JILAYNE RICKARDS
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Wildlife Garden

Wildlife Garden garden design by Jilayne Rickards
Wildlife Garden — wildlife garden great missenden jilayne rickards bee 01 buckinghamshire 2017 1280 300x206 1
Wildlife Garden — wildlife garden great missenden jilayne rickards bee 02 buckinghamshire 2017 1280 300x214 1
Wildlife Garden — wildlife garden great missenden jilayne rickards butterfly 01 buckinghamshire 2017 1280 300x207 1
Wildlife Garden — wildlife garden great missenden jilayne rickards butterfly 02 buckinghamshire 2017 1280 768x987 1
Wildlife Garden — wildlife garden great missenden jilayne rickards dragonfly 01 buckinghamshire 2017 1280 300x205 1
Wildlife Garden — wildlife garden great missenden jilayne rickards kings ash barn 01 august 2017 1280 300x180 1
Wildlife Garden — wildlife garden great missenden jilayne rickards kings ash barn 02 august 2017 1280 300x186 1
Wildlife Garden — wildlife garden great missenden jilayne rickards kings ash barn 03 august 2017 1280 300x191 1
Wildlife Garden — wildlife garden great missenden jilayne rickards kings ash barn 04 august 2017 1280 300x195 1
Wildlife Garden — wildlife garden great missenden jilayne rickards kings ash barn 05 august 2017 1280 300x176 1
Wildlife Garden — wildlife garden great missenden jilayne rickards kings ash barn 06 august 2017 1280 300x199 1
Wildlife Garden — wildlife garden great missenden jilayne rickards kings ash barn 07 august 2017 1280 300x198 1
Wildlife Garden — wildlife garden great missenden jilayne rickards kings ash barn 11 august 2017 1280

Description

This large front garden was just lawn when I first saw it with neither strong layout or good planting. The soil is clay chalk with flint and very alkaline. The garden was also very exposed to wind that blew across the open nearby valley. However the view across the valley is gorgeous and I immediately wanted to include it.

Design Brief

The clients primarily wanted a garden for wildlife to attract bees in particular but also to provide a habitat for birds and pond life. They wanted different areas to view the garden from and for it to be a place to relax and unwind in.

Garden Design

I based the layout on curves to link in with the meandering hills and surrounding tree canopies. I had to stop the wind from decimating the new planting so a 1.5m thick native hedgerow was planted around the entire perimeter which was clipped lower around the viewpoint across the valley.

Plants were selected for their tolerance of the inhospitable soil and attractiveness to wildlife. Nectar rich plants such as Lavender, Cirsium, Verbena, Helenium, Digitalis, Scabious and Sedum were repeated throughout the beds. I included a wildlife pond which was planted with native plants to attract pondlife with surrounding decking for loungers and pond watching.

Photography by: Simon Bourne

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