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Design Dilemma Gardens

Garden design - transformation to a wildlife friendly garden

7 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

Hi Houzzers, This is the third summer in this house and it's time to concentrate on the garden, but I'm not a very good/keen gardener and am at a bit of a loss! It's a small south facing plot and the patio gets the sun all day, so no problems there. I don't actually mind the square-ness of it but it does distress me that there are very few plants/flowers for the bees and butterflies. I have planted a few bedding plants, as you can see but would love to fill the borders with bee/butterfly friendly plants. We've just had the trees pruned professionally and will be keeping them as they don't annoy us or the neighbours! As you stand with your back to the house, there is an old tree stump in the right hand border, which is a nice feature and I'd like to keep this visible. It's just me and my husband, so no requirements for play areas etc. The easy thing would be to just widen the borders and choose some appropriate foliage to plant. But any ideas for a more imaginative approach/design would be very welcome. This is a project for the summer so will endeavour to post pics as we go along. Thanks in advance! vanessa.

Featured Answer

PRO

The Plant Pot Shop

7 years ago

Your South facing garden is ideal for the fragrant plants most loved by bees and butterflies. A low hedge of lavender - possibly all along the top of the low wall to the patio - works with either a cottage garden or more modern planting scheme. In the summer the flowers will spill over the edges of the wall and soften the appearance of it, and in the winter you'll still have a beautiful evergreen hedge to look at. The extra height will hide the garden a bit from a person sitting on the patio. It's a lovely feeling to be sitting surrounded by plants at eye level. Your patio will feel like your own little slice of paradise. This will also give the rest of the garden a sense of mystery, whilst keeping the overall shape, which is absolutely fine as it is.

My planting tip, if you do put this in, is to make sure that you allow at least 50cm of border between lavender stem and lawn, otherwise lawn side it'll flop on to the grass and make it impossible to mow. Top it with weed-proof fabric and gravel around the lavender plants so you don't have to spend all your summer weeding.

Choose one that grows to at least 50-70cm high so that you get a real impact and the eye level height I mentioned above. Go for something like Lavendar angustifolia "Munstead" or "Royal Purple", both readily available.

Maintenance couldn't be easier - once it's in you just have to cut it back once every year. Ideal for the not-keen gardener!

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Comments (14)

Gatos Rojos
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Hi, thanks for the ideas. I love lavender, so not sure why I didn't think about a lavender hedge! - it sounds lovely. You are also right in that it will also soften the lines of the wall and give interest at eye level.
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Grace Bloggs
7 years ago
i have a south facing garden and have inherited a lot of plants from the previous owners. The campanula has had a lot of bee visitors. I'm not sure if my wisteria and clematis have but they respond well to lots of sun. Budlea remains a firm butterfly favourite too.
Gatos Rojos
Original Author
7 years ago
thanks Grace. I admit that I needed to Google campanula, but it looks lovely and will mirror the purple of the lavender too.
Grace Bloggs
7 years ago
I'm a novice gardener having inherited a mature garden from the previous owners. there's also a ton of lung wort in my garden which was also covered in bees. I'm not that keen on it though looks wise but it does at least seem to keep weeds fairly at bay.
PRO
Greenwave Design
7 years ago
Hi Vanessa, I have written a few blogs with advice about planting for pollinators on my web-site ,Greenwave Design. The main thing would be to reduce the size of your lawn, which is not a very wildlife friendly feature, and put in more trees, shrubs and perennial plants. Wildlife need places to live as well as food so lots of places to shelter in the garden will be helpful. Pollinators want flowers that they can sip nectar from for as long a period as possible. So flowers need to start early, with bulbs such as snowdrops and crocus, and carry on for as long as possible. Another great wildlife friendly feature is a pond, or at the very least a birdbath. If you do put in a pond it needs to have shallow, sloping sides so that wildlife can get in and out easily. There is lots of good advice on the Wild about Gardens web-site.
Gatos Rojos
Original Author
7 years ago
Hi Greenwave Design, many thanks for taking the time to respond to my post, everything you say makes sense. I visited your website and was particularly inspired by the "Designing a Bee Friendly Garden" blog too. We got out into the garden today and made a start on widening the borders. If I had thought it through, I would have hired a skip for all the turf and clumps of soil first! I've attached a photo - we have a pile of rubbish round the side of the house and more piled up in the borders awaiting arrival of a skip this week. Completion of the borders and planting is next weekend's task.
vespin
7 years ago
We have done something similar with lavender + Rosemary at the front of the wall and at the other side facing the lawn we mixed Mexican feather grass with salvias, lavender and geranium
Gatos Rojos
Original Author
7 years ago
Hi vespin, thanks for the photos. this is the look that we're trying to achieve so you've inspired us some more! I particularly like your planting method.
PRO
Architectural Heritage
7 years ago
All wildlife needs water, especially for long, hot, dry summers (when we get them!). I would add a pond or a water feature of some sort without fail.
Kevin Jovinsie
7 years ago
.
PRO
Signature Landscapes
7 years ago
One simple trick for wildlife encouragement is not to mow, or mow only 'rides' or paths. You will be surprised what grows if it is left, grasses will move with the breeze and flowers like clover and dandelion will attract insects. You wont need to feed the lawn and if you really don't like it you can always start the mowing regime again next year.
PRO
Bathroom + Kitchen Eleven
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Have you thought of having a bee hive? There are many places that will provide bees with hives and they look after them they just need a garden area to host them, they usually then split the honey they get from that hive with the host plus the bees will pollenate your garden giving you more flowers! Contact https://hostahoneybeehive.com/ for more information.

Shannon .
PRO
Architectural Heritage
7 years ago
Would still recommend adding water. All wildlife needs it. If you don't want a vertical ornament as we previously suggested there are other possibilities such as a limestone trough or a copper planter.

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