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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.

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.

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.

Using native UK pond plants in your garden pond. Make your pond more wildlife friendly with this simple guide. How to use native plants in your pond It should be obvious why you need to use native plants in a wildlife friendly pond or garden. But I'll lay it out for you here in case you're under any doubt. Exotic species offer very little in the way of benefit to native insects, other than a nectar source for adult insects. No butterfly or moth species are adapted to using exotic plants as food for their larvae. ie caterpillars. Native plants act in several ways to improve a pond. The roots will help stabilise the shore edge of a pond. They will also act as natural filtration by absorbing nutrients from the water. This reduces build up of excess nutrients which can pollute the water or build up as toxins and poison wildlife. Oxygenate the water as they release oxygen from their roots and stems in tiny streams of bubbles. Provide foraging and shelter for small invertebrates and amphibians. Did you know that frog and toad tadpoles start out as herbivores before becoming insectivores. They will eat the jelly of the spawn first, then move on to algae, dead plant matter and leaves of pond plants. This is one of my own ponds in early summer showing the wide variety of plants growing in and around the water. A wildlife pond, whether it be a naturally occurring pond in the countryside or a lined pond created in a garden, should not have plastic baskets filled with plants in it. I strongly recommend planting young pond plants into a substrate on the pond bottom. You don't need special pond soil bought from a garden centre. In my experience, over many years of creating ponds, not only in gardens but for conservation charities, I have never brought in pond soil or compost. In several ponds I've only used course grit or gravel to act as an anchoring substrate for plug plants. The roots will establish in this and as the pond matures, enough plant matter and waste from pond animals will act as a source of nutrients, which the plants roots can absorb and filter out. Pond plants fall into several categories Deep water. Those which root into the bottom of the pond. Some will send up leaves and flowers to the surface. Oxygenators. Rooting into the bottom of the pond, often growing in large clumps. Surface cover/free floating. Seasonal plants emerging to the surface during warmer weather to spread across the surface. Emergent. Growing in the deeper water around the margins and sending up leaves and stems above the water level. Marginal. Growing with their feet in the damp edges of the pond. Most will tolerate being submerged for long periods. Each type of plant plays an important part in the ecology of the pond. Like the layers of foliage in a forest they offer cover to one another. Provide forage for the animal life. Act as food for some invertebrates as well as the aforementioned early stages in a tadpoles life. Provide egg laying opportunities for various invertebrates. Not just within the pond but above the water as well. And emergent and marginal plants allow the larvae stage of dragon and damselflies to crawl from their aquatic home into the open air. From here they will transform and emerge as adults.

Learn to mow with our scythe course egift card full days training. Gift a unique experience with our scythe course egift card today! Scything Course eGift Card Choose the gift card that suits you best. £65 Individual day training course. Supply your own scythe. £85 Individual day training course with scythe supplied by Wilderness Tamed. £110 Discounted couples day training course. Supply your own scythes. £160 Discounted couples day training course with scythes supplied by Wilderness Tamed Scythe Course £65 Wilderness Tamed welcomes you to this scything course where you will learn how to mow with an Austrian scythe. Please email contact@wildernesstamed.com to arrange your course. Amount £65 £85 £110 £160 Quantity Buy Now

Some pictures of groups of people learning to use Austrian scythes. A gallery of past scythe courses Just a few pictures from training courses I've ran over the years. From National Trust properties & Wildlife Trust reserves across the country to local community groups and garden associations. A formidable collection. Learning to peen the blades. Peening workshop. A rack of scythes. Gentlemen testing scythes. Scything in Slaidburn. Competitions at the Scottish scythe festival. New scythers mowing in Yorkshire.

View our terms and conditions. Please contact us for mor information Terms and Conditions for Wilderness Tamed Effective Date: May 28, 2024 Welcome to www.wildernesstamed.com (the "Website"). These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your use of our Website and services provided by Wilderness Tamed ("we," "our," or "us"). By accessing or using our Website, you agree to comply with and be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree with these Terms, please do not use our Website. 1. Use of the Website 1.1. Eligibility: You must be at least 18 years old to use our Website. By using our Website, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years old and have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms. 1.2. Permitted Use: You may use our Website for lawful purposes only. You agree not to use our Website in any way that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair our Website or interfere with any other party's use and enjoyment of our Website. 1.3. 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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.

See a variety of ways to hide your pond liner for a more natural look. How to disguise pond liner Nobody likes VPL! Visible Pond Liner. The common idea of pond construction is to use flat 'crazy paving' slabs on the top edge of the pond. You've seen them, with their slightly overlapping edges, desperately trying to hide any signs of liner. Fail! There are several easy and effective ways to disguise an ugly pond liner. Either using rock and cobbles or plants and even upturned turf. This series of videos will show you how. Creating a series of stepped shelves within the pond allows you to layer stone work up and out of the water. If you start from deep enough in the pond, any uncovered liner will be almost unnoticeable at depth. You can of course cover the entire bottom of the pond with gravel, cobbles and stone. If that's the sort of effect you are trying to achieve. I think of this type of pond as more a stream bed or quarry pond. In a garden situation this style of pond can work well. It is a rare thing to find a natural pond that is rock lined. If you think about it, most ponds are the result of poorly drained land and are therefore not much more than depressions in a saturated soil. As shown in the How to build a wildlife pond page, returning soil into the pond and adding plants at all depths within the substrate will disguise the liner more than adequately. As well as that it looks much more natural than a paved or rock surrounded pond. This style of natural planted pond edge allows you to blend the margins of the pond seamlessly with surrounding borders and lawns.

This risk assessment covers all aspects of learning to scythe so you can prepare a safe course. Scythe Risk Assessment Below is the link to the actual risk assessment document. This includes all possible hazards you may encounter while out in the field learning to mow with an Austrian scythe. Also covered are environmental hazards such as reactions to vegetation and insects. Scratches, stings, bites etc. Not many people will have seen a risk assessment for scything before. Pretty sure back in the day, I was the first person to write one for the National Trust. It has been refined since then to encompass different venue types and groups. Risk Assessment Insurance Everybody needs it these days and scythe instructors are no different to any other tutor, instructor, guide, guru, or teacher. Thanks to the Pole-lathe turners & Green woodworkers for their dedicated public liability insurance cover up to £5.000.000. insurance document

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.

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 .