How have our Wealden garden designers been encouraging wildlife back into the garden with wildflower planting? 

WILDFLOWER MEADOWS

“Creating a wildflower meadow in your garden is a lovely way to ‘soften’ the space and to encourage wildlife diversity, such as bees, butterflies and birds, and is a positive way to help the natural environment. Since the second world war over 95% of wildflower meadows have disappeared. Lost ancient meadows can’t be replaced, but we can try to redress the balance.

Few people knew more about Meadow gardening than Christopher Lloyd. He said ‘To see a meadow in bloom is a great delight. It is alive and teeming with life, mysterious, dynamic and seemingly out of control’. 

Troy Scott Smith softened the look at Sissinghurst recently too with meadow flowers sown in the spaces around the perimeter and even in the car park. King John’s Nursery at Etchingham have created floriferous wild flowers in their Rose Garden. As a garden designer, I have also included areas of meadow, even in some smaller projects. Knowledge of soil and aspect is crucial to the choice of suitable plants.”

Kate Ball Garden Design  kateballgardendesign.co.uk

Wildflower gardens

“As we know, our birds, bees and wildlife are in decline. A lot of garden flowers are bred for low-maintenance and therefore not always good for our insects and wildlife. Introducing wildflowers into your garden encourages more species of insects and birds. Wildflower gardens are low-maintenance and look wonderful. Sow wild seeds in lawns, borders, window boxes or containers in autumn or spring. The poorer the soil the better. I recommend the following seeds and plant plugs:

Foxgloves, Red Campion, Ox Eye Daisies, Lesser known Knapweed, Field Scabious, Native red Clover. Corn Cockle, Common Vetch, Wild marjoram, Honesty, Cornflowers and Poppies. Not only do wildflowers look great in your garden, you are doing something positive for the environment too.”

Jo Chater Garden Designs  chaterdesigns.com

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