The Wildlife Garden
The bare fences and basic lawn of a new build garden might seem like a very bare, sanitised space to start a wildlife garden. In fact, it only takes some suitable planting to start attracting a host of insects. Add to that a suitably constructed pond for various creatures to drink from, live in etc. and you have a haven.
The Garden Design Guru has created a magical space exactly as I had envisaged. The planting is fabulous, providing a never-ending display of colour and form. Barry has a fantastic knowledge of all things of 'the garden' and has been generous in sharing this knowledge with me. If you want to transform your boring outside space into something unique and inspirational, I would definitely recommend the Garden Design Guru.
A pond or at least some form of water is a must for attracting biodiverse life. The siting of this can be very important. You don’t want it to fill with leaves easily and the plant life needs good light to grow. Perhaps, like Janet, you really want to see the birds, dragonflies and more as they come to visit?
There is a gradual rise in level as the garden moved away from the house so the pond looks at home by the existing patio and near the back door. We extended the patio and took a path to a new seating area at the end of the garden, using self-binding gravel to manage the budget.
Bug hotels are very popular things to buy or make but here the gabion beds we used create masses of little crevices for creatures to hide and over-winter. A seat made with made cubic gabions helps tie the design together with the same pebbles by the pond in these easy assemble boxes.
Some large shrubs and small trees give birds places to perch and later to nest as well as offering berries to eat. Some of the planting is native but most of it is simply to provide masses of flowers for insects and owner alike. Plenty of winter flowering plants are included to sustain wildlife at this time of year.
The first batch of froglets has already left the new pond so they will be back next year. There is a gap under the gate and into the neighbouring gardens so perhaps a Hedgehog will find the garden soon?
