Sixteen Rosebarn Avenue

Sixteen Rosebarn Avenue Our garden in Exeter as it changes and evolves over the seasons and the years

So the pond has been in for a day and we have our first damselflies mating and laying all around the pond. I did video ...
01/09/2026

So the pond has been in for a day and we have our first damselflies mating and laying all around the pond. I did video them but it’s really hard to make them out so this picture is all I’ve got.

Ta Da! We have surrounded the liner with mature, dried logs and planted up the pond with plants from the old one. Beli...
30/08/2026

Ta Da! We have surrounded the liner with mature, dried logs and planted up the pond with plants from the old one. Believe it or not the old one was completely clogged so we have divided the plants up and placed them around their new home. We created planting pockets in amongst the logs to allow us to plant around the margins. Lots of cobbles have gone in to create beaches and areas where critters can climb in and out easily. There are some steeper sides so we have submerged a log just inside the pond to enable creatures to scramble out if they fall in. As the logs continue to rot down they should provide an ideal habitat for stag beetles and the bullrushes should be ideal for dragonflies and damselflies as they emerge from the pond.

The garden robin has been perching on the logs and surveying the new addition and our neighbourhood frog has already returned, had a dip and quietly watched me as I’ve pottered about fettling things.

All that’s left now is to tidy up the pond margins and plant it up with meadow perennials that are sitting in our mini meadow at the other end of the garden.

Following on from the last post.Great progress on the pond front. Gone from cutting turf to testing for level and leaks ...
28/08/2026

Following on from the last post.

Great progress on the pond front. Gone from cutting turf to testing for level and leaks all in 2 days. We’ve rescued one frog, two newts and lots of larvae to put back in once the water chemistry has settled down and tomorrow we start dressing with old logs and replacing the lilies and other plants then off to our local pond centre for more plants, pebbles and gravel.

Great Bank Holiday project! We’ve increased the surface area and depth of the pond substantially and will now be able to creat some bespoke habitats within the pond to bring even more wildlife in the coming months.

This is our wildlife pond and wild fringe which has been doing very well for the last five years. We have newts, frogs,...
26/08/2026

This is our wildlife pond and wild fringe which has been doing very well for the last five years. We have newts, frogs, damselflies, dragonflies along with a variety of birds that visit for a wash and brush up. But now we are upgrading it! The pond is only 2mx0.9m and has a maximum depth of 60cm to give its residents a warm place in Winter.

The plan is to increase its size to around 3mx3m and provide a deeper well of 90cm with various depth shelves all through it as well as shallow banks and gravel beaches. We will be surrounding it with rotting logs and then letting the wild area grow back again to provide cover for our amphibians.

I thought I’d share a picture of the pond before we start work and then post progress as we hit some milestones as work progresses. It’s just me and my nephew doing the work so hopefully we may encourage a few people to have a go themselves as, believe me, if me and my nephew can do it anyone can!

The passion fruit that we planted at the entrance of our kitchen garden looks like it’s about to give us its first edibl...
23/08/2026

The passion fruit that we planted at the entrance of our kitchen garden looks like it’s about to give us its first edible harvest. Never thought we would see that down here in Devon. It obviously likes the heatwaves we have been experiencing.

Inspired by a feature on BBC Gardeners World we decided to spruce up our garden with some rebar grids more normally foun...
16/08/2026

Inspired by a feature on BBC Gardeners World we decided to spruce up our garden with some rebar grids more normally found on building sites. We’ve made wall supports for our clematis, blackberries, and rose bush as well as loads of supports for our herbaceous beds and a retainer for one of our log walls.

If we had bought the equivalents from specialist retailers the cost would have run into 4-figures but we got away with less than £225 and that includes buying the angle grinder that we used to cut everything to shape.

06/08/2026

We have added a day spa to our high rise bug hotel. A solar panel on the roof powers a small pump to keep the water fresh. The pond has pebbles laid on river gravel to provide shallow pools for birds to drink and bathe in whilst bugs can fly in and settle on the pond sides or pebbles which stick out of the water. We will be planting around the pond to provide cover and food sources. A few logs dotted about the place may also encourage frogs to come and check the pond out as well. Pond, solar panel, pump, gravel and pebbles all came in under £100 and we are really happy with the finished result

The lily in our little pond at the front of the house has finally flowered after five years! It doesn’t look like ther...
26/07/2026

The lily in our little pond at the front of the house has finally flowered after five years! It doesn’t look like there are any other buds so that’s probably it for this year but at least we can look forward to seeing more in the years to come 🤞🏼

We decided to upcycle a couple of pallets to help get our squashes off the ground and make a little more space for them ...
21/07/2026

We decided to upcycle a couple of pallets to help get our squashes off the ground and make a little more space for them to grow. We painted them black to make the pallets absorb and retain the sun’s heat to help the squashes ripen.

So far I’d say they have been a great success and we have several squashes ripening in the sun.

H**e Midsummer Beauty looking elegant in their pots. I bought them thinking they would be balls just like all the other...
04/07/2026

H**e Midsummer Beauty looking elegant in their pots. I bought them thinking they would be balls just like all the other ones we have. Imagine my surprise when they were delivered in a very narrow tall box. The clues were there, after all I bought them from hedges direct and they were a lot cheaper than all of the h**e balls that I saw when I googled h**e. Not wanting to admit that I had made a blunder and bought hedging for my pots I cut them back, crossed my fingers, hoped and waited. And they have turned from ugly ducklings into beautiful swans. 🦢 🦢 🦢

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