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Scything is an excellent, economical and environmentally friendly way to manage your lawns or meadows. Training courses available. Scything Scything is an excellent, economical and environmentally friendly way to manage your lawns or meadows. Scything is rapidly becoming more popular as a way to maintain lawns and meadows. Conservation charities and gardening groups, as well as individuals, are all getting on board with this traditional tool. With their light weight and ease of use, many people find scythes are an ideal substitute for powered machines. To find out if I'm all legit & can be trusted Benefits Of Scythes Cheaper to buy than strimmers/brushcutters and mowers. Costs nothing to use each time you mow. You aren't using fuel or electricity. No other ongoing costs, like fuel, oil, grease, plastic cord. You can maintain a scythe yourself, so there are no servicing costs. No atmospheric pollution from petrol fumes. No noise pollution from engines. No environmental pollution from bits of plastic cord being spread across the landscape. No need for ear, eye or face protection. You can get away without gloves or steel capped boots if you want. More pleasant to work as a team. Safe mowing distance between scythes is 3 metres. Safe mowing distance between strimmer operators is 15 metres. Regular scything is a great cardio exercise and core strength builder. Many of the people I have trained are on my mailing list the North East Cereal Killers . A volunteer group who help each other out with mowing large areas (usually in return for tea and cake) You might like to join also and get involved.

Creating and managing wildlife lawns and meadows for customers in the North East of England. Using native species. Wildlife Lawns & Meadows Wildlife lawns can be a very low maintenance option for busy gardeners. Wildlife meadows, using native wild flowers can add a massive amount of interest to your garden. Wildflower lawn creation will attract pollinating insects to your garden. Decrease your workload in the garden. Wild flowers only require mowing once in a year. Spend more time relaxing and enjoying the garden. 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.

Learn the easiest ways to keep your pond clear and clean with this simple set of instructions. How to maintain Pond plants. Essentially pond plants are herbaceous perennials and require only one cut in a season. This is usually done in Autumn, once they have all finished flowering. October to November are the best months for this. Some prolific seeders like Marsh Marigold Caltha palustris, can be cut as soon as they have finished flowering. Usually April to May. This reduces the amount of seed they produce. They often send up a second show of flowers after being cut. They are very decorative plants but can be a bit of a thug around a smaller pond, overpowering smaller more delicate plants like Ragged Robin Silene flos cucculi. By the end of the year many of the plants in a pond will have spread an incredible amount. They are prolific growers. Marginals are best cut to ground level around the pond edge. I use a scythe for this. working around the pond edge anti clockwise so that the cut vegetation is drawn away from the water by the scythe. Emergent and deep water plants can also be trimmed (carefully) using a scythe or shears to as close to their base as possible. In large ponds, where amphibians breed, it is best to only clear one third of the vegetation each year. As many amphibians (Adult male frogs and un metamorphosed juveniles) will hibernate in the mud at the bottom of ponds it is best practice to avoid too much disturbance. Make sure as much of the cut vegetation as possible is removed and composted. As mentioned, many pond plants are fast growers and need to be kept in check, otherwise they can smother the other plants and take over the pond. Steer clear of exotic species if you can, as many have proved to be very invasive. Some, once available for sale, are now notifiable invasive plants, recognised as ecologically disastrous in UK waterways. Native pond plants to watch out for are Yellow Flag Iris, Marsh Marigold, Pendulous Sedge, Hornwort, Purple Loosestrife, Water Mint and Rush. In this video I demonstrate how to clear dense mats of overgrown pond plants. In this video you can see how thick some pond plants can become. Their stems and roots forming dense mats on the surface as well as deep into the water. With regular maintenance, as described above, this can be avoided. Regular work is easier and lighter to carry out. Rather than waiting several years and it becoming a hard heavy job. In this video I demonstrate how to clear vegetation using a scythe. Both in and around the pond. Careful use of the scythe allows for quick work around the pond edge. Once in the water I can use the scythe to snip water lilies and oxygenating plants at their base. Once everything is cut, I can rake it out and compost it. Pond plants compost incredibly well. Sludge from the pond bottom is very nutrient rich and makes excellent fertiliser.

Wilderness Tamed offer a range of wildlife friendly gardening services in the North East of England. Full Range Of Wildlife friendly Gardening Services Ponds, Wildlife Meadows & Lawns, Design, Consultation & Jungle Busting Renovations. Pond Creation and Management Creating and maintaining wildlife ponds using only UK native pond plants. For the best in biodiversity. Contact Us Wildlife Meadows Creating and maintaining wildlife meadows and lawns using only UK native flowers and grasses. For the best in biodiversity. Contact Us 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. email 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 email 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 email Jungle Busting Jungle Busting for those who require a jolly good clearance session to rediscover a lost garden. Hedge restoration in Stocksfield email

See what is involved on our Reptile & Amphibian Surveys training day Reptile Surveys On the training day you will learn How to spot the specific habitat features, within a wider landscape, that are suitable for reptiles. The techniques used to search for these animals without causing stress or disturbance. Gain knowledge of these little understood animals. Their life cycles, activity throughout the year, and ecology. Gain a respect of the importance of reptiles within a habitat and ecosystem. Important note There is no guarantee of seeing any reptiles on a survey, so attendees are encouraged not to build up their hopes of seeing some. But armed with the experience gained on the training day, they should be more confident of being able to spot them when out in the countryside. Book now to arrange your training Understanding Reptile Habitat When confronted with a large landscape scale area to survey for reptiles, an understanding of the key features they utilise greatly increases your chances of finding them. Survey Techniques Learning how reptiles function and using that knowledge to locate them in a visual search takes time and experience to learn. I will teach you how to approach an area in a way that helps you spot the animals before they become aware of you. Ecology Learn about the life cycles and ecology of our native herpetofauna. Gain an understanding of how these little understood animals function and go about their daily lives. Learn specific skills Survey techniques for reptiles are very specific. Join me for an intensive training day to learn the skills I have gained over 50 years of field work, studying these animals both in the Uk and abroad. Book now to arrange your training

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 Wilderness Tamed is leading the way in wildlife pond installation in the North East. Instaling ponds for schools and private gardens across Northumberland, County Durham, Gateshead and North Tyneside. 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'll find everything from a small wildlife pond for frogs and newts in Newcastle to larger natural looking ponds in the Northumberland countryside. 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

Please contact us for more information. Contact 07827 958361 Business Hours Mon - Fri 9:00 am – 16:00 pm contact@wildernesstamed.com

A range of training & talks covering wildlife friendly gardening, reptile & amphibian ecology & scything. Scything Courses 2026 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 since 2012.. John has attended a masterclass at the Green Scythe Fair. This course sets a high standard in proficiency and has long been regarded as the goal for those wishing to become future instructors. 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. I have been hosting courses in the use of Austrian Scythes since 2012 nationally. 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 Learn to mow with an Austrian scythe Scythe courses A full day course learning this traditional skill. Starting at 9am until 4pm. Venue Oaklands Garden Centre A694 Swalwell Newcastle Upon Tyne NE21 6RB Beginners course 4th July Beginners course 15th August Improvers course 29th August Beginners Course 5th September Beginners Course 25th September Cost: £65 Full day learn-to-scythe training £20 Scythe hire (or you can bring your own scythe for free) Book Now

Returns & Refunds Policy We want you to love your purchase. If you’re not completely satisfied, we’re here to help. This Returns & Refunds Policy explains how returns, exchanges, and refunds work at our store. Overview 30-Day Return Window You may request a return within 30 days of receiving your order. To be eligible for a return: The item must be unused, in its original condition, and in its original packaging. Proof of purchase (order number or receipt) is required. Certain items such as gift cards, downloadable products, and final-sale items are not returnable. How to Start a Return To initiate a return, please contact us at contact@wildernesstamed.comwith : Your order number The item(s) you’d like to return The reason for the return We’ll provide step-by-step instructions and a return authorization. Return Shipping If the return is due to our error (defective, damaged, wrong item): we cover return shipping costs. If the return is for other reasons (e.g., changed your mind, wrong size), return shipping is the customer’s responsibility. Refunds Once we receive and inspect your returned item, we’ll notify you of approval or rejection. If approved: Refunds are issued to your original payment method. Allow 5–10 business days for the refund to appear on your account. Please note: Shipping costs are non-refundable unless the fault was ours. If the item shows signs of use or damage not caused by us, a partial refund may apply. Exchanges If you need an exchange for the same item (e.g., different size or color), contact us at contact@wildernesstamed.com We’ll help you arrange the exchange based on availability. Damaged or Faulty Items If your order arrives damaged or defective, contact us within 7 days with photos of the issue. We’ll replace the item or issue a full refund at no cost to you. Non-Returnable Items Gift cards Digital/downloadable products Personalized or custom-made items Final sale or clearance items Late or Missing Refunds If you haven’t received your refund: Check your bank account again. Contact your payment provider; processing times vary. Contact us at contact@wildernesstamed.com if you still need help.

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 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.

Talks & Training Talks to groups and training for professionals and individuals. Reptile Surveys Book now to arrange your talk I am available to travel to your own venue to give a range of training based around: Reptile & Amphibian Identification Survey techniques Habitat management. Reptile and amphibian ecology Gardening Talks Book now to arrange your training 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. Gardening Talks Reptiles