The Wildlife Trusts: Wilder Spaces

The garden aims to take wildlife gardening to a new level, where the structure, topography and materials used – as well as the planting – play a fundamental part in increasing biodiversity. Wildlife habitats are designed into the structure of a garden, using building waste, reclaimed material and untreated timbers.

A watercourse meanders through the plot towards a central pond and a section of bog planting. A pavilion, designed in conjunction with designer and TV presenter Charlie Luxton, is topped with a living roof to provide a calm space to enjoy the diverse species living in the garden’s varied habitats.

Cultivated plants provide pollen and nectar for insects and native plants feed the larvae of butterflies, moths and other invertebrates. Key species include hawthorn, ivy, nettles, blackthorn and cow parsley.