Page 7 - Lydden News Letter 2025

Nature Friendly Gardening

This is my last article on Gardening in Harmony with Nature. I feel I am running out of
steam and I do not want to repeat myself ad nauseam!

It all started with a friend suggesting I might open my garden with Kent Wildlife Trust/
Wilder gardens. I said yes and then tried to back out, feeling sure that my garden was
not the right sort of space. However it turned out that the garden I have made almost
exclusively for my own pleasure is beneficial to wildlife. I have a variety of shrubs and
trees. I grow as many flowers as I can squeeze in and expect to have something in
flower almost any time of year. I do not use chemicals, bar the very careful use of a
few slug pellets (approved for organic use)* when I first plant out courgettes. I have a
pond, albeit a very tiny one and a couple of saucers of water dotted about. I have an
untidy corner where there is a log pile, broken plant pots and large stones. When I
found a hedgehog sleeping in a border I felt I had got it right! Now the pond has
tadpoles and Red damsel flies visit.

This year I am not doing No Mow May. I grow bulbs in my grass so a swathe left uncut
while they die back gives me a long uncut area naturally. I hope I have given you
some inspiration over these articles. Your garden is your own and you should tailor it
the way you want it, but it is easy to have a beautiful garden and consider wildlife too.
Ditch the chemicals. Don't spray greenfly or any other pests - another insect is on
hand to eat them! Grow a diverse range of flowers, shrubs, trees if you have space.
One of the best trees is a crabapple, full of blossom in spring and with fruit in the
autumn. The bees love the blossom, the birds love the fruit. They don't grow too big
either. You do not need to stick to native plants, just grow lots of different flowers. Add
water, whether it is in a birdbath, saucer, old sink! Or make a pond. Add shelter in the
form of an untidy corner, a log pile or bug hotels. Enjoy!

There is so much information to be had. On Instagram you will find people doing
wonderful things for wildlife in their gardens. The RHS website is a mine of
information and of course the Wildlife Trust's own website.
www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/wilder-gardens

Thank you for reading.

Wendy Smith
14/5/25

*I am trying coffee grounds as a slug deterrent!
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