When the RHS announced they would be holding their first ever show in Sandringham we knew this was an opportunity to create a show garden which had biodiversity and habitat provision at its core. A small space, only 7m X 1.8m, we wanted to pack drama, beauty and nature into a long border while also providing multiple beneficial food and shelter sources for wildlife.
The border had a deadwood corridor running down its spine, created from a selection of deadwood collected over the previous 6 months this in time would rot and become a food source for saproxylic (dead wood eating) insects as well as creating shelter and hibernation opportunities for many other insects. The deadwood corridor terminated at a tall and sculptural deadwood tree, created from bone oak this provided a real focal point within the border.
Â
​
We wanted the border to also offer solutions for the climate crises and so all the plants selected were drought tolerant and planted in sand meaning once established they would need additional watering. Woven into the planting were native plant species focussing on caterpillar food plants, caterpillars are often very specific on the foodplant they eat and so these native species provide a crucial food source for insects at this stage of their life cycle. The planting was made up of both ornamental grasses and pollinator friendly perennials in a meadow style to give a naturalistic and flowing feel to the borders. Spaces in the planting were left to simulate disturbance in the sand created by gardeners; this would in time allow plant species to seed around creating a dynamic feel which changed from one season to the next.
