The Wild Garden: Expanded Edition

Product Information

Robinson is making the case in this book that we don't need tidy high maintenance gardens around our houses. Of course he's talking about vast estates, but the principles and ideas here can be used in suburban yards as well. He talks about a variety of areas that you might have in your yard that can be landscaped, from shaded/wooded areas to wet soggy areas. Certainly if you follow his advice your yard will look a lot more natural (although not unkempt) than if you did a very formal style of landscaping. He also has extensive lists of plants you can use in a variety of areas. Removing chemicals from your garden will ensure that our finely tuned eco-system will have the opportunity to find its natural equilibrium,’ adds Jo Thompson.

Plants are the single most important factor when it comes to creating a wildlife garden. Naturalistic planting design involves using a wide variety of the best performing flowers which require minimal maintenance, leaving them for wildlife to enjoy. If you’re feeling crafty, why not make an up-cycled bird feeder from materials you probably have lying around at home? At the end of the avenue is the Round Pond –actually elliptical, you have to stand on the bridge to see it Round!Turning down stream are the canals, leading over three waterfalls and eventually flowing on down to the Evenlode. The moving documentary offered an insight into the pressures on the decreasing tiger population in India by following the sad trail of one young tiger who left the Ranthambore preserve. Diversity is one of the key things to consider in a successful wildlife garden. Plant a range of flowers, trees, climbers and shrubs that bloom at different times, and ensure you include plenty of evergreen plants for cover.

They get a bad press but bats are super useful for our gardens. 'Did you know that attracting bats to your garden is one of the safest and most efficient methods for natural insect control?' asks Shannen Godwin. 'One little brown bat can eat 1,200 insects per hour! A great bat-attracting The Cut visitor centre garden, Shropshire Wildlife Trust’s headquarters is an oasis of tranquillity amid the bustle of Shrewsbury town centre. Here you will find herb and flower beds, mini- meadows, unusual fruit trees such as fig and quince, vegetables in season and a solar fountain bursting through an old millstone. You need to consider whether it will be annual or perennial, and different wildflower mixes will suit different soil conditions and aspects,' he adds.TheWildlife Trusts is a movement made up of 46 Wildlife Trusts: independent charities with a shared mission. Finally, recycle kitchen and garden waste on your compost heap. As well as creating useful food for your plants, compost heaps can shelter a variety of interesting animals – including slow worms that get rid of slugs. What are good wildlife flowers? He specialised in filming big cats and worked as a cameraman on the landmark BBC series Planet Earth.

The lawn has been allowed to grow as a wildflower meadow with mown paths through the sward, a venerable pollarded weeping willow shading its centre. A laid hedge of elm and hawthorn boundaries the lane while to the rear of the farmhouse is the orchard which leads onto Lugg Meadow – an historic Lammas meadow. The garden is managed with wildlife in mind not only through the planting but with log piles, a large compost heap, bee houses and the sensitive hands of the wonderful volunteer gardeners. London Wildlife Trust The great news is that often what is attractive to wildlife – bright berries, a lovely fragrance or abundant blooms – is also extremely attractive to gardeners. The Wild Gardener presenter Colin Stafford-Johnson living his best life in idyllic surroundings (Credit: BBC Two)

Use a rough, nontoxic wood (such as plywood or cedar) to construct a box-cum-bat cave. The rough texture of these woodsmakes it easier for bats to climb in and out of the house. Wychwood Wild Garden was acquired by the charity in 2010 with the assistance of The Cotswold Conservation Board Sustainable Development Fund, The Doris Field Trust and HDH Wills Trust.