Essex front garden is wildlife magnet
July, 2024
Last week I visited a new-build front garden in Halstead that I designed and planted last year.
The clients wanted a slightly wild and natural looking garden that would be filled with wildlife. While any form of gardening is manipulating nature, by using plants with umbellifer shapes, such as Achillea, and daisy shapes, such as Echinacea and Leucanthemum, along with ornamental grasses, we can echo what occurs in nature, while encouraging pollinators to visit.
Every site and every year is different, and even taking into consideration soil type and aspect, we can never be entirely sure how plants will respond. I think the combination of very good soil preparation, lots of rain, and hot sunny periods has made a lot of things here grow at an astonishing rate. This really does seem to be the year for Leucanthemum, and in my own garden a small clump planted last year has trebled in size. This does mean that some editing is needed sooner than usual. It needs to be staked now, and will need to be divided, or some removed this autumn to ensure other plants have their moment in the sun.
Overall, my clients are delighted with their garden and how the plants have knitted together to create a loose feel. They have had so many positive comments from neighbours and passers-by. This is why I am so passionate about front gardens. They bring joy to so many and change the feeling of our streets and developments. The constant buzzing from bees and other pollinators is proof that if you plant it, they will come.