We try as far as possble to minimise the adverse impacts of the garden on the local environment.
We collect rain water from our large roofs and can store up to 5000 gallons. Any overspill goes to soakaways. The water gets used for watering and pond filling. It is very soft and is excellent for cleaning cars and windows as no rinsing is required! When plenty is available is used in the high pressure washer for cleaning and removing of algae (slippery when wet!) from patios and paths. 2.5kW of solar panels power the pumps that maintain the fishpond and move water around the system. Much of our garden waste is composted, leaf moulded or shredded for mulch.
We encourage birds to nest and insect predators to live in the garden. We provide food for bees throughout the year and good homes for mason bees, bumble bees and many other species. The wild garden supports a range of water grown and terrestrial plants and insects during the summer. We even have our own population of bank voles that attract tawny owls and next door's cats! The usual range of birds and mammals visit the site.
