You do not have to have a massive garden to make a big difference for local wildlife. This is my design for a garden in West Lothian, in Scotland’s ‘Central Belt’. The client approached me because they wanted to turn the lawned, boggy area next to their new-build home into a wildlife haven for their whole family to enjoy.
Starting Point – The Challenges of New-Build Gardens
Many new build homes have uninspiring patches of grass as gardens. Often these are quite small and offer very little privacy.
Permaculture design solutions abound, however, even for sites with poor soil that often amount to little more than turf laid over construction rubble.
In this particular design, the soil and size of the space are better than could often be expected for a relatively new property, being at the end of a row.
However, the site is currently laid entirely to lawn, with the exception of the existing stone patio. It is fenced only along the north-western and northern sides, and open to the road along the south-eastern edge offering zero interest, zero benefit to local wildlife, and zero privacy.
Like many other new-build properties, areas of the property have compaction issues due to construction, which exacerbates potential flooding problems and contributes to bogginess in wet weather. The wildlife ponds in the design are a response to this issue and are located where water naturally pools in wet conditions in part due to the route taken by diggers and other heavy machinery during the neighbourhood’s construction.
Wildlife-friendly Garden Design
The starting point for any wildlife-friendly garden should be rewilding, and boosting biodiversity in planting, and creating functioning ecosystems to create as many different native habitats as possible.
In this design, the ponds are not only features dictated by water management needs but also designed to draw in and benefit as much wildlife as possible.
Of course, from the forest garden to the wildflower meadow to the rose garden with cottage garden style planting and the native hedgerow – all the new planting suggested in my design will provide so much for a range of native creatures that the grassy lawn never could.
Family-friendly Garden Features
This garden is not only designed to be a haven for wildlife, but also a haven for people too. Fruit trees with forest garden under-storeys, a native hedgerow, berry bushes and climbers will increase privacy in various different places.
Dense and lush planting, especially on the south-eastern edge of the property, will help to turn it from a grassy waste area on the edge of a new-build neighbourhood into a real family garden.
My design aims to help the family to meet at least some of their own food needs. Annual production is kept to a manageable level for this particular family, with a few raised beds. But more food is found throughout the garden – perennial edibles that are easy and relatively low-maintenance to grow.
The design also takes into account the recreational needs and wishes of the family members, with their different priorities and preferences. There are several different places, as you can see, to dine, sit, and relax outdoors.
If you would like some help to plan your own wildlife-friendly, family-friendly garden please do get in touch for your own bespoke permaculture design.
EWSP Consultancy 