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As mentioned on the formal lawns verses wildflowers page, this is an easy process carried out no more than twice in a year. Managing your wildflowers As mentioned on the formal lawns verses wildflowers page, this is an easy process carried out no more than twice in a year. As you will probably guess from other pages on this site my preferred method of mowing is with a scythe. Honestly, they're so much easier and eco friendly than people imagine. So simply mow the wildflower lawn and either immediately rake off the cuttings or leave for a few days to allow seeds to drop into the soil. Wondering if a scythe is a better option than a strimmer for managing your land? Check here for a comparison of the two. That's it! It really is as easy as that. I could end this page here, but I like to waffle on a bit, so there'll be more. You're wondering what to do with all the stuff you remove, aren't you? why not donate it to someone else who wants what you've got. They can spread it over a prepared area of their own garden. Allow the seeds to drop over a few days, then remove the vegetation. It's how many large scale meadows are created, with cuttings from an already established meadow. Failing that, perhaps some locals would like it to feed their pet guinea pigs or rabbits. I know some folk bale their wildflowers and sell the bales for a few quid. In other news, keeping the nutrient level low also means keeping the lawn free from too many Autumn leaves. Here's a quick video all about it.

A range of training & talks covering wildlife friendly gardening, reptile & amphibian ecology & scything. Scything Courses Contact me to arrange your scythe course Mail As a registered SABI* trainer in the use of Austrian Scythes a number of courses are offered throughout the year. A days training includes Anatomy of the scythe Setting up the scythe Mowing techniques Blade honing with a whet stone Meadow management Peening the blade using a jig Maintenance of the scythe and blade through the year Community groups, charities and local interest groups can book scythe training days at discounted rates. Wondering if a scythe is a better option than a strimmer for managing your land? Check here for a comparison of the two. I can also offer one to one courses for individuals. You might like to join the North East Cereal Killers * SABI Scything Association of Brita in & Ireland Go to my risk assessment and insurance documents page . Buy an eGift card for a scythe course eGift Card Scythe courses 2025 Dates Ditch the strimmer, come along and enjoy learning this traditional skill in some wonderful settings across the North East region. Experienced scythe instructor John Grundy has been teaching across the region and nationally for over ten years. John is a registered instructor with the Scything Association of Britain and Ireland. (SABI) The scythe is fast becoming a popular tool of choice for many gardeners, conservation charities and community garden groups. Wondering if a scythe is a better option than a strimmer for managing your land? Check here for a comparison of the two. Learn to mow with an Austrian scythe A full day course learning this traditional skill. Details of course content above. Saturday 26th July Oaklands Garden Centre A694 Swalwell Newcastle Upon Tyne NE21 6RB Cost: £65 Full day learn-to-scythe training £20 Scythe hire (or you can bring your own scythe for free) 9.00am to 4.00pm. Book Now Learn to scythe workshop Join us at Low way farm, Holwick, Middleton in Teesdale on Monday 21 July 2025, for an enjoyable day learning the traditional skill of scything. Cost: £65 Full day learn-to-scythe training £20 Scythe hire (or you can bring your own scythe for free) Scythe training is suitable for people over 18. Unfortunately due to the nature of the training it is not dog friendly. For extra information please contact William at: william@northpennines.org.uk More information from Upcoming Events – North Pennines National Landscape Scroll to bottom of page and click on book Now button. Gardening Talks I am available to travel to your venue and present a range of talks based around Creating and managing a wildlife pond Creating and managing a wild flower garden. Formal lawns v's wild flower lawns or meadows. Replacing exotic species of flowering plant with natives. Book now to arrange your talk Wildlife Survey Training I am available to travel to your own venue to give a range of training based around: Identification Survey techniques Habitat management. Reptile and amphibian ecology Book now to arrange your training Gardening Talks Widlife Survey Training

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

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

My current liability insurance for peace of mind. Insurance

Highlighting the pros and cons between strimmers and scythes for those wanting to budget for their grassland management. Scythe V Strimmer If you're wondering about the advantages of a scythe over a strimmer then perhaps this page will help you make the right decision for your grass management plans. If your work is in conservation, land management, community groups or as a small holder, then it's well worth taking the time to seriously consider which tool will be best for you. Scythe V Strimmer Cost Servicing costs Spare parts Fuel Full kit £226 None. Can be done in house by trained staff & vols. Optional. Additions to kit if required. None Cost Annual Servicing costs Spare parts Fuel FS 361 PETROL CLEARING SAW £1039 Plus PPE and harness £120 per machine by professional mechanics. Approx £30 per cord spool approx £3.50 Per tank full 0.75lt per hour approximately. Plus oil and grease Pollution Noise. None Environmental. None Atmospheric. None Noise. 100 dB(A) 2) Environmental. Littering of plastic cord. Atmospheric. Unregulated emissions. Engagement & Safety As an engagement tool within conservation the scythe wins hands down. Visitors are naturally drawn to watching a scythe in action. Due to it’s silent operation users can engage with visitors while mowing. Teams can chat with each other while working. The prescribed safe mowing distance between scythers is 3 meters. No PPE is required, so awareness of others and wildlife is greatly increased. The lack of vibration means no risk of inducing finger or hand related issues. The mowers fitness levels are the only limiting factor in scythe mowing. As an engagement tool within conservation the strimmer is a repellent. Visitors are naturally annoyed by strimmers and will avoid close contact at all costs. The noise from strimmers makes it impossible to engage with visitors. Strimmer operators can not chat with colleagues. The prescribed safe mowing distance between strimmer operators is 15 meters PPE and harnesses are uncomfortable and reduce awareness of others and wildlife. Vibration from the machine can induce carpel tunnel syndrome, vibration white finger and Raynauds, reducing the time allowed to safely operate strimmers.

Newt Identification Training. Among the many things I do, training people to identify our native amphibians and reptiles, is one. Those involved in conservation and ecology need to know how to identify the species they encounter, in order to help them manage habitats. Several of our native reptiles and amphibians are on the endangered species list. Learning how to identify different amphibian species, survey for them effectively and manage their habitats, is crucial in helping protect these vulnerable animals. This male great crested newt Triturus cristatus is from one of my own ponds in the garden. He was caught in a bottle trap which was placed in the pond overnight. Early the next morning, the traps were emptied and the newts counted and photographed. The two trainees were able to see the newts close up, in order to spot the differences between species and sexes. The belly markings of newts are unique to each animal, and a great way to help tell individuals apart. There are distinct characteristics between males and females of each species of newt. Knowing all of these key differences takes time to learn. These trainees are employed by a local wildlife trust and are training towards gaining a specific Natural England licence for great crested newts (GCN). In order to legally survey for any endangered animal, you must be licensed for the specific species. Any form of disturbance , even down to photography, needs to be covered by the licence. This leucitic female palmate newt Lissotriton helvetica , was from another of my garden ponds. These colour morphs occur naturally and can be quite common in some populations. They can cause confusion when trying to identify them, as the lack of pigment means none of the usual colours or markings are present. If you would like to learn how to identify our native amphibians and reptiles, look for them and help protect them, please contact me.

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.

Please check our cookie policy. For more information please contact us. Cookie Policy for Wilderness Tamed Effective Date: May 28, 2024 1. Introduction Welcome to www.wildernesstamed.com (the "Website"). This Cookie Policy explains how Wilderness Tamed ("we," "our," or "us") uses cookies and similar technologies to recognize you when you visit our Website. It explains what these technologies are and why we use them, as well as your rights to control our use of them. 2. What are cookies? Cookies are small data files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. Cookies are widely used by website owners to make their websites work, or to work more efficiently, as well as to provide reporting information. Cookies set by the website owner (in this case, Wilderness Tamed) are called "first-party cookies." Cookies set by parties other than the website owner are called "third-party cookies." Third-party cookies enable third-party features or functionality to be provided on or through the website (e.g., advertising, interactive content, and analytics). 3. Why do we use cookies? We use first-party and third-party cookies for several reasons. Some cookies are required for technical reasons for our Website to operate, and we refer to these as "essential" or "strictly necessary" cookies. Other cookies enable us to track and target the interests of our users to enhance the experience on our Website. Third parties serve cookies through our Website for advertising, analytics, and other purposes. 4. Cookies used by Wix As the Website is hosted on Wix, it utilizes various cookies provided by Wix to ensure optimal functionality and user experience. Below are the types of cookies Wix may place on your device when you visit our Website: XSRF-TOKEN: Used for security reasons. hs: Used for security reasons. svSession: Used in connection with user login. SSR-caching: Used to indicate the system from which the site was rendered. _wixCIDX: Used for system monitoring/debugging. _wix_browser_sess: Used for system monitoring/debugging. consent-policy: Used for cookie banner parameters. smSession: Used to identify logged-in site members. TS*: Used for security and anti-fraud reasons. bSession: Used for system effectiveness measurement. fedops.logger.sessionId: Used for stability/effectiveness measurement. 5. Your choices regarding cookies You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. You can exercise your cookie preferences by adjusting the settings in your browser. Each browser is different, so check the "Help" menu of your particular browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences. 6. Updating this Cookie Policy We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time in order to reflect, for example, changes to the cookies we use or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. Please revisit this Cookie Policy regularly to stay informed about our use of cookies and related technologies. 7. Contact us If you have any questions about our use of cookies or other technologies, please email us at contact@wildernesstamed.com .

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.

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

Showing the qualifications, training and experience that makes Wilderness Tamed stand out from the rest. Location Covering both Northumberland and Durham Being based at the top end of County Durham, close to Gateshead and Newcastle I am well situated for access to the A1 which allows for easy travel into Northumberland & the coast. More local roads lead into Weardale & Teesdale. Working in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural beauty is part of what makes the job so appealing. Over the hills I can get to the Tyne Valley for Prudhoe, Corbridge, Riding Mill, Hexham and surrounding villages. Qualifications I studied horticulture at Houghall College in Durham from 1988 to 1989. gaining extensive experience in plant knowledge. With skills in propagation, cultivation and identification. After passing with distinction I went on to work in a variety of practical garden situations. From 2007 to 2012 I worked for the National Trust at Gibside. The final three years of this were spent on the Careership Training programme in conservation management. Experience After studying horticulture I worked at several leading North East garden centres including Peter Barratt's, Cowell's and The Beamish Clematis Nursery. I have worked in horticulture since 1989 in various fields and then moved into conservation for the National Trust. The first three years at Gibside was spent coordinating the Grass Snake Habitat Enrichment Project. Then during the Careership Programme learning a variety of conservation skills. I was the Revealing Reptiles Project Officer for Durham wildlife Trust from 2016 to 2018. This involved recruiting and training volunteers to help me survey the whole of County Durham for reptiles. I also gave talks to many local groups. Services Installation and maintenance of ponds Installation and maintenance of wild flower lawns and meadows. Regular maintenance of existing gardens. I offer an online consultation service as well as garden designs provided by a network of professional designers across the UK. Training in scythe use for meadow management, both for individuals and conservation groups. A range of talks on various wildlife friendly garden subjects. Training in reptile and amphibian survey techniques as well as ecology and habitat management.