Butler Sink to mini pond.....

Part of my plans for my stand at the show are to include a simple pond set-up, using an old Butler type sink.... showing how easy it is to set up a little watery habitat, even if you only have a small space. Old Butler sinks can often be found in reclamation yards or obtained when people are having kitechen re-fits! Check out e-bay as well for some bargains! I was lucky enough to get mine from Dan at G-Scapes and after heaving it home (they are extremely heavy), I was keen to set it up.

Obviously, I will have to drain it all to take it to the show, but I want to get it set up and established and then will try to move the water, plants and any life in there, to the show, in a sealed container.

This sink is pretty old and by the chips and cracks it has on it, it could probably tell a few tales! I like the fact it looks old though and after getting a new plug for it, I was pleased to see it was water tight.

I filled it with water from my pond, scooping some debris from the bottom as well, ensuring a generous addition of some invertebrates. I collected some plants from the pond as well and I will probably buy a couple of oxygenating plants as well to ensure the water remains suitably healthy enough to sustain life.

The whole process took less than half and hour and it already looks attractive on my patio. Once the water has settled, I may introduce a little of the frogspawn I have in there as well.

My Sponsorship Confirmed!!

I am delighted to announce that Bushnell and JJVickers (UK distributer of Bushnell products) will be sponsoring my Gardener's World Stand this year! In recognition of the large amount of work I do with their Trophy Cams, in particular, they were delighted to sponsor this exciting venture.

This weekend, I was able to meet up with many of those individuals who have made this possible and I would like to thank the following people, in particular, for their support!


John Vickers and Stuart Radlett from JJ Vickers (www.jjvikers.com)

Darin Stephens ( USA Product Line Manager for the Trophy Cams)


Barry Grubb, myself and Darin Stephens

Ghislain Mautin (Sales & Marketing Director EMEA)

Barry Grubb, myself and Ghislain Mautin

and Barry Grubb (UK Key Manager)

Obviously, I am delighted and I look forward to working with all involved over the coming months to create fantastic WildlifeKate Stand that everyone will be proud of!!

Behind the scenes planning

This week there has been lots of planning, researching and emailing, as I try to source the materials I need for my stand. I have also been in negotiation with my sponsors and I should be able to formally announce that next week when everything is finalised!

There have been ongoing developments on my Hub, with some exciting wildlife pods that I will be photographing and showing off in the next week or so. Decisions have had to be made about what finish I am going to go for and I have been considering a range of protective oils and paints. I have not made a final decision, but I am very drawn toward the gorgeous Farrow & Ball colours......

I have managed to get an old Butler Sink, thanks to Dan at G-Scapes, so I will be sealing that and planting it up in the next week or so, using water and plants from my pond.

Planting is the next big research area. I have been looking to source British wildlife flowers for my green roof and have approached a selection of companies to see what they offer and whether they would be suitable for my needs. I will be growing some of my own plants as well, so will need to start that very soon... jut need to clear my greenhouse of nest box and cam debris!!!

Progress is being made in the background, certainly and everything is moving forward. My priorities are to get the fencing panels and planters as I can then get them weathering in the garden and start thinking about the number of plants I will need. Hopefully by next week, I will have them confirmed and delivery will be imminent!

I went to Focus on Imaging at the NEC this week and was looking at the size of the stands.... it is one thing doing a scale drawing and something entirely different when you actually stand in a space that is approximately the same size as the stand you are going to build! The RSPB were at Focus and their stand was 7m x 4 m... it felt pretty big... mine is 9m x 8m.... I stood in the aisle, estimating where mine would reach too. Blimey... the space is pretty enormous!!

I have some big, important meetings coming up in the next week which will be pivotal in the development of this project and I should be able to bring you a lot more news on major advances in the coming week... so watch this space.

In the meantime, if you missed Sarah Raven's  'Bees, Butterflies & Blooms' program, I recommend you watch programme 2 about gardens... really interesting....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01c89vp

 (From BBC website)

'Our bees and other pollinating insects are in crisis. It’s a complex problem that scientists the world over are trying to fathom, but the prognosis is grim - without healthy populations of insect pollinators across the world, our food security is under threat.

Our pollinating insects are vital to the production of the vast majority of the fruits and vegetables we need in our healthy 5-a-day diets. If we don’t start to look after our insect pollinators, eventually our favourite foods could vanish from our supermarket shelves, from apples and pears through to coffee and chocolate.

Sarah wants to show us all that we could make a difference and reverse this trend if we all do our bit. She wants to inspire and inform everyone, no matter where they live – village, town, city or countryside – to get planting nectar rich plants.

Backed by recent research, Sarah believes that one of the main reasons our pollinators are under threat is due to their poor health and nutrition. A lack of a rich and varied supply of pollen and nectar throughout the year to feed our insect workforce is leaving them vulnerable to the effects of pesticides and parasites and threatening some species with extinction.

Sarah believes in ‘people power’, and that together, we can all do our bit to help save our precious pollinators, and bring their needs to the fore.

If we all make small changes in our local areas and grow more wildflowers and insect-friendly plants, then we can lend a strong helping hand to our bees, butterflies and pollinating bugs.

Together, we could help to reverse the trend, maybe stop extinctions and secure a future for our threatened pollinating insects.'

I see my WildlifeKate Hub for the first time!!!!

I have been looking forward to this day for a while.... when Phil, Donna and I were actually going to meet and I was going to see the beginnings of my WildlifeKate Hub!

 Believe it or not, Phil and I met via Twitter. He saw me tweet about my dreams of building a wildlife building in my garden... one which I had designed that would have all I would want in terms of wildlife additions. Phil was wanting a website. Instantly, we could see that we each had skills that the other wanted.... could we work together in some way? Phil and I started talking, on the phone, on MSN, via Twitter... and went from strength to strength and quickly realised that between us we could actually turn this into reality!

 Today was the first time we actually met face to face and it has been amazing! Considering we had never actually met until today, it soon felt like we had known each other for years and we have hardly drawn breath in the nine hours we have spent together!

 The most exciting part was to actually see the first part panel of my hub. I designed this building and although I have a picture and a dream in my mind, actually seeing it in real life was just SO exciting... Suddenly it really hit home that this building was actually going to turn into a reality. Phil is a very talented carpenter and this building is going to just be truly amazing. Built in panels, Phil and Donna will then transport it down to the NEC and build it in situ, along with the other fencing boundaries of my stand. They will then be on the stand for the whole of the week, showcasing this creation and telling people all about it and how it was designed and built.

 Phil has part built one side of the Hub and my first view of it was under wraps in hi garden in Cumbria.... in the drizzle!

Phil then took off the cover and I could see part of my hub for the first time!....

We had so any other things to discuss... windows, Wildlife Pods (the add-ons for the Hub), door, fittings, green roof...... and the logistics of pulling this all off.... so much to plan and it is already March!

We are all so fired and excited by the whole project and we know we are going to be a winning team. The wonderful thing about pairing up with others is that when you combine skills, you end up with so much more than the two of you could ever achieve alone.

We will be sharing the build of the WildlifeKate Hub with you all, so if any of you can come to the NEC you, too, will feel part of this amazing journey!