Going wild…at Chelsea flower show press day
Debbie

As the elder trees are ripe with frothy white flowers, we have taken a break from our busy season to get picking and making lashings of delicious elderflower cordial…and of course, bubbly. Spring is turning into an aromatic, golden summer.

We have been working on some inspiring projects. We have also dedicated a fair amount of our time this season to developing community projects alongside Camden Council. With the council soon to be declaring a Climate and BIODIVERSITY Emergency, it is vital that as many of our public green spaces are as species rich as possible.

We recently enjoyed creating a Derek Jarman Dungeness styled front garden in Tufnell Park. A palette of blue, purple and white flowers appearing out through dove grey stones. We are also enjoying working on several roof terrace gardens. See pictures below from one of our recent roof garden designs. In NW5 we have also created several wildflower friendly gardens – complete with a pond. After all, it is said that a wildlife garden without a pond is like a theatre without a stage! In a family garden which we planted up with a lovely selection of wildlife friendly plants, we were also delighted that the client agreed to our hardscape intervention in the paving slotting in pockets of low growing thyme and chamomile. For a front garden in Dartmouth Park we were given the brief to build some screening: our solution, to create a wooky fence out of coppiced hazel and cherry and infill with gorgeous butterfly and bee friendly shrubs.

We are passionate about encouraging all you new clients, as well as our existing ones, to let us plant wildflowers, not just herbaceous perennials and shrubs in your gardens. There are so many fabulous wildflowers to choose from. Flowers of all colours and seasons of interest, each of which attract different forms of wildlife, i.e. From Bladder Campion to Vetches; from Ragged Robin to Toadflax and Hawkbits, we love wildflowers.

With 97% of the UK’s wildflower meadows having disappeared, a new UN report has stated that nature is declining globally at unprecedented rates in human history. With the rate of species extinction accelerating, it is more important than ever, that each one of us to our bit to increase biodiversity in our gardens. A simple win, we always say, is to change the mowing regime of your lawns. The perfect green lawn is quite simply unsustainable. By letting even a small patch of your lawns grow long, you will be amazed at the wildflowers that grow, plus you will be creating a rich biodiverse habitat for beneficial insects. Our fave lawn wildflowers are: clover, Birds Foot Trefoil and Self-Heal.

Our mantra has always been, out with the herbaceous border, in with the pollinator border! We were delighted that for a garden we look after in a large block of flats in NW3, we were recently given free rein to re-design the grounds, and create a beautiful pollinator border.

Donning my High-Heeled Gardener alter-ego, here is a rather irreverent article I recently wrote after a very glam day out at the Chelsea Flower Show press day. I certainly was wild about Chelsea!

Until next time, join us in going wild!

https://haveselskabet.dk/celebrity-packed-fun-chelsea-flower-show

Roof garden in Tufnell Park

Rumex acetoselia – Sheeps sorrel. Weed or Wildflower? You know what we think!

One of our school gardens in NW3. Wouldn’t you want to go to this school!

 

 

 

 

 

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