Gnasher how lovely are you being concerned about the bees like that Enjoyed reading that
Hope your patio is coming on well,will be expecting pics

Im a nutcase but I cant help it - as I get older I have less and less regard for my own species and more and more for my fellow animals. We have had to completely level the garden for the 2 patios but have left the ivy and honeysuckle everywhere for the bees and birds etc. My oh took some pics yesterday of the stage he is at at the moment so I will put some up - its gonna be fab!

Sounds lovely,let's hope for some good weather so you both can enjoy Nothing nicer than watching a man work

True! Ill try to remind myself how to poad pix on here tomorrow!

Ivy and honeysuckle sounds fabulous to me.

Its the best stuff to allow in your garden ... common or garden green ivy is the best. Wrens, tits, goldcrest, blackbirds, thrushes, finches, most birds will nest in ivy. Honeysuckle too is an excellent shelter to smaller birds. I have a whole 14 foot stretch of fencing absolutely groaning with ivy and honeysuckle, and so far this year a family of goldfinches have fledged in there, blue tit, robin and wren. There is a lot of squabbling between the species - clearly it is the equivalent of a penthouse in Chelsea. I firmly believe that our gardens are primarily for the wildlife, not for us, so allow patches of nettles to thrive for the butterflies and buddleia trees to grow at will, also for the butterflies, moths and bees. We have lived here for 26 years, and I have found that if you just leave nature alone to get on with it, you will not be troubled by pests like slugs and snails. We have plenty of these but they don't do damage to any of the more cultivated plants, they seem to be happy staying in the wild bits ... and providing tasty meals for the birds and our resident hedgehogs.

I will try and get some pictures up ...

We've got all sorts climbing up and over the high tennis court fencing right in front of my garden here. But my personal favourite is the GRAPEVINE! It's growing at a rate of knots and I'm looking forward to getting lots of lovely grapes off it (well I'm closest to it and you can't get out past my garden). They are mine, all mine!

slugs here prefer civilised plants but then they are irish..and it is always wet here.

Oh would that were true Gnasher. My old dry stone walled back garden in Devon was left to nature with all sorts rambling over the fences and the carport.

IT WAS A HOTBED OF SNAILS AND SLUGS!

i think what she means is that yes but they leave other plants alone but that is not so in my experience wherever i have lived.the damage they do to my flowers and vegetables breaks my old heart.