On our first visit this garden was a large area of lawn, neatly clipped hedges and an overgrown willow tree. Our client had visions of overgrown hedges, biodiverse meadows, native trees and areas of habitat. This was still however a garden and so the area had to feel like a garden, a space to be enjoyed.
This project was part of a larger garden which adjoined the countryside so a decision was made early on to only use native species both within the trees we planted, and the meadow mixes we planted. We were able to source native wildflower seed and make up into 3 different bespoke mixes to suit the different areas of the garden and create a real mosaic of habitats. During the winter of 2025-2026 the large willow tree was pollarded and an additional 19 native trees were planted and we ensured the ages of these ranged from semi mature multistem specimens to 3-4 year old stock and a number of whips which were transplanted from seed grown plants from other areas of the garden, the range of ages will in time help facilitate natural succession of trees so the habitat value of the space continues for many decades to come.
Following a survey, we were able to create a layout with flowing mown paths, biodiverse meadows, a range of different grass and wild flower mixes, a revamped wildlife pond and new plantings of native trees. The hedges would be allowed to grow out to maximise biodiversity provision and log piles and dead hedges would be created from material from other areas in the garden.
