Here our aim is to show that a wildlife garden need not be a wilderness, although it should not be too tidy! This area was originally planted using a mixture of wild plants and garden plants, which are both good for wildlife and beautiful to look at. This idea of mixing plant types is quite normal for a wildlife friendly garden and can be seen next door in the school exhibit garden.

 

In early 2002, the Sutton Nature Conservation Volunteers (SNCV) ‘laid’ the hedge. This is a traditional method of looking after hedges that makes it into a tidy barrier whilst still providing lots of homes for wildlife. This process has let much more light into the area. The Hedge is a mixture of garden shrubs and wild shrubs, which provide nectar for butterflies and other insects, and seeds and flowers for birds.

The Meadow is interspersed with fruit trees, and behind it is a scrubby woodland corner, which is excellent for birds. It is just the sort of place where hedgehogs and foxes might hide.

There is a Rockery, which provides shelter for slugs and snails - which are soon eaten up by the foxes and hedgehogs.

Recently, there have been a lot of changes in this garden, as the SNCV have carried out the much-needed renovation and clearance work. The holly trees have been cut back and the ivy, which was taking over, has been severely cut back and removed. Most of the ground has been rotovated to turn it and damage the more persistent roots. Then we sowed grass seed with a bird and butterfly seed mix in order to re-establish and expand the meadow area