Green Gardener.co.uk
The natural way to keep your garden looking good
| "I had to write to let you know how thrilled my grandchildren were with the butterfly kits. They couldn't wait to get out of bed to check on the progress of the caterpillars, all of whom turned into beautiful butterflies. I was invited down for the release of the butterflies this weekend and the children have been telephoning to let me know that they are still around. This is the most marvellous introduction to the wonders of nature and I will definitely be re-ordering for my younger grandchildren." Best wishes Marjorie Condie |
- Butterfly Kits - 3 different kits which allow you to watch Painted Lady butterflies develop from caterpillar to butterfly.
- Caterpillar refills - Available NOW!
-
Ladybird Kits - Produce your own native ladybirds to release in your garden.
-
Ladybird Larvae refills - Available NOW!
N.B.
Products Nemaslug Natural Slug ControlControl slugs naturally by applying Nemaslug®. Nemaslug® contains naturally occurring nematodes which are effective at controlling slugs and unlike chemical controls, are safe for children, pets, birds and wildlife. It works at temperatures above 5°C/40°F and should be applied outdoors between March and October or use under glass all year round. Read more...  Nemasys Vine Weevil ControlControl vine weevil grubs naturally by applying Nemasys®. Nemasys® contains naturally occurring nematodes which are effective at controlling vine weevil grubs and unlike chemical controls, are safe for children, pets, birds and wildlife. Nemasys® works at temperatures above 5°C/40°F and should be applied at least twice a year i.e. April and September or as soon as you discover vine weevil grubs and the soil temp is above 5°C/40°F. Read more...  Live Bird FoodEveryone knows about feeding birds through the winter BUT it is now recommended that we feed birds throughout the year. Live Bird Food (mealworms & mini mealworms) are high in fat and protein and are ideal for feeding to birds all year round. They are odourless and are easy to feed and can be kept anywhere cool i.e. shed, garage or bottom of the fridge. Read more...  Camera Bird BoxesBird Boxes with cameras are very popular with children and adults alike. Watch as the birds build their nests, lay their eggs, watch as the eggs hatch and the chicks as they grow and finally leave the nest. Read more...  Bokashi BinsBokashi Bins use a mixture of bacteria, fungi and yeasts to safely compost your kitchen food scraps including meat, fish, fruit and vegetable waste. These small composters (19 litres) are supplied in pairs and will easily handle the kitchen waste from a large family. It is so efficient that even meat and fish scraps can be composted indoors Read more...  Slug and Snail BarriersSlugs and snails don't just attack plants in borders so we have put together a range of copper tapes, mats, pot feet, rings and bands for protecting pots and containers. Our copper bands/rings and our best selling hosta halos will protect early young growth before Nemaslug can be applied. We also have a range of slug traps suitable for positioning both in borders or on hard surfaces i.e. for protecting plants on patios. Read more...  Water ButtsWith the winters becoming dryer and the summers becoming longer it is even more important for us to be water wise and make the best use of rain water. Hose-pipe bans seem inevitable each year, so the sooner water butts are installed to catch and store precious rain the better. We have the best value water butts in various sizes to suit gardens large and small. Read more... |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ladybird House - This attractive habitat for ladybirds and other beneficial insects has a central chamber filled with natural material. Holes are drilled at an upward angle, so the ladybirds can reach the insulated and safe inner chamber. If necessary the roof panel may be removed for inspection or cleaning. Simply site in a sheltered, warm spot away from prevailing wind in flower beds, rose or shrub borders or even in a planter on a terrace. 
Ladybird Mansion - Made from FSC timber, this sturdy mansion will last for years. There are TWO viewing windows, so that you can easily check on your gardener's friends without disturbing them. Position at any time of year on a wall, tree or fence amongst climbing plants, which are affected by aphids. 
Painted Lady Butterflies (Vanessa cardui, L) are a migrating butterfly, which can fly thousands of miles in search of food. They lay up to 500 eggs and their caterpillars feed on weeds such as nettles. Once you have released your butterflies, they can often be seen for several days- especially if you have a butterfly friendly garden and feeder.
Butterfly Garden - This colourful and reusable Butterfly Garden allows you to study 5 butterflies from caterpillar to butterfly. The Butterfly Garden includes a 30cm hanging / free-standing mesh garden, a voucher for 5 Painted Lady caterpillars and food (inc. freepost envelope), pipette for feeding and full instructions.
Butterfly Pavilion - A larger version of the Butterfly Garden. The 60cm mesh pavilion is twice the size of the Butterfly Garden and allows you to study 10 butterflies from caterpillar to butterfly. The Butterfly Pavilion includes a 60cm hanging / free-standing mesh pavilion, a voucher for 10 Painted Lady caterpillars and food (inc. freepost envelope), pipette for feeding and full instructions.
Classroom Butterfly Kit - Allows each of your students to raise their own butterfly! This kit is designed especially for classrooms and comes with a mesh Pavilion which hangs, so everyone in the class can see the butterflies, (but is also safely out of reach of sometimes too enthusiastic hands) or can be freestanding - 63cm tall.It comes with a voucher for 33 Painted Lady caterpillars and food (inc. freepost envelope), 33 vials, lids and food and full instructions. N.B. Classroom Kit REFILLS have been reduced in price this year!
Caring for your caterpillars - Once your caterpillars arrive, simply watch them eat, spin silk and grow to many times their original size. The caterpillars don't need anything other than the food supplied in the cup. Keep them upright and out of direct sunlight. Keep the food in the jar sterile by keeping the lid on the cup at all times - the small holes in the lid of the cup will provide plenty of air. They can stay as caterpillars for up to 2 weeks - but normally 7 days depending on temperature - 24c/76f is ideal.
A fascinating change - When the caterpillars are ready to become chrysalides, they will climb to the top of the cup and hang upside down attaching themselves to the paper disc inside the lid. After a day of hanging the chrysalis emerges from the caterpillar and after a further 5-6 hours the chrysalis shortens, hardens and a beautiful sheen of bronze and gold appears. The gold tipped chrysalides will remain like this for 10 - 12 days before becoming butterflies. When your chrysalides have formed it is time to move them into either your Butterfly Garden or Pavilion.
Ladybird Breeding Kit - Study all the stages of ladybird development - watch as the larvae pupate and the ladybirds develop before your very eyes and then release them into your garden to tackle your pest problems. The kit is easy and fun to use and all ages will enjoy watching the larvae grow. The Ladybird Breeding Kit - comes complete with a pop-up breeding chamber (10cm high and 15cm in diameter), an educational poster and a certificate for your first 25+ ladybird larvae.
How does it work? Send off the freepost voucher included
& you will receive over 25 ladybird larvae, food & instructions. Transfer the larvae to the breeding chamber & add the food. The whole process of raising adult ladybirds from larvae takes around 30 days. The larvae will feed, grow & shed their skins 3 times before pupating. After a further 6 to 8 days, the adults emerge. At first the adults are yellow, but within a few hours their rear wings will harden & change to red. The adult ladybirds can then be studied for a few days before releasing them in your garden to munch on greenfly and other tasty bugs!
Butterfly Food and attractant - A unique blend of foods and vitamins suitable for feeding butterflies and moths. Also contains an attractant based on a natural plant extract it can be used to attract butterflies to the butterfly house. Use from spring onwards - simply mix 1 rounded teaspoon with water until fully dissolved and pour the mixture onto the sponge on the butterfly house and feeder. 
Butterfly Field Guide - This attractive laminated field guide will help you identify the many kinds of butterfly you find in your garden.
Butterfly Lifecycle Models - These meticulously designed Painted Lady lifecycle figures are an educational accessory to any of our butterfly kits. These fascinating replicas are oversized making them ideal for little hands. There are 4 stages accurately detailed - egg, larva, chrysalid and butterfly.
Ladybird Field Guide - Did you know there are 26 species of ladybirds in this country? This attractive laminated field guide has pictures and descriptions of them all to help you identify which ones you have in your garden in your garden.
Ladybird Lifecycle Models - These meticulously designed ladybird lifecycle figures are an educational accessory to go with our ladybird kit. These accurate replicas are oversized making them ideal for little hands. There are 4 stages accurately detailed - eggs, larva, pupa and adult ladybird.
New - Mini Bug Habitats – These three Mini Bug Habitats are designed to attract beneficial insects while being fun and educational for children i.e. they can enjoy choosing where to site them. Each habitat comes with its own different 16 page project book explaining how important beneficial bugs are and encouraging children to record and draw what they observe. There are also instructions on how to make more shelters out of materials that are easy to find i.e. how to make an insect house out of an old plastic bottle.
New - Mini Bug Ladybird Log – This smaller version of our best selling Ladybird House, the Mini Bug Ladybird Log has been designed with children in mind. Ladybirds are a welcome sight in the garden, where they happily munch away on greenfly and other tasty pests and one of the best ways to attract them to your garden is to provide a safe, dry environment for ladybirds to breed, feed and overwinter in. The Ladybird Log has a hollow central chamber that can be filled with dry grass, dry leaves or straw, which the ladybirds reach through holes drilled in the side. The Mini Bug Ladybird Log comes in colourful packaging making an ideal gift and comes complete with a project book which contains fascinating facts and good pictures of ladybird development. Plus guidance on identifying different coloured / spotted ladybirds. The house can be positioned amongst plants or hung from a fence etc by a metal eye on the back. Meaures 20cm tall and 8cm in diameter.
New - Mini Bug Solitary Bee House – This smaller version of our best selling Solitary Bee Hive, the Mini Bug Solitary Bee House has been designed with children in mind. Gardeners and farmers like solitary bees because they pollinate flowers, herbs, fruit trees and vegetable plants. This wooden beehive (bees prefer wooden nesting sites) is made from durable FSC timber and the solitary bees lay their eggs inside the holes and seal them with mud or chewed up vegetation, so it is easy to tell if it is being used. The following year the adults and their offspring will use the same nest again building up the numbers of bees in your garden each year. Solitary Bees are docile and rarely sting, which makes them ideal for children to study. The Mini Bug Solitary Bee House comes in colourful packaging making an ideal gift and comes complete with a project book which contains fascinating facts and good pictures. The house should be positioned amongst plants on a brick, stone or paving slab. Measures 11cm wide x 12 cm long and 10 cm deep.
New - Mini Bug Bug Box – This Mini Bug Bug Box will attract a wide range of beneficial bugs including lacewings and ladybirds. This insect house consists of holes drilled into a wooden block for insects to nest in and it also comes with hollow canes and straws, which the children assemble to provide another nesting area. The Mini Bug Bug Box provides a safe, dry environment for benefical insects to breed, feed and overwinter in. Ladybirds and Lacewings are a welcome sight in the garden, where they happily munch away on greenfly and other tasty pests and one of the best ways to attract them to your garden is to place a bug box in your garden. The Mini Bug Bug Box comes in colourful packaging making an ideal gift and comes complete with a project book which contains fascinating facts and good pictures of beneficial insects including ladybird larvae. It also contains information on building your own bug boxes out of items such as plastic bottles, straw and cardboard. The bug box is hung from a fence etc by a metal eye on the back. Measures 15cm wide (at largest point) x 11cm deep x 7 cm wide.
Butterfly House and Feeder - The house provides a year round home in which butterflies and moths can roost, breed and hibernate. The sponge feeder on the front can be soaked with either our own butterfly food or use sugar / water solution, which will not only sustain them ,but help attract them to the house. The feeder may also be used by bumble bees in early spring when food is scarce. Simply position in a warm sheltered spot, which gets the morning sun. Butterflies will use the house for roosting. Small tortoiseshell, peacock and comma butterflies can breed in the box and chrysalis could form on the roof.