At Lewis Cottage, near Spreyton, they have unwittingly been rewilding parts of their garden, with some amazing results. In his latest report gardener Richard Orton suggests ways of helping nature take its course, even if you only have a small outdoor space.
We were asked recently if we had consciously rewilded the bottom half of the garden over the last couple of years. In part it was true: four acres is a lot to garden and we knew that a lot of mature trees at the bottom of the garden, mostly ash, needed to be felled and it made sense to do this during a time when that part of the garden could lay dormant for a while.
A definition of rewilding is that it is a progressive approach to conservation. It’s about letting nature take care of itself, enabling natural processes to repair damaged ecosystems, restore degraded landscapes and create wilder, more biodiverse habitats. It would seem that quite unwittingly we have been rewilding parts of the garden with some astonishing results.
A kingfisher was spotted down by the pond, along with wild ducks and grebes that don’t seem too bothered by our two resident geese. The bats that had seemed to disappear have returned and hedgehogs are back in numbers and we are now regularly visited by red deer. An old walnut tree that fell naturally a few years ago is rotting away and acts as a crucial habitat for various insects and fungi.
Visitors to the garden ask why we don’t have holes in our hosta leaves and we reply that it’s because we have a naturally well balanced ecosystem. We don’t use pesticides or chemicals and if a pest appears there are plenty of birds around to eat them.
There are many ways that we can all help nature even if you don’t have lots of outdoor space
- Letting small parts of a garden go wild can provide habitats for wildlife.
- Old wood, fallen leaves and other garden waste can provide homes for hedgehogs, toads, frogs and insects.
- Not mowing grass in May can make a difference to the number of butterflies and pollinators by enabling additional wildflowers to bloom.
- Avoid using harsh chemicals and pesticides if you can.
- Talk to local community garden groups or schools about creating somewhere special for nature.
In the garden, it’s time to start harvesting vegetables. So far we’ve had good crops of salad leaves and broad beans. Runner beans are doing well and soon some tomatoes and cucumbers will be ready in the greenhouse.
Please take care in the garden in hot weather. Try gardening early in the morning or in the evening when the temperatures are lower. Damp down your greenhouse on hot days to increase humidity and deter red spider mites.
Jobs for the weeks ahead
- Take care of your houseplants if you’re away for any length of time. A water soaked towel or capillary matting in the bottom of the bath is a simple solution.
- Regular deadheading of bedding plants and perennials makes for a longer display of blooms.
- Take cuttings of your favourite plants in July to ensure much stronger and healthier plants ahead of winter. If left until August there isn’t quite enough time for the cutting to root before the cooler weather sets in.
- Start collecting seeds of early perennials/biennials such as digitalis and hardy geraniums. Sow them straight away to have seedlings ready to plant out next spring.
- Sow honesty, forget-me-nots and wallflowers.
- Regularly pick courgettes, beans and peas to stop them going over.
- Make sure to water terracotta pots as well as the plants to reduce evaporation.
- Many herbaceous perennials will still benefit from a ‘Chelsea Chop’ (pruning by about a third or half) to ensure a second flush of flowers.
More information on the garden at Lewis Cottage can be found here
