Organic & Wildlife Gardening Services- Design & Maintenance

Like Monty Don, I have no horticultural qualifications, so please don't ask. What I do have is passion, enthusiasm and over  30 years experience of gardening organically.

I have learnt through watching and helping others, including my father in the early days of our allotment when I was a child, reading countless numbers of books, and mainly through my own experiences, successes and  failures. Its the failures that I have learned from the most!

I have worked on the development of the gardens in 2 former gardens where we have lived (Gardener's Cottage opened up for the National Garden scheme over 4 years) and over the last 15 years as a jobbing gardener, I have also embarked on re-wilding a 5.5 acre field at Buttercup Meadow with introductions of wildflowers and trees. Also I have developed, constructed and maintained a large array of customers gardens with varying challenges including differing aspects, soil type, shading, elevation, exposure, drainage conditions, formal, informal, wild, edible, etc.

Some gardens I have taken on and developed, adding to their beauty and practicality. Others I have started from scratch from areas rife with builders rubble and/or full of pernicious weeds. 

Whatever the starting point, my priority has always been to firstly get the soil right, increase biodiversity, provide low maintenance and of course make the garden attractive, appealing and productive where required. 

I believe I have been successful in achieving these goals in many gardens.

Wildlife Gardens Brimming with Biodiversity

Wildlife in gardens is hugely important to many of our customers. We can convert gardens to become havens for wildlife no matter what the starting point. We can create a wide range of wildlife habitats including ponds, log piles, dry stone walls, hedgerows and trees. We can plant for biodiversity through our experience of a large range of wildflowers and pollinator attracting plants. Through several years as a nurseryman I have intimate knowledge of a good number of indigenous wildflower species, knowing the conditions they will thrive or will not tolerate. We can convert soils to be abundant and healthy in soil life - rich in biodiversity, through the use of compost and natural mulches,  which will reflect outwards onto the entire garden. We can get your compost bins (or build them for you) working effectively and efficiently with the QR method (or we can provide our own  compost) and show you how to make good compost. The diverse range of soil life and planting  that we can introduce to your garden will in turn attract above ground fauna including bees,  butterflies and birds.  A good range of bird species, including apex predators such as birds of prey, are great indicators of a biodiverse garden. They will visit your garden without the need to put out birdfeed!  

This garden was taken on as a design, develop and maintenance project. The long border was constructed and mulched with barley straw to eradicate the weeds present in the clay type soil. The straw was applied in the autumn and lifted in the following May for planting. The greenery in the straw is barley which has sprouted from seed left in the straw. It is easily removed.

An array of robust perennials, shrubs and wildflowers make an attractive border from spring through to late autumn. The plants selected did not require any staking. Maintenance relatively low with hoeing every other week and cut back in late winter.

This garden was undertaken initially as a maintenance project and has been enhanced and developed to become a beautiful and tranquil retreat.

This rill was constructed on a slight gradient. this was used to advantage so that water is pumped from the deep end of the pond in the foregroind up to the top of the stone cobbles and then trickles into the pond flowing down to the deeper end again. Herbaceous perennial planting and pond plants provides cover and habitat for wildlife.