Fergus Garrett on wildlife at Great Dixter

How do you create a wildlife garden? Fergus Garrett, long-time head gardener and steward of the landmark garden of Great Dixter, in East Sussex, takes our Wildlife Editor Kate Bradbury on a walking tour of the spaces that he and his team of gardeners have created to help wild species.

As we explore the gardens, he shares how the various habitats work for different species, including the pond in the Barn Garden where great crested newts live, the wonderful meadows – home to rare orchids and even rarer long-horned bees – and the giant piles of garden waste that serve as nesting and hibernation habitats for all sorts of species, from birds to hedgehogs to snakes.

We discuss the trials and tribulations of wildlife gardening, what it means as a wildlife gardener to open your garden to the public, and how we can all take a piece of Great Dixter inspiration home with us, to recreate these habitats in our own spaces.