A Wildlife Garden in Lancaster

I love Lancaster and the old terraced houses with their ginnels and long thin gardens, and this project was a perfect example. Long gardens can pose a problem for many but with the right design and planting it can look really full and vibrant without feeling claustrophobic. The client wanted a wildlife garden dedicated to pollinators and amphibians (and also their two pet chickens with the most marvellous names; Boudicca and Oven Ready). There was old part collapsed summer house at the end of the garden which also had to be taken down. The plants, grasses and bulbs had to not only provide colour and interest throughout the year but also cater towards the widest variety of pollinator species as possible so flower shape and flowering period were of the upmost importance. A curved gravel path was created with local 20mm stones that ran the length of the garden which was designed to be directed into three parts. The first was for sitting in amidst the pollinators, with a space dedicated to a slide when the grandchildren came round. the second harboured a wildlife pond, wildflowers and deadwood. the final area was dedicated to the chickens and the vegetables. Each of the sections were divided by beech columns that delineated the space but without closing them off allowing a view of the whole garden from the kitchen door.