I moved into a new build house in 2018 at Tharston. It has a small back garden and a very small front garden - I was determined that both would become a haven for me and some wildlife.
Like most new builds the back started with a blank canvas of bare fence and newly laid turf.I had a lot of time on my hands to work on a plan so I waited a while to see how the light moved around the garden and then I was delayed as the COVID pandemic was fast developing.
The essence of my plan was to have a back garden where insects, mammals and birds would benefit, a place where they could shelter, breed and feed. I wanted to make a sanctuary where I could watch wildlife and relax.
In recent years I have worked on creating a small flower meadow in the front garden, but I will focus on the back garden.My garden plan started with the hard landscaping for practicality and access, then came the basic layout for the plants, bird boxes, bee and insect hotels.
2019
I have planted espalier apple and pear trees on the south facing fence together with a climbing rose “Shropshire Lad” that mingles with honeysuckle and a clematis, “The President”. There is a crab apple in the south west corner. This was a whip when I planted it and it was the first tree in my garden. A cotoneaster tree stands in front of the back fence. I have a fig and peach tree on the east facing side which are in pots.
The trees offer early blossoms, a source of nectar and pollen for bees and in the autumn birds feed on the crab apples and berries. The north facing side is bounded by a brick wall and here I planted climbing hydrangeas: these can offer shelter to garden spiders and other invertebrates.
2021
Lavender and thyme edging provides a source of food for lavender beetles, and the bees love it too. Marjoram, lemon verbena, and salvias are in the borders underneath the trees. Primroses and ferns are underneath the climbing hydrangeas. Hydrangeas have been attracting hover flies and there are hairy footed flower bees zooming around in spring, gathering nectar from lungworts. A climbing evergreen jasmine attracts some moths but as yet not many to be seen.
October 2026
I leave my tidying of the dead summer growth until Spring so that the insects can shelter or hibernate there. The exception is the fruit tree leaves which are collected to avoid fungal disease. I do not use pesticides and feed the plants with organic fertiliser.
I have been delighted this year to host a blackbird pair rearing their offspring, the first brood successfully but the second was predated. The blackbirds nested in the climbing rose very close to my kitchen door and being a small garden the seating area was also mostly off limits for a while!
The next honour I received was a hedgehog who came to drink from the water dishes on the night of the first heat-wave. I was sitting in the garden where it was 22 degrees. I leant over in the chair and there to my happy surprise was a hedgehog. It visits most nights now and is fed, and I am hoping it will use the hibernation house I've provided. I wait in the evenings for it to come in under the gap of the garden gate - I feel it’s such a privilege.
Front garden 2026
Time moves on and changes in the climate are bringing new challenges. I have been looking out for plants that will tolerate drought in summers and wet winters in clay soils. Not easy. It has taken since 2018 to reach this stage however, and now I feel like a prize winner when I am in my garden.
November 2026