Sound isn’t a principle of garden design as such, more a bi-product of it, but it is something that adds ambience and mood to a garden and contributes to that feeling of unity and harmony that we so often strive for in our garden designs. There are many ways of getting sound into our gardens; the trickling of gently running water or the gushing of fast flowing waterfalls; the rustling of leaves in the trees or grasses in the borders dancing to the breeze; but one of the most uplifting sounds we can generate in our gardens is that of life itself. Birds chirping, bees and other flying insects buzzing, creatures rustling around in the undergrowth – these are the sounds of a vibrant and bio diverse garden and plants play a key role in attracting the animals and insects that add to that valuable ecosystem.
There’s another upside to attracting those sound-makers to our gardens too because our gardens have the potential to play a key role in the UK’s sustainable future. While natural habitats are being continually eroded through development the UK’s 15 million gardens can help replace some of that lost habitat for the fauna that rely on them. 97% of the UK’s natural wildflower meadows have been lost for instance, but as gardeners we have the capability to put some of that wildflower meadow ‘back’ by incorporating some of our own in our garden planting schemes.
Wildflower meadows are beautiful to look at, can suit and complement a garden design but crucially can attract up to 500% more insect numbers than our more monocultural lawns do – and with those insects and pollinators come the sound of vibrant ‘life’ and industry that add so much to our gardens.
For optimal biodiversity at Blue Daisy we work with perennial wildflower meadow turf because it is also low maintenance, is already established, is guaranteed to work, will come back year after year and has a minimum of 30 UK native species of plants in them – a wildflower meadow on a roll if you will; but sowing wildflower meadows from seed, or manually planting a wildflower meadow will also produce those nectar and pollen rich plants that will attract those sound making insects to our gardens and, in turn, help maintain this key resource and support system that is under threat. They might not have all of the benefits that we believe wildflower turf has but they are still a viable way of getting those crucial wildflowers into our gardens. We mustn't forget that we are part of the whole ecosystem dependency chain – we might be far up on it but we are still dependent upon the health of the system far below us, so by improving the biodiversity of our gardens not only are we adding aesthetic and sensory depth to the enjoyment of them, through the look of the wildflower meadow and the sounds of life that depend upon them, but we’re also helping ourselves.
This blog’s garden design tip very short, sweet and simple: incorporate some wildflower meadow in your garden. You won’t regret it and the animals, insects and birds that will benefit from it will thank you for it – you’ll be able to hear them doing so.
If this has whetted your appetite get in touch for more information (or for advice on how to achieve a wildflower meadow area in your garden).