to disguise an ugly pond liner. Either using rock and cobbles or plants and even upturned turf. This series of videos will show you how. Creating a series of stepped shelves within the pond allows you to layer stone work up and out of the water. If you start from deep enough in the pond, any uncovered liner will be almost unnoticeable at depth. You can of course cover the entire bottom of the pond with gravel, cobbles and stone. If that's the sort of effect you are trying to achieve. I think of this type of pond as more a stream bed or quarry pond. In a garden situation this style of pond can work well. It is a rare thing to find a natural pond that is rock lined. If you think about it, most ponds are the result of poorly drained land and are therefore not much more than depressions in a saturated soil. As shown in the How to build a wildlife pond page, returning soil into the pond and adding plants at all depths within the substrate will disguise the liner more than adequately. As well as that it looks much more natural than a paved or rock surrounded pond. This style of natural planted pond edge allows you to blend the margins of the pond seamlessly with surrounding borders and lawns.

See what is involved on our Reptile & Amphibian Surveys training day Reptile & Amphibian Surveys On the training day you will learn How to spot the specific habitat features, within a wider landscape, that are suitable for reptiles and amphibians. The techniques used to search for these animals without causing stress or disturbance. Gain knowledge of these little understood animals. Their life cycles, activity throughout the year, and ecology. Gain a respect of the importance of reptiles and amphibians within a habitat and ecosystem. Important note There is no guarantee of seeing any reptiles or amphibians on a survey, so attendees are encouraged not to build up their hopes of seeing some. But armed with the experience gained on the training day, they should be more confident of being able to spot them when out in the countryside. Book now to arrange your training Understanding Reptile Habitat When confronted with a large landscape scale area to survey for reptiles, an understanding of the key features they utilise greatly increases your chances of finding them. Survey Techniques Learning how reptiles function and using that knowledge to locate them in a visual search takes time and experience to learn. I will teach you how to approach an area in a way that helps you spot the animals before they become aware of you. Ecology Learn about the life cycles and ecology of our native herpetofauna. Gain an understanding of how these little understood animals function and go about their daily lives. Learn specific skills Survey techniques for reptiles and amphibians are very specific. Join me for an intensive training day to learn the skills I have gained over years of field work, studying these animals both in the Uk and abroad. Book now to arrange your training

Creating & maintaining wildlife friendly garden ponds across the North East is our main aim. Increasing valuable habitats for wildlife. Creating relaxing gardens for you and interesting educational gardens for kids in homes and schools. Wildlife Ponds These are just a few of the many wildlife friendly garden ponds I have created, improved or managed over the years. I believe ponds are one of the best wildlife friendly features you can have in a garden. You can buy a selection of native pond plants as plugs or seeds from our store Click on any of the images or text to find out more about each topic.. Learn how to build a natural looking wildlife friendly pond in your garden. Learn how to use native plants in your wildlife friendly pond. Learn how to disguise pond liner using stone, cobbles or plants. Learn how to maintain the plants around your pond. Check out the pond videos on my YouTube channel. For Pond safety information check the FAQ's page below