Real gardens: wildlife-friendly meadow

The garden is a haven for wildlife, attracting birds, bats, hedgehogs, butterflies, moths and bees. The compost heaps attract pygmy shrews and roe deer like the wildflower meadow.

We caught up with Helen to find out more.

More garden inspiration:

What was the garden like when you moved in?

The whole property was derelict when we arrived in 1991, and the garden was just a field with sheep grazing up to the front door of the house. We had a couple of mature common ash trees on what would have been the midden for the croft house historically, and occasionally some cottage garden flowers would appear around the house from the garden that may have been there before.

The house had been empty for 26 years before we bought it and had just been used for sheep grazing ever since by a neighbour, so there were no other trees or hedging either.

How have you transformed the garden?

We started by planting hedging and a few trees to shelter us from the prevailing westerly winds and started an orchard and kitchen garden area to grow our own fruit and veg. Then when we started a family we put up a short wooden fence by the house to have a safe area for them to play. The garden then slowly evolved as my sons grew up and didn't need a specific play area, so that then became a protected area to keep the local rabbit population from eating everything I planted.

Nothing was ever planned, as time and money became available I would start a new area or idea. When I see something in a magazine or in garden I visit that I like I have a terrible habit of thinking 'how can I copy, make, build or plant one of those?'

Once the main garden reached its current size, I took over the bottom meadow that we used for sheep and geese and turned it into a wildlife meadow. One year myxomatosis decimated the rabbit population so I took advantage to plant hundreds of plug plants of wildflowers, but a lot naturally arrived.

My sons built bug hotels and log piles and as the meadow matured the number of insects, mammals, amphibians and birds exploded. We have everything from Pygmy Shrews up to Roe Deer coming in now.

What has been the biggest challenge?

There are two really, which it is hard to say which has been more challenging. There is the weather, along with wildlife, ironically. We are in a valley so the wind is funneled along from the west and can be really harsh for plants - but all the hedging has really helped. There is a big difference, especially in winter between areas where there is mature hedging and where there is none.

The wildlife has also been a challenge - voles, rabbits and Roe deer have their favourite plants they like to eat and badgers will dig big holes looking for grubs.

Nine plants for windy gardens

What have been the biggest successes?

The biggest successes have been the ability to grow a lot of our own food, a 40th birthday present of a polytunnel has paid dividends in the range of fruit and veg we can grow from asparagus and sweetcorn to peaches and tomatoes which would be totally impossible here without.

We also have perfect growing conditions for snowdrops, so we have them everywhere, and in 2021 we were awarded National Collection status by Plant Heritage for our collection.

What do you love about the garden?

I love many things about my garden, but the biggest is that it gives me a reason to go outside each day and just enjoy being outside in the fresh air. I can escape from work, which is office based, which has been such a healing experience especially in recent Covid times.

But even before that, during any trauma or bereavement that we all go through, I could go outside and be distracted, empty my head and just be calm. Physically it helps me keep fit, and I get my vitamin D topped up with each sunny day (even in Scotland we get a few).

Monty Don on the health benefits of gardening - podcast

Is there anything you’d change?

The main thing I would change is that I would have planted more hedging in the beginning, they make such a huge difference to how pleasant it is outside, and more trees. I'm planting a wood at the moment, but I will never see it mature...but someone will.

Oh and I would have laid better paths, we just had grass paths everywhere in the beginning, but it was all we could afford, now we have a few brick and slab paths and they are much nicer in winter than muddy grass to walk on.