Heather bed
In 2012, when the new houses were built, excess soil from excavating for services and foundations was used to enlarge the existing bank in front of the row of large Leylandii trees. The latter have a bad press, and certainly they are not the first choice of tree for wildlife. Here, though, they provide a wonderful, dense, refuge for small birds like goldcrests & long-tailed tits. By forming a barrier to the wind they create a living south-facing wall that gives a mild micro-climate to the bank in front of it. The bank is settling down nicely to a short, rabbit-grazed turf of fine grasses. The heather bed we put in to provide winter forage for the bees is a success and we have extended it. This will make it both more impressive and more useful. Last year we planted Kiftsgate roses along the row of Leylandii. These are wildly rampant and should transform the conifers into a tall flowering hedge!
​
