Time travel across the ocean. A beautiful snapshot of a wild gardening dream meets reality. Ponds building in a very old water culture/garden feature. It would be interesting to see the way this was done before plastic pond-liners. Locally(Northern Ontario Canada) My requests to pause mowing of Monarch Butterflies milkweed roadside nesting areas has gone unheard as have the orchid areas. Other residents along with myself have rescued some after mowing and trying to grow milkweed areas away from roadsides. The Story of the Monarch is one of the back stories of my life. From labeling and colouring diagrams of them in grade school to following the story as an adult of tracking and discovery of their wintering grounds in Central Mexico. It was a joy to listen to David's back story.
Joel, my Mum has just died and I also feel so incredibly lucky to have had an upbringing that was full of my Mum's love of wildlife, animals, gardens and the Countryside. Like you, I find it surprising, and it's so sad for other people that they don't have that knowledge passed down. Lovely video, I wish this man lived on my street 😊
I'm so sorry to hear this Ruth, but so wonderful to know the lasting legacy and influence she had in your love of wildlife and so much else. I'm sure you are passing this love on. I'd love to live next door to David, he's such a wonderful and sincere man and, as you know doubt saw, I could talk to him for hours. Best wishes to you Ruth, Joel
Lovely wee man. Iv worked 3 years making my garden suitable for wild life with a small pond. You said I'd eventually get frogs 🐸 I have now 4 that appear to be very happy with one newt. 2 hedgehogs one squirrel and loads of insects. Dragonflies that come n sit on my hand. Loving ❤ it thanks for all your advice 👍 x
This is great Heather! SO glad the frogs found you :) David is a wonderful guy and his garden is a perfect showcase of the rewards gardening in this way can bring - best wishes and have a great weekend in your garden - Joel
Absolutely fantastic interview with David.. what an incredible bloke, I could listen to him all day. Joel, can't believe you were in Burnley.. not so far from me. Today I was in the office and there was a commotion because a bumblebee had come in and was flying about. I let it climb onto my finger and out of the window he flew. People were gobsmacked because I let a bee climb on me. Just reminded me how uneducated people can be. Thanks for doing this one, I really enjoyed it 🙂👍
Hey Mick! Back in SE London since getting back from France, another small urban garden make-over but no respite from the heat! It will be worth it though :) I stopped in to see David on the way up to Scotland to do that bird-hide so it really was a whistle-stop, but I could have spent days on end in the company of this man, so endearing and knowledgeable. Both he and Audrey made me feel so welcome. I was determined to showcase his hard work and the gardens that bring so many rewards. I will be in your area again soon enough no doubt and I can't wait to meet you in person :) So glad that you were there for that bee, and to educate others even a little! Well done you and I am so glad you enjoyed this interview, every second with him was just wonderful - have a great weekend, best wishes as always - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton and thank you so much for sharing this interview with us Joel. These are the little gems that are often not acknowledged. Have a great weekend mate 🙂👍
A very endearing and experienced man and I am so glad you enjoyed this - I was determined that he should get some deserved publicity about the work he has done and how it has improved his life, his channel is so interesting with all the videos he has made over the years, the social documentary too :) Best wishes - Joel
What a wonderful treasure the man and garden. I'm sure his grandchildren will remember fondly and think of him in future decades. Well done David and Audrey.
Thank you, David is a pleasure to be around and such an amiable and sincere gentleman. I wish I lived nearer to him. I really appreciate your kind comments and will ensure David sees :) Best wishes, Joel
I am going to show him your comment Rowan! So sorry for the delay in acknowledging you but I've been working away and little time for YT and to keep up with everyone. But you're right, if you go to his channel "David Crossley's The Great Outdoors" you will see the short update videos that he is making, I could watch them all day. Thank you again, best wishes - Joel
Been waiting to get time to watch this in one proper go, and so worth. What a superb example of a proper gentleman David is. What a superb garden. So much work over the years has paid off. Everything he said was a real listen. Same as with your videos. Before I watched your 3 part pond making videos I wasn’t aware of you mate. The previous year I’d made an effort planting bee friendly plants and I’d dig my first fish pond and rockery waterfall. But since that 3 part series of yours, I’ve followed your channel intently ( as you know, ha ha) ,I’ve made my own wildflower pond, fitted bird feeders, made log piles , planted so many plants I’ve never heard of before after your recommendations, made a wildflower garden in a section of my lawn, thought about how and how often I cut my grass, and have done my best to persuade people I know to do the same . My in-laws have recently moved down to where we live and my father in law seen my wildlife pond and loves it . So I’ll be helping him create that soon once I’ve fitted his new heating system and bathroom 😁 I feel proud now listening to people like yourself and David that are so passionate on this subject and that I am actually part of this community now doing my small bit, hoping that lots more people do the same with their gardens to some way counteract all the wild land we’re sadly losing to government house building schemes and changes in farming etc . Safe to say I will be subscribing to David’s channel right after I send this message 😊 Great video
Thanks Craig, as always - your support means a lot and David certainly is one of those people I could have spoken to for hours on end. I am so grateful that you will be supporting him on his channel too, he has gone rather "unsung" over the years and yet has so much to share, from a social history point as well as nature in his videos :) So glad you are reaping the rewards with your garden and the efforts you have put in. I really do appreciate your encouragement, thank you again - Joel
Thank you Kelly, I will pass on your kind words to David, his garden is an absolute showcase for a how a wildlife garden doesn't need to be messy to make a difference and I hope it inspires lots more people to think about nature when gardening. Hope you are having a great weekend, best wishes - Joel
So glad you enjoyed this Bob - David is an incredibly engaging man and it was just wonderful sitting with him and learning more about those gardens and all the rewards they bring :) Hope you have a great weekend - best wishes, Joel
Brilliant watch joel I’ve been subscribed to David’s channel for a few years now. The video with the year life cycle of his pond is my favourite with the tadpoles and him catching the sticklebacks and the amazing plants he grows. It’s fantastic that your sharing your TH-cam friends to your channel keep up the amazing work joel 🐸💚🐸
So glad you enjoyed this - I know you have supported David for a while and I couldn't help but visit him and share his wonderful work (and personality!) with everyone - he deserves so much more recognition and his short films are wonderful for social as well as natural history. I wish I didn't have to work in a way, just so I could visit more people and share the wonderful work they're doing, but if I didn't do the work I do then there'd not be as much content for sure ;) Hope you have a great weekend, keep up the great work with your channel too - best wishes, Joel
This is a credit to David and his wife, pond 🐸envy, what a fabulous garden. On behalf of all the wonderful wildlife, thankyou for sharing your ⭐️star hidden oasis with us🐾🦔🐦🐸🦎🐌🦋🐛🐜🐝🪲🐞🦗🕷🪳🕸🦟🪰🪱
Thrilled by your comment Katherine, David's garden is certainly a wonderful showcase and I wanted as many people as possible to see his efforts and for him to be recognised for all the hard work and planning. So glad that you have joined the channel, we have a wonderful community here and the interest in gardening with wildlife in mind continues to grow too :) Best wishes, and thank you for the encouragement, it means a lot - Joel
He's a wonderful guy Jane, as you could no doubt tell. I was determined that he received recognition for all his hard work and those beautiful gardens. A real showcase of the rewards gardening for wildlife can bring :) Best wishes and have a great weekend - Joel
It was great to see George and needless to say David was an absolute joy to be around, so welcoming :) He and his gardens are a real testament to the rewards gardening in this way can bring - I hope you have a great weekend, best wishes - Joel
This is possibly the best comment I've received on YT ;) Thanks so much for taking the time Lisa, I really do appreciate it - I just wanted David to be recognised for all the effort he had put in and his YT channel didn't have that many subscribers, which was a real shame as he puts such effort in, and his channel is great as a record of social history as well as natural history :) Thank you again, best wishes - Joel
I'm planning on it Mitch! Every client I've ever worked for is now on my planner and due to working all over the country it means that sooner or later I will be near to them again and be able to provide complete before and after footage, so many videos to upload yet but thank you for this. Best wishes, Joel
It's nothing short of perfection isn't it Janie :) A long time in the making but a testament to the rewards gardening for wildlife can bring - I hope you have a great weekend, best wishes, Joel
What a lovely gentleman David is Joel. I have now subscribed to his channel. Like you and Nikki, he is a vitally important wildlife advocate and allie as well as being an inspiration to so many. Thank you for taking the time to bring this wonderful man to the attention of those of us who were previously unaware of him. Paul 👍😊 #natureistheantidote
It was such a pleasure to spend time with him Paul, back in May. I really wanted his garden to be shown to as many people as possible, and, of course his hard work and dedication - a real showcase :) Just getting back into the "swing" of things but it was so good to meet you recently, and thank you for the photos too - I will look at them properly but they will come in very handy I'm sure :) Up in Leeds already after finishing the London job last week, time flies etc... Not sure if you have seen this short video David did last night but it's such a good example of the #NoMowSummer we were speaking of... what fantastic results! th-cam.com/video/gEJdfsj6w6A/w-d-xo.html Catch up properly soon - and thanks again for all your support and encouragement - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton There is no slacking Joel when you are making such a huge difference for the benefit for wildlife and people alike, one project at a time 😊. It was an absolute pleasure Joel meeting both you and Nikki (behind every great man.....😊). Time flew by and yes, it would be great to have a proper catch up when time allows. I sent a few pics resisting the temptation to bombard you with dozens of them as I am sure Nikki had every base covered apart from the ones where she is included of course 😊. Thank you for the link to David's #nomowsummer video. I will have a watch. Stay wild 🦋🐝. Paul 👍😊 #natureistheantidote
Thank you so much, David really does deserve more subscribers, he's been working tirelessly in trying to share information and his experiences over many years, as well as the important social history of his area, and I wanted so much to share his work with others - a very important gentleman I think you'll agree. I spent a wonderful day with him and he is a joy to be around :) Best wishes - Joel
Me too Valeria, me too! David has worked so hard over the years and always considered the wildlife, it's such a joy to sit in and I just wish I lived more locally so I could visit more often and enjoy it. Thank you for this comment, I'll be sure to let David know. If you haven't seen already, do search "David Crossley's the Great Outdoors" on TH-cam, he's been making regular video updates on the garden and they are a lovely watch. Best wishes, Joel
Thank you Sam - David has worked so hard and what a show-case his garden is - I really would recommend checking out his channel "David Crossley's The Great Outdoors" he does some brilliant short pieces with updates on his garden throughout the seasons. Really appreciate your support Sam, thank you - best wishes, Joel
Agree Joel, David is a great wildlife advocate. A great garden that shows your garden doesn’t have to be out of control to introduce and support wildlife. The planting is excellent and great habitats. I’m very envious of his orchids. What a joy to watch, thank you.
Hi Tracey! So glad you enjoyed this, he's a wonderful man to be around and I was determined to share him and his garden with others. As you can see, he's worked tirelessly in his own gardens and they are a fantastic showcase for the rewards working in this way can bring. Do have a look at the "videos" section on his channel, there are some brilliant films that he has made :) Hope you are all doing well, best wishes - Joel
You can tell a person who is enthusiastic about their subject and its all done from personal experience and not formal education. WHat an absolute gem that is. I'm just in the throws of convierting my old veg patch into a wildlife garden, not as big as Davids but hopefully I can get it to look some where near as good.
It's just wonderful Helen isn't it, and so is David. I could have spent days chatting to him in that shed and looking out on all those rewards that come when gardening in this way :) Glad you enjoyed this - have a great weekend, Joel
Me too Madeleine, I was determined to get to see David and share his work and wonderful gardens with everyone. He was an absolute joy to be around and David and Audrey were so welcoming, I do hope I can get to see them again soon. His channel is such a delight too, so many wonderful short films about social history as well as natural history in his area and also the wonderful holidays they have been on. Have a great weekend Madeleine, best wishes as always - Joel
Thank you Greg, he certainly does deserve more recognition and support, I was determined to get to him to share his wonderful gardens and of course endearing personality :) Hope to meet up with you too soon, still working on the work schedule but I'll be in Norfolk in the not too distant future :) Have a great weekend Greg - best wishes, Joel
The world needs more people like David what a great video & a lovely caring man. Great vid Joel I'll defo be subscribing to his channel especially to see his wonderful garden change thru the seasons. Keep up the great work mate 👍
Doesn't it just Stephen! The day spent with David will be one I won't forget, such an endearing and knowledgeable guy and so unassuming. I'm sure if you go to the "videos" section on his channel that you'll find so many engaging films about social history as well as natural history. David really has captured some wonderful characters, particularly John Nuttall and the video of this man is priceless :) Best wishes, and thanks again, Joel
This is a great interview, I love wildlife gardening and hiking in the mountains. Would love to create an alpine area, but I'm on clayey loam soil that's very rich. Somebody gave me a Pasque flower last spring, I had no idea what to do with it, or where to plant it, it eventually died in the pot as I forgot about it. It is amazing what appears in the grass, this year Red Clover, White Clover, Buttercups, Hawkweed, Dandelion, Cuckoo flower, various ragworts, daisies, plaintains, and Germander Speedwell have appeared amongst others. I don't know why, but every inch of the garden is covered in Speedwell, after I let the grass grow for a few weeks, it's a blue carpet, it's in the cracks in the pavement and anywhere it can grow.
This is brilliant John, you're so right about the surprises that are waiting to showcase themselves once the mower is kept away for a while :) David was an absolute joy to be around and if you go to the "videos" section on his channel you'll find lots of short films that I am sure will be great to watch for you as you have very similar interests. The social history part of some of his videos are priceless too. Best wishes, and have a great weekend - Joel
Hey Mike :) I have a couple to undertake in the next few months, but they will be with new ponds - I'll certainly get a chance to try to do an explanatory video too though. Not sure if you saw this video here but it shows the installation of a stream from one small pond into a larger one - hope this helps in the meantime: th-cam.com/video/BrvhfJ_cc_E/w-d-xo.html Best wishes, as always - Joel
Hya Joel! What an inspirational man. I could listen to him for hours. It's always lovely to see someone else's garden who shares the same ethos as us. And steal some ideas haha. I loved what he said at the end about his family. My three grown up kids{ yes they'll always be kids!} and now the four grandkids have a love of wild places and the natural world and it's nice to think they'll pass that love on to their children. I'm sure he is, and will continue to be an inspiration to everyone around him. What a beautiful garden! I will check out his videos. Love the new music, hope you've settled back in dear old blighty okay.
Hi there! I am so glad that so many more people are getting to witness David's gardens and all the rewards they bring from gardening with thought for wildlife, a real showcase :) It was just wonderful sitting and speaking with David and I could have done so for days, so engaging and welcoming, a day I'll not forget. So glad your grandkids (and kids!) have you as a mentor and they certainly won't forget you sharing all this. Have interviewed two other wonderful people on Monday this week, then it was back to London to start another urban garden make-over, the heat has been pretty unbearable of course but it will be worth the effort for sure. Lots of videos from France and previous projects in the year, plus more interviews to come so my weekend might consist of editing as well as catching up on admin ;) I hope you have a great one - best wishes as always - Joel
It's certainly a perfect advertisement for the rewards that gardening in this way can bring Mark, and what a wonderful guy to explain exactly how this can be achieved :) I do hope you visit his channel and see the "videos" section where there are so many gems that capture social history as well as natural history, they're very engaging :) Best wishes, Joel
What a lovely conversation between two kind people. In Colorado some native plants are rare and difficult to find for sale, but I hope they'll become more common.
Thank you so much - David was an absolute joy to be around and I was determined to get to him to showcase his wonderful gardens and the rewards they bring when considering wildlife too :) I wish I could get to USA sooner to try to spread the word about native gardening! I hope you have a great weekend - best wishes, Joel
Still on catch up Joel, i have subd to David. What a lovely genuine Gentleman, great vlog, like you, he certainly knows his stuff, a brilliant watch ty for sharing 🎉
Hi Joel, I really enjoyed this video and will be subscribing to David’s channel as it was lovely listening to such a down to earth and caring man, wish David was my neighbour !
Thanks Mikey, so glad you enjoyed this, David is an absolute joy to spend time with and so very knowledgeable. I really would recommend his channel "The Great Outdoors with David Crossley" - he does regular monthly update on the garden and again they're wonderful to watch. Best wishes, Joel
So much to learn with this kind of person and experience… another great video Joel ! modeling and thinking our gardens to Attract the wildlife and keep it safe is just what we should all do
Glad you enjoyed this Vincent, he certainly is a very engaging man and I spent quite an unforgettable day with him :) I do hope his experience encourages others to bring nature to their gardens too, it's not about asking people to tear out their existing gardens and change completely, but to add elements that can certainly help and will no doubt bring rewards year-round :) Hope you are doing well, best wishes - Joel
What a lovely man and a wonderful garden and not a weed in sight!!! Unlike my garden! I've subscribed to David's channel of course. Thank you for bringing him to our attention. Hope you had a great holiday. We spent last week in Porthcawl. Some fab places to visit round there. Found a patch of pyramidal and bee orchids. They are on WASTE land so there are plans to build 900 houses on the site. When will it ever stop? Our gardens are so important.
Sad to hear about the house-building - I interviewed two other people early this week and they both said about the value of waste-ground for nature, I hope to upload the finished videos soon so I can share these two great people with everyone too. But David really is a joy to be around as I am sure you could tell, so unassuming and I won't forget meeting him. France was amazing, needless to say, I took lots of footage (no surprise!) and will be sharing my finds and adventures with you all soon - glad you had a good break in Porthcawl... another area I'd love to visit :) Enjoy the weekend and I hope you're all doing well - best wishes, Joel
Lovely conversation. So envious of the pond. All the starlings are over here in the US! I get so many in my yard now just north of Boston. They are beautiful, but not native here and they are such a thuggish gang as they always come as a huge flock of at least 25.
A garden to aspire too, especially love how the pond has developed over time, I’ve dreamt of doing this. I too wish for newts, but this seems to be an area for frogs, and likewise I wouldn’t bring any in, it’s down to nature whether they arrive. Great interview I could watch this again, love to hear like minded people discussing nature, wildlife gardening.
It certainly is Keith - he's such a wonderful guy to be around and I could do that interview all over again to be honest, it was so enjoyable meeting him and he and Audrey made me feel so very welcome :) I was determined to share his wonderful gardens with everyone and to ensure he had the recognition he deserves. Catch up soon, have a great weekend - Joel
Thank you. I enjoyed listening, learning and reflecting. Appreciated. Inspires me to look up ‘Out Of Town’ with Jack Hargreaves. Going to do that next. ❤
Hi Daniel :) Glad you enjoyed this, he's a wonderful guy. I think it may have been "Pasque Flowers" that we were speaking of in David's front garden.... Hope this helps - have a great weekend, Joel
Absolutely inspirational and unassuming man. I've seen the video that David made when building a pond for his friend but now I'll just have to binge on his other videos. Thanks for bringing this to us Joel, made my daily commute into Central London more bearable.
Hey :) So glad this helped you get through the commute, hope it's not been too unbearable in this heat, I'm currently in SE London and have been since I got back from France, another small urban garden make-over but the heat...!! If you go to the "videos" section on David's channel you'll find them all there, and you'll see how important his little snippets of film are, from a social as well as natural history perspective. He really does deserve more recognition and I was so keen to share his garden (and him!) with everyone :) Hope you get through today and enjoy the weekend - best wishes, and thanks again for your support - Joel
What a wonderful habitat.I’m in my 1st year of my creation and it’s very green at present.Odd bloom here and there. Ponds teaming with toad and frog spawn.It’s so dry at present I’ve had to relocate and save many newts from local areas that have dried up and many critters have fallen to the drying weather.One question I have is what’s your take on mice and rats…I’ve created a few log piles and thicket areas with branches for the wildlife and they are loving it..Do they stay or do I need to catch and relocate ?
Hi there! SO sorry for the delay in acknowledging you, I'd been away for 10 days in France and then back to client works so time hasn't been on my side to catch up with everyone. Your patch sounds wonderful, and thank you and well done for saving those newts etc. Mice and rats... a wild garden will attract natural predators for mice of course, foxes will also take rats no problem at all. Mice can be relocated into the wider countryside and they won't have any problems with this but rats... not sure I'd like to attempt to catch one but let me know how you get on! Apologies again for the delay, just wanted to let you know I wasn't ignoring you :) Best wishes, Joel
Delightful man and wonderful garden. Really enjoyed this video! Question, though. Have I somehow overlooked the link to his channel? I don't see it with the other links above.
Hi there - so glad you enjoyed this - at the end of the video there is a video link on the left hand side - but I'll put a link to the channel in the description now :) Thanks for pointing this out. Best wishes - Joel
Hi Joel - really enjoyed this. However be aware that the sycamore supports a fraction of the insects and ecosystems of native trees, its seeding is hugely successful and it soon dominates woods creating a dark canopy that negatively affects what grows below.
Thanks Nick, appreciated. I used to think the same many years ago, but have learned that the Sycamore (in the UK) was introduced by the Romans and does support a lot of our native wildlife, bees nectar on the flowers, goldfinch eat the seeds, the leaves are eaten by a lot of our UK moth caterpillars, bluetits and other birds utilise them due to the abundance of aphids that use them and take them back to their nests for the chicks. I spoke with Brett Westwood about this in the interview. You're right that they have no problem reproducing around the garden but they're easily kept in check. Hope the new year has treated you well so far, best wishes - Joel
Lovely chat, really enjoyed the talk and the garden. I've noticed some birds aren't around here anymore, certainly is sad. I'll go check out David's channel next, pretty sure it's wonderful 😊 If you haven't seen this channel, I think you'll really enjoy seeing what Colette at Bealtaine Cottage in Ireland did with 3 dead acres. th-cam.com/video/EWA-WCWBiWM/w-d-xo.html
So glad you enjoyed this Wende - back in London finishing another job today so just stopping for a break and then it'll be the weekend when I can catch up with admin etc before another large project in Leeds next week. I know that you'll find David's channel worthwhile, if you go to "videos" on his page you'll see the whole library there and there's some wonderful social history he has captured too, really nostalgic and very engaging :) I'll have a look at Colette's work when I get a chance to settle, thank you for the recommendation - hope you are doing well - best wishes, as always - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Just wanted say I binge watched David's channel, really enjoyed it. You all have a nice weekend, hope you get some hours in between.
Time travel across the ocean. A beautiful snapshot of a wild gardening dream meets reality. Ponds building in a very old water culture/garden feature. It would be interesting to see the way this was done before plastic pond-liners. Locally(Northern Ontario Canada) My requests to pause mowing of Monarch Butterflies milkweed roadside nesting areas has gone unheard as have the orchid areas. Other residents along with myself have rescued some after mowing and trying to grow milkweed areas away from roadsides. The Story of the Monarch is one of the back stories of my life. From labeling and colouring diagrams of them in grade school to following the story as an adult of tracking and discovery of their wintering grounds in Central Mexico. It was a joy to listen to David's back story.
Joel, my Mum has just died and I also feel so incredibly lucky to have had an upbringing that was full of my Mum's love of wildlife, animals, gardens and the Countryside. Like you, I find it surprising, and it's so sad for other people that they don't have that knowledge passed down.
Lovely video, I wish this man lived on my street 😊
I'm so sorry to hear this Ruth, but so wonderful to know the lasting legacy and influence she had in your love of wildlife and so much else. I'm sure you are passing this love on. I'd love to live next door to David, he's such a wonderful and sincere man and, as you know doubt saw, I could talk to him for hours. Best wishes to you Ruth, Joel
Lovely wee man. Iv worked 3 years making my garden suitable for wild life with a small pond. You said I'd eventually get frogs 🐸 I have now 4 that appear to be very happy with one newt. 2 hedgehogs one squirrel and loads of insects. Dragonflies that come n sit on my hand. Loving ❤ it thanks for all your advice 👍 x
This is great Heather! SO glad the frogs found you :) David is a wonderful guy and his garden is a perfect showcase of the rewards gardening in this way can bring - best wishes and have a great weekend in your garden - Joel
Well done
Absolutely fantastic interview with David.. what an incredible bloke, I could listen to him all day.
Joel, can't believe you were in Burnley.. not so far from me.
Today I was in the office and there was a commotion because a bumblebee had come in and was flying about.
I let it climb onto my finger and out of the window he flew.
People were gobsmacked because I let a bee climb on me. Just reminded me how uneducated people can be.
Thanks for doing this one, I really enjoyed it 🙂👍
Hey Mick! Back in SE London since getting back from France, another small urban garden make-over but no respite from the heat! It will be worth it though :) I stopped in to see David on the way up to Scotland to do that bird-hide so it really was a whistle-stop, but I could have spent days on end in the company of this man, so endearing and knowledgeable. Both he and Audrey made me feel so welcome. I was determined to showcase his hard work and the gardens that bring so many rewards. I will be in your area again soon enough no doubt and I can't wait to meet you in person :) So glad that you were there for that bee, and to educate others even a little! Well done you and I am so glad you enjoyed this interview, every second with him was just wonderful - have a great weekend, best wishes as always - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton and thank you so much for sharing this interview with us Joel. These are the little gems that are often not acknowledged. Have a great weekend mate 🙂👍
wow, beautiful garden!
What a treat listening to this conversation was! Thank you.
A very endearing and experienced man and I am so glad you enjoyed this - I was determined that he should get some deserved publicity about the work he has done and how it has improved his life, his channel is so interesting with all the videos he has made over the years, the social documentary too :) Best wishes - Joel
What a wonderful treasure the man and garden. I'm sure his grandchildren will remember fondly and think of him in future decades. Well done David and Audrey.
Thank you, David is a pleasure to be around and such an amiable and sincere gentleman. I wish I lived nearer to him. I really appreciate your kind comments and will ensure David sees :) Best wishes, Joel
This lovely man is a national treasure! What an awesome interview, thank you!
I am going to show him your comment Rowan! So sorry for the delay in acknowledging you but I've been working away and little time for YT and to keep up with everyone. But you're right, if you go to his channel "David Crossley's The Great Outdoors" you will see the short update videos that he is making, I could watch them all day. Thank you again, best wishes - Joel
Been waiting to get time to watch this in one proper go, and so worth. What a superb example of a proper gentleman David is. What a superb garden. So much work over the years has paid off. Everything he said was a real listen. Same as with your videos. Before I watched your 3 part pond making videos I wasn’t aware of you mate. The previous year I’d made an effort planting bee friendly plants and I’d dig my first fish pond and rockery waterfall. But since that 3 part series of yours, I’ve followed your channel intently ( as you know, ha ha) ,I’ve made my own wildflower pond, fitted bird feeders, made log piles , planted so many plants I’ve never heard of before after your recommendations, made a wildflower garden in a section of my lawn, thought about how and how often I cut my grass, and have done my best to persuade people I know to do the same . My in-laws have recently moved down to where we live and my father in law seen my wildlife pond and loves it . So I’ll be helping him create that soon once I’ve fitted his new heating system and bathroom 😁
I feel proud now listening to people like yourself and David that are so passionate on this subject and that I am actually part of this community now doing my small bit, hoping that lots more people do the same with their gardens to some way counteract all the wild land we’re sadly losing to government house building schemes and changes in farming etc .
Safe to say I will be subscribing to David’s channel right after I send this message 😊
Great video
Thanks Craig, as always - your support means a lot and David certainly is one of those people I could have spoken to for hours on end. I am so grateful that you will be supporting him on his channel too, he has gone rather "unsung" over the years and yet has so much to share, from a social history point as well as nature in his videos :) So glad you are reaping the rewards with your garden and the efforts you have put in. I really do appreciate your encouragement, thank you again - Joel
♥️You're inspiring a lot of people to do more Wildlife Gardens preserving and taking care of nature💚💚💚 thank you 👍👍
Thank you Kelly, I will pass on your kind words to David, his garden is an absolute showcase for a how a wildlife garden doesn't need to be messy to make a difference and I hope it inspires lots more people to think about nature when gardening. Hope you are having a great weekend, best wishes - Joel
What a gem of an episode….👏👏👏
So glad you enjoyed this Bob - David is an incredibly engaging man and it was just wonderful sitting with him and learning more about those gardens and all the rewards they bring :) Hope you have a great weekend - best wishes, Joel
That was brilliant! What an amazing inspiration for the rest of us David. Thanks Joel
3rd time watching this Joel. I’m trying to get more ideas of David’s fascinating garden.
Brilliant watch joel I’ve been subscribed to David’s channel for a few years now. The video with the year life cycle of his pond is my favourite with the tadpoles and him catching the sticklebacks and the amazing plants he grows. It’s fantastic that your sharing your TH-cam friends to your channel keep up the amazing work joel 🐸💚🐸
So glad you enjoyed this - I know you have supported David for a while and I couldn't help but visit him and share his wonderful work (and personality!) with everyone - he deserves so much more recognition and his short films are wonderful for social as well as natural history. I wish I didn't have to work in a way, just so I could visit more people and share the wonderful work they're doing, but if I didn't do the work I do then there'd not be as much content for sure ;) Hope you have a great weekend, keep up the great work with your channel too - best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Thankyou joel we are now 960 subscribers so not far off the 1000 mark now 🐸💚🐸
This is a credit to David and his wife, pond 🐸envy, what a fabulous garden. On behalf of all the wonderful wildlife, thankyou for sharing your ⭐️star hidden oasis with us🐾🦔🐦🐸🦎🐌🦋🐛🐜🐝🪲🐞🦗🕷🪳🕸🦟🪰🪱
New to the channel love the content! We should all do things to support wildlife ❤ can't beat a pond!
Thrilled by your comment Katherine, David's garden is certainly a wonderful showcase and I wanted as many people as possible to see his efforts and for him to be recognised for all the hard work and planning. So glad that you have joined the channel, we have a wonderful community here and the interest in gardening with wildlife in mind continues to grow too :) Best wishes, and thank you for the encouragement, it means a lot - Joel
What a lovely video - thank you both! Very informative.
He's a wonderful guy Jane, as you could no doubt tell. I was determined that he received recognition for all his hard work and those beautiful gardens. A real showcase of the rewards gardening for wildlife can bring :) Best wishes and have a great weekend - Joel
Such a beautiful natural garden.
It was great to see George and needless to say David was an absolute joy to be around, so welcoming :) He and his gardens are a real testament to the rewards gardening in this way can bring - I hope you have a great weekend, best wishes - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton in Jersey Joel
I saw my first ever Hummingbird Hawk moth in Jersey. Many firsts here in Jersey for me 😉
This is possibly the best gardening video I have ever seen - thank you so much. 2 lovely souls doing lovely work for the lovely world we live in 💚
This is possibly the best comment I've received on YT ;) Thanks so much for taking the time Lisa, I really do appreciate it - I just wanted David to be recognised for all the effort he had put in and his YT channel didn't have that many subscribers, which was a real shame as he puts such effort in, and his channel is great as a record of social history as well as natural history :) Thank you again, best wishes - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton You are very welcome..and I have subscribed to his channel too. Thx
You should go back to these gardens and record all the wildlife you can spot during summer!!!
I'm planning on it Mitch! Every client I've ever worked for is now on my planner and due to working all over the country it means that sooner or later I will be near to them again and be able to provide complete before and after footage, so many videos to upload yet but thank you for this. Best wishes, Joel
👍🏻. What a cracking garden 🪴 this is. 😊
It's nothing short of perfection isn't it Janie :) A long time in the making but a testament to the rewards gardening for wildlife can bring - I hope you have a great weekend, best wishes, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Thanks 😊
What a lovely gentleman David is Joel. I have now subscribed to his channel. Like you and Nikki, he is a vitally important wildlife advocate and allie as well as being an inspiration to so many. Thank you for taking the time to bring this wonderful man to the attention of those of us who were previously unaware of him. Paul 👍😊 #natureistheantidote
It was such a pleasure to spend time with him Paul, back in May. I really wanted his garden to be shown to as many people as possible, and, of course his hard work and dedication - a real showcase :) Just getting back into the "swing" of things but it was so good to meet you recently, and thank you for the photos too - I will look at them properly but they will come in very handy I'm sure :) Up in Leeds already after finishing the London job last week, time flies etc... Not sure if you have seen this short video David did last night but it's such a good example of the #NoMowSummer we were speaking of... what fantastic results!
th-cam.com/video/gEJdfsj6w6A/w-d-xo.html
Catch up properly soon - and thanks again for all your support and encouragement - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton
There is no slacking Joel when you are making such a huge difference for the benefit for wildlife and people alike, one project at a time 😊. It was an absolute pleasure Joel meeting both you and Nikki (behind every great man.....😊). Time flew by and yes, it would be great to have a proper catch up when time allows. I sent a few pics resisting the temptation to bombard you with dozens of them as I am sure Nikki had every base covered apart from the ones where she is included of course 😊. Thank you for the link to David's #nomowsummer video. I will have a watch. Stay wild 🦋🐝. Paul 👍😊 #natureistheantidote
Excellent video, that's an awesome natural looking pond. I've subscribed to his channel.
Thank you so much, David really does deserve more subscribers, he's been working tirelessly in trying to share information and his experiences over many years, as well as the important social history of his area, and I wanted so much to share his work with others - a very important gentleman I think you'll agree. I spent a wonderful day with him and he is a joy to be around :) Best wishes - Joel
Just L❤OVED this garden !!!😍😍😍😍
Me too Valeria, me too! David has worked so hard over the years and always considered the wildlife, it's such a joy to sit in and I just wish I lived more locally so I could visit more often and enjoy it. Thank you for this comment, I'll be sure to let David know. If you haven't seen already, do search "David Crossley's the Great Outdoors" on TH-cam, he's been making regular video updates on the garden and they are a lovely watch. Best wishes, Joel
Great video, keep doing what your doing 😊
Thank you Sam - David has worked so hard and what a show-case his garden is - I really would recommend checking out his channel "David Crossley's The Great Outdoors" he does some brilliant short pieces with updates on his garden throughout the seasons. Really appreciate your support Sam, thank you - best wishes, Joel
Agree Joel, David is a great wildlife advocate. A great garden that shows your garden doesn’t have to be out of control to introduce and support wildlife. The planting is excellent and great habitats. I’m very envious of his orchids. What a joy to watch, thank you.
Hi Tracey! So glad you enjoyed this, he's a wonderful man to be around and I was determined to share him and his garden with others. As you can see, he's worked tirelessly in his own gardens and they are a fantastic showcase for the rewards working in this way can bring. Do have a look at the "videos" section on his channel, there are some brilliant films that he has made :) Hope you are all doing well, best wishes - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton I subscribed sometime ago after watching the wildlife pond build at his friend's home. Take care Joel.
You can tell a person who is enthusiastic about their subject and its all done from personal experience and not formal education. WHat an absolute gem that is. I'm just in the throws of convierting my old veg patch into a wildlife garden, not as big as Davids but hopefully I can get it to look some where near as good.
Wow what a absolutely brilliant garden.🤗
It's just wonderful Helen isn't it, and so is David. I could have spent days chatting to him in that shed and looking out on all those rewards that come when gardening in this way :) Glad you enjoyed this - have a great weekend, Joel
What a lovely video 😍 and what a lovely man. Wish there were more like him.
Me too Madeleine, I was determined to get to see David and share his work and wonderful gardens with everyone. He was an absolute joy to be around and David and Audrey were so welcoming, I do hope I can get to see them again soon. His channel is such a delight too, so many wonderful short films about social history as well as natural history in his area and also the wonderful holidays they have been on. Have a great weekend Madeleine, best wishes as always - Joel
Wow... !!! My best friend, Loved this video. Looking forward to see more. Awesome... Full watched.
Thank you so much 🤗
What an amazing garden! I'll definitely check out some of David's videos.
Thank you Greg, he certainly does deserve more recognition and support, I was determined to get to him to share his wonderful gardens and of course endearing personality :) Hope to meet up with you too soon, still working on the work schedule but I'll be in Norfolk in the not too distant future :) Have a great weekend Greg - best wishes, Joel
The world needs more people like David what a great video & a lovely caring man. Great vid Joel I'll defo be subscribing to his channel especially to see his wonderful garden change thru the seasons. Keep up the great work mate 👍
Doesn't it just Stephen! The day spent with David will be one I won't forget, such an endearing and knowledgeable guy and so unassuming. I'm sure if you go to the "videos" section on his channel that you'll find so many engaging films about social history as well as natural history. David really has captured some wonderful characters, particularly John Nuttall and the video of this man is priceless :) Best wishes, and thanks again, Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton thanks Joel 👍
This is a great interview, I love wildlife gardening and hiking in the mountains. Would love to create an alpine area, but I'm on clayey loam soil that's very rich. Somebody gave me a Pasque flower last spring, I had no idea what to do with it, or where to plant it, it eventually died in the pot as I forgot about it.
It is amazing what appears in the grass, this year Red Clover, White Clover, Buttercups, Hawkweed, Dandelion, Cuckoo flower, various ragworts, daisies, plaintains, and Germander Speedwell have appeared amongst others. I don't know why, but every inch of the garden is covered in Speedwell, after I let the grass grow for a few weeks, it's a blue carpet, it's in the cracks in the pavement and anywhere it can grow.
This is brilliant John, you're so right about the surprises that are waiting to showcase themselves once the mower is kept away for a while :) David was an absolute joy to be around and if you go to the "videos" section on his channel you'll find lots of short films that I am sure will be great to watch for you as you have very similar interests. The social history part of some of his videos are priceless too. Best wishes, and have a great weekend - Joel
Amazing garden! Would love to see some sort of tutorial on how to add a stream to an existing wildlife pond
Hey Mike :) I have a couple to undertake in the next few months, but they will be with new ponds - I'll certainly get a chance to try to do an explanatory video too though. Not sure if you saw this video here but it shows the installation of a stream from one small pond into a larger one - hope this helps in the meantime:
th-cam.com/video/BrvhfJ_cc_E/w-d-xo.html
Best wishes, as always - Joel
Hya Joel! What an inspirational man. I could listen to him for hours. It's always lovely to see someone else's garden who shares the same ethos as us. And steal some ideas haha. I loved what he said at the end about his family. My three grown up kids{ yes they'll always be kids!} and now the four grandkids have a love of wild places and the natural world and it's nice to think they'll pass that love on to their children. I'm sure he is, and will continue to be an inspiration to everyone around him. What a beautiful garden! I will check out his videos. Love the new music, hope you've settled back in dear old blighty okay.
Hi there! I am so glad that so many more people are getting to witness David's gardens and all the rewards they bring from gardening with thought for wildlife, a real showcase :) It was just wonderful sitting and speaking with David and I could have done so for days, so engaging and welcoming, a day I'll not forget. So glad your grandkids (and kids!) have you as a mentor and they certainly won't forget you sharing all this. Have interviewed two other wonderful people on Monday this week, then it was back to London to start another urban garden make-over, the heat has been pretty unbearable of course but it will be worth the effort for sure. Lots of videos from France and previous projects in the year, plus more interviews to come so my weekend might consist of editing as well as catching up on admin ;) I hope you have a great one - best wishes as always - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Lots of ice lolls Joel! Look forward to all the videos to come.
Super interesting interview and what an amazing nature garden. Hopefully it will inspire many more of us to create a wild life garden 🐝
It's certainly a perfect advertisement for the rewards that gardening in this way can bring Mark, and what a wonderful guy to explain exactly how this can be achieved :) I do hope you visit his channel and see the "videos" section where there are so many gems that capture social history as well as natural history, they're very engaging :) Best wishes, Joel
What a lovely conversation between two kind people. In Colorado some native plants are rare and difficult to find for sale, but I hope they'll become more common.
Thank you so much - David was an absolute joy to be around and I was determined to get to him to showcase his wonderful gardens and the rewards they bring when considering wildlife too :) I wish I could get to USA sooner to try to spread the word about native gardening! I hope you have a great weekend - best wishes, Joel
Still on catch up Joel, i have subd to David. What a lovely genuine Gentleman, great vlog, like you, he certainly knows his stuff, a brilliant watch ty for sharing 🎉
Hi Joel, I really enjoyed this video and will be subscribing to David’s channel as it was lovely listening to such a down to earth and caring man, wish David was my neighbour !
what a lovely garden so much wildlife has moved in
Amazing garden, fascinating interview 👍
Thanks Mikey, so glad you enjoyed this, David is an absolute joy to spend time with and so very knowledgeable. I really would recommend his channel "The Great Outdoors with David Crossley" - he does regular monthly update on the garden and again they're wonderful to watch. Best wishes, Joel
So much to learn with this kind of person and experience… another great video Joel ! modeling and thinking our gardens to Attract the wildlife and keep it safe is just what we should all do
Glad you enjoyed this Vincent, he certainly is a very engaging man and I spent quite an unforgettable day with him :) I do hope his experience encourages others to bring nature to their gardens too, it's not about asking people to tear out their existing gardens and change completely, but to add elements that can certainly help and will no doubt bring rewards year-round :) Hope you are doing well, best wishes - Joel
What a lovely man and a wonderful garden and not a weed in sight!!! Unlike my garden! I've subscribed to David's channel of course. Thank you for bringing him to our attention. Hope you had a great holiday. We spent last week in Porthcawl. Some fab places to visit round there. Found a patch of pyramidal and bee orchids. They are on WASTE land so there are plans to build 900 houses on the site. When will it ever stop? Our gardens are so important.
Sad to hear about the house-building - I interviewed two other people early this week and they both said about the value of waste-ground for nature, I hope to upload the finished videos soon so I can share these two great people with everyone too. But David really is a joy to be around as I am sure you could tell, so unassuming and I won't forget meeting him. France was amazing, needless to say, I took lots of footage (no surprise!) and will be sharing my finds and adventures with you all soon - glad you had a good break in Porthcawl... another area I'd love to visit :) Enjoy the weekend and I hope you're all doing well - best wishes, Joel
How nice. I hope I can do the same in my retirement years. Thank you!
Likewise, Steve 😊👍
Lovely conversation. So envious of the pond.
All the starlings are over here in the US! I get so many in my yard now just north of Boston. They are beautiful, but not native here and they are such a thuggish gang as they always come as a huge flock of at least 25.
A garden to aspire too, especially love how the pond has developed over time, I’ve dreamt of doing this. I too wish for newts, but this seems to be an area for frogs, and likewise I wouldn’t bring any in, it’s down to nature whether they arrive. Great interview I could watch this again, love to hear like minded people discussing nature, wildlife gardening.
It certainly is Keith - he's such a wonderful guy to be around and I could do that interview all over again to be honest, it was so enjoyable meeting him and he and Audrey made me feel so very welcome :) I was determined to share his wonderful gardens with everyone and to ensure he had the recognition he deserves. Catch up soon, have a great weekend - Joel
An amazing garden created by an amazing man.
Thank you. I enjoyed listening, learning and reflecting. Appreciated. Inspires me to look up ‘Out Of Town’ with Jack Hargreaves. Going to do that next. ❤
Really interesting hearing you two natter away - thankyou both for the content. At one point you talk of 'past' flowers??? Did I hear that right?
Hi Daniel :) Glad you enjoyed this, he's a wonderful guy. I think it may have been "Pasque Flowers" that we were speaking of in David's front garden.... Hope this helps - have a great weekend, Joel
Christ that was quick! I hadn't even finished the video! Thankyou again Joel. Enjoy the heat... 🤯
Absolutely inspirational and unassuming man. I've seen the video that David made when building a pond for his friend but now I'll just have to binge on his other videos. Thanks for bringing this to us Joel, made my daily commute
into Central London more bearable.
Hey :) So glad this helped you get through the commute, hope it's not been too unbearable in this heat, I'm currently in SE London and have been since I got back from France, another small urban garden make-over but the heat...!! If you go to the "videos" section on David's channel you'll find them all there, and you'll see how important his little snippets of film are, from a social as well as natural history perspective. He really does deserve more recognition and I was so keen to share his garden (and him!) with everyone :) Hope you get through today and enjoy the weekend - best wishes, and thanks again for your support - Joel
Best viewing I’ve seen in years!
Warm enough for you here in France today Joel?
38 degrees here in North Dordogne 😳
What a wonderful habitat.I’m in my 1st year of my creation and it’s very green at present.Odd bloom here and there. Ponds teaming with toad and frog spawn.It’s so dry at present I’ve had to relocate and save many newts from local areas that have dried up and many critters have fallen to the drying weather.One question I have is what’s your take on mice and rats…I’ve created a few log piles and thicket areas with branches for the wildlife and they are loving it..Do they stay or do I need to catch and relocate ?
Hi there! SO sorry for the delay in acknowledging you, I'd been away for 10 days in France and then back to client works so time hasn't been on my side to catch up with everyone. Your patch sounds wonderful, and thank you and well done for saving those newts etc. Mice and rats... a wild garden will attract natural predators for mice of course, foxes will also take rats no problem at all. Mice can be relocated into the wider countryside and they won't have any problems with this but rats... not sure I'd like to attempt to catch one but let me know how you get on! Apologies again for the delay, just wanted to let you know I wasn't ignoring you :) Best wishes, Joel
Delightful man and wonderful garden. Really enjoyed this video!
Question, though. Have I somehow overlooked the link to his channel? I don't see it with the other links above.
Hi there - so glad you enjoyed this - at the end of the video there is a video link on the left hand side - but I'll put a link to the channel in the description now :) Thanks for pointing this out. Best wishes - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton
Ah! I missed that at the end of the video. Thanks so much.
Hi Joel - really enjoyed this. However be aware that the sycamore supports a fraction of the insects and ecosystems of native trees, its seeding is hugely successful and it soon dominates woods creating a dark canopy that negatively affects what grows below.
Thanks Nick, appreciated. I used to think the same many years ago, but have learned that the Sycamore (in the UK) was introduced by the Romans and does support a lot of our native wildlife, bees nectar on the flowers, goldfinch eat the seeds, the leaves are eaten by a lot of our UK moth caterpillars, bluetits and other birds utilise them due to the abundance of aphids that use them and take them back to their nests for the chicks. I spoke with Brett Westwood about this in the interview. You're right that they have no problem reproducing around the garden but they're easily kept in check. Hope the new year has treated you well so far, best wishes - Joel
❤
Thank you :)
First 🥰
Well done 🐸💚🐸
If you details about garden pl showing mostly plants is better your both own pics ?
If everyone only had two children, there wouldn't be a problem xx
?
Lovely chat, really enjoyed the talk and the garden. I've noticed some birds aren't around here anymore, certainly is sad. I'll go check out David's channel next, pretty sure it's wonderful 😊
If you haven't seen this channel, I think you'll really enjoy seeing what Colette at Bealtaine Cottage in Ireland did with 3 dead acres.
th-cam.com/video/EWA-WCWBiWM/w-d-xo.html
So glad you enjoyed this Wende - back in London finishing another job today so just stopping for a break and then it'll be the weekend when I can catch up with admin etc before another large project in Leeds next week. I know that you'll find David's channel worthwhile, if you go to "videos" on his page you'll see the whole library there and there's some wonderful social history he has captured too, really nostalgic and very engaging :) I'll have a look at Colette's work when I get a chance to settle, thank you for the recommendation - hope you are doing well - best wishes, as always - Joel
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton
Just wanted say I binge watched David's channel, really enjoyed it. You all have a nice weekend, hope you get some hours in between.
The natural antidote for the modern weed killer and astroturf disease.
48 minutes in and joel just said he shouldnt have had kids to save the planet 😢 what a clown