The President’s garden by Howard

Walking up the drive to Professor Alastair Fitter’s garden in York, I spotted an almost perfect shaggy inkcap fungus.  A good start on a sunny day. Alastair, the President of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust was busy greeting some of his 100 visitors as I arrived. He had a display of moths he’d humanely trapped the previous night, Over the 47 years he’s lived there, Alastair’s garden has been visited by around 800 moth species - around a third of the total species in the UK.

The first part of the one acre garden is a low maintenance lawn with flexible boundaries defined by plant growth.  As you walk past the lawn and into the meadow, the city seems far away…taking a closer look, many species appear. In June, the meadow will speckle with pink as common spotted orchids bloom. Alistair says the key to managing a meadow is to cut twice a year - August and October, and crucially to remove the clippings to prevent mulching, allowing wild flower seeds to thrive.

At the far end of the garden there’s a pond that looks like it’s been there forever. It’s 10 years old. On my way back to the house to sample some of the delicious cakes on offer, I passed Alastair gleefully digging up a Japanese horse chestnut sucker for one of the visitors - just one of many plants visitors were taking away. I meet Umar and Phoebe who cannot believe there is somewhere so wild in York. People sit on benches soaking up the calm.

As I’m talking to Alastair on the porch, familiar faces appear. Rachael Bice, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s CEO and Nick Perks, Chair of trustees are visiting. It was great to see our senior leadership team together on our 80th Birthday at Alistair's garden event, a day which raised over £1,000 in donations for the Trust.

Beverley’s Wildside by Simon

Anyone who thinks that having a wildlife friendly garden means it has to be unkempt or overgrown would be in for a big surprise if they visited Caroline’s garden in Leven, or Sue and Gerard’s in Beverley. Both are Yorkshire Wildlife Trust gold award winners, yet both combine wonderful, livable spaces that are fantastic for people as well as for wildlife to enjoy. 

The two gardens have a real “wow” factor that you experience the moment you step into them. Dig deeper and there are all sorts of wildlife friendly features to be found. There are ponds - even the smallest water feature can attract newts, frogs and dragonflies. 

There are drifts of flowers in a rainbow of colours, and areas left to go a little bit wilder with nettles and longer grass to attract bees and butterflies. 

As Caroline told me, seasonal planting means there is always something for the wildlife as well as for her enjoyment. For Sue, it’s the simplest of things like helping hedgehogs by cutting a hole in a fence panel they can use during their nightly perambulations.

It was the Beverley 10K run when I visited Sue’s garden, and it was great to see be-medalled families enjoying the garden together. Sue had posted really helpful and informative labels, telling visitors what she had done and why.

Nadine, who was visiting with me, commented “These gardens are full of brilliant ideas to encourage wildlife… small changes that can make a big difference, like “chop and drop””. This just means leaving cut plants where they fall to help with soil health - what could be easier? 

Another “simply doing nothing” idea I saw that helps wildlife included “No Mow May”. Leaving some long grass and wildflowers on your lawn soon benefits all sorts of wildlife …. Their little “patch of wild” had starlings and goldfinches feeding on it in the morning as I wrote this.

Bug-ingham Palace Visit by Sara

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I visited the wildlife friendly garden at Settle Methodist Church, but I was delighted to discover a hidden, welcoming, nature-filled space.

On arrival, I was greeted by Angela Barton, one of a team of six volunteers who care for the garden. Over delicious homemade cake, she explained that the space is open to anyone seeking personal reflection. Bug-ingham Palace, as it is known, was designed by church members and pupils from Settle Primary School on the site of what was once a small car park.

The peaceful garden makes creative use of repurposed, recycled, and donated materials to create a thriving haven for plants and wildlife. Handmade planters, benches, bug hotels, a bird bath, bird feeders, and a hedgehog house can all be found there. A newly installed wormery and swift boxes, along with the central tree, were also donated.

Four paths lead visitors to the garden’s corners: earth, fire, wind, and water. There is a wide variety of plants, including pick-your-own herbs and some greenhouse produce free for visitors to take home. Each month, church members monitor wildlife activity through surveys of birds and insects. They also check the hedgehog house and have already found signs of a resident.

In the four years since the garden was created, it has welcomed groups from Dementia Forward, SELFA Children’s Charity, Brownies and Rainbows, Freda’s Playgroup, and Eco Explorers, as well as hosting church social events.

Since we launched our Wildlife Gardening Award three years ago, we have rewarded over 700 green-fingered Yorkshire folk for their incredible work to create wildlife havens in their back yards, gardens and community spaces. 

We are immensely proud of our wildlife friendly Yorkshire’s gardens if you would like to see what more you could do for wildlife in your garden or apply for our Wildlife Friendly Gardening Award then visit our Wildlife Gardening #Teamwilder hub