NATURAL ATTRACTION

A garden that invites wildlife in is rich in so many ways, as these diverse spaces illustrate

- JACKY HOBBS

1 WALLED, WILD AND WISTFUL

Garden design by Tom Stuart-Smith

Tom’s design for Middleton Lodge, North Yorkshire, ‘blends informal wild flowers and grasses with more structural clipped yews and beech – favoured by nesting birds – together with trees and roses creating intimate spaces for garden visitors and wildlife. Hedgehogs frequently nestle undisturbed throughout their winter hibernation. The garden has been designed to provide interest all year and is divided into four areas that each reach their peak at different points throughout the seasons. There is always a part of the garden that is flowering, fruiting or sculptural.’ The nature and longevity of flowering plants attracts an abundance of insects: ladybirds, aphids, beetles, butterflies and bees, many from the estate’s own hives.

2 BEST OF BOTH

Garden design by Ann-Marie Powell 

‘We relish the opportunity to design gardens which demonstrate “best practices” that anyone can implement to attract and support more wildlife into their gardens, without distracting from the garden’s aesthetic beauty.’ This quintessential English country garden has been ‘planted with country classics, roses, wisteria and lavender, to attract crucial pollinators; naturalistic planting softens the terraces, bringing nature into the space.’ The garden features looser wild flower meadows, an orchard and wildlife pond. ‘I really love this beautiful, wildlife-friendly scheme, which I believe has stood the test of time.’

3 WATERING HOLES