Grove Cottage Garden

Project Title:
Location:
Owner/Designer Name:
Contact:

Grove Cottage Garden
Hereford
Andrew Simmonds
andy@simmondsmills.com

Key Aims:

To learn the basics of resilient gardening
To expand and deepen my current gardening knowledge
To strengthen my connection with nature
To improve mental health through gardening
To grow a bit of food for myself
To attract and support wildlife in my garden
To enjoy the process and have fun

Theme and Emphases:

Many years ago, living in rural Buckinghamshire I decided I wanted to find a place to work that I could walk to each day, via a green lane or byway. I sketched out this leafy aspiration over the years, but it was not until I had moved to Herefordshire, brought up children and completed the EnerPHit retrofit of the family home there that I was able to create the green byway for real, albeit only leading from our house to the garden office. The ‘garden retrofit’ was not planned ahead in much detail but developed around the theme of a (short) leafy walk to work and being inspired by the forest gardens of Martin Crawford and others led to this becoming a walk not only ‘through nature’, but also being able to pick fruit and nuts, herbs and flowers along the way. The garden has a ‘fruit and nut theme – hazelnuts, walnuts and bladder nuts’ and provides areas of shade in the summer and secret green niches to tuck yourself away in. Planting fast and slow growing plants, shrubs, trees and vines, eating ‘treats’ from the garden and seeing trees grow has, and continues to keep me happy and sane! Visitors of all ages love the garden and the green roofs of the house and outbuildings. All in a modestly-sized garden, in a city. Importantly, this relaxed approach suits me as a ‘lazy and time-limited’ gardener.

Planting Layers

• Canopy Layer:

Trees: cherry, hazel(s), walnut tree, birch, oak, lilac, pear, mountain ash, apple, wild rose, Norwegian spruce, bladder nut, bamboo. In total 30 no. plants, vines and trees are above 2 metres

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• Vertical Layer:

Grape vines, honeysuckle, jasmine, cucumber, blackberry, ivy, hop vine, passion flower

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• Shrub Layer:

Fruit bushes: gooseberry, red and black currant, raspberry, apple, apricot, peach. Buddleia, goldenrod, blueberry, loganberry, blackberry, goji berry, chokeberry

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• Herbaceous Layer:

Various herbs, comfrey(s). Various native wildflowers (including aquatic types) and non-native flowering plants

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• Ground Cover Layer:

Lemon balm, clover, strawberry plants

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• Rhizosphere Layer:

Potatoes and other root vegetables, chicory

Constructed Features

• Pond or Water Source:

Two ponds

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• Hedgehog-friendly Boundaries:

Gaps at base of boundary fences – garden is popular with hedgehogs

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• Hedgehog habitat:

Wildwood pile(s), fenced-off garden area against dog, to provide safe zone, raised shed floors provides dry undercroft spaces

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• Mammal habitat:

Dry-laid brick wall features, piles of logs, wildwood pile, raised earth banks – seen: fox, hedgehogs, wood or field mice, grey squirrels

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• Bird habitat:

Bird boxes, and gaps and spaces under building roofs e.g. eaves. Maintained hedges specifically for bird habitat. Seen – many types of small bird, also greater spotted woodpecker, sparrow hawk

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• Bat habitat:

Seen regularly over garden – bats: live in neighbour’s garden

• Bee habitat:

Bee hotel(s)

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• Insect habitat:

Wildwood piles, ponds

• Other:

Free draining woodchip and stone paths, greenhouse(s), verandah area(s), raised earth mounds for landscaping purposes

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Outputs

• Timber & Wood Products:

Firewood for campfires, hazel rods and useful shapes (hooks and handles!), larger cut branches and trunks for insect, fungi habitat. Oak, beech and fruit wood for making things!

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• Bamboo & Other Grasses:

Bamboo canes

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• Fruit or Berries:

Apples, pears, peaches, apricots, blueberries, raspberries, gooseberries, cherries, chokeberries, red and black currants, goji berries, blackberries, strawberries.

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