The story of The Wildlife Trusts: Wilder Spaces show garden for the Malvern Spring Festival began with a meeting of minds at fitness class.

BBOWT's chief executive, Estelle Bailey and I, director of Oxford Garden Design, regularly attend a Saturday morning ‘Boot Camp’, which is apparently not the same as a ‘Holiday Camp.’ In an essential after class drink (at the local pub) Estelle and I soon realised we shared many common values and made an instant decision to visit the ‘On Form’ Sculpture Exhibition at Astall Manor in Oxfordshire that same afternoon.

It became immediately apparent that instead of focusing on the sculptures, which were indeed beautiful, we were both busily photographing the wildlife friendly aspects of the garden. A common bond was established. 

Soon after, on a blisteringly hot July morning in my wildlife friendly garden, Estelle met Jamie Langlands, Lead Designer at Oxford Garden Design.

Once again, shared values and vision were discovered, from whence the kernel of an idea to create a garden for the Malvern Spring Festival was conceived. We agreed that the driver for this garden would be be nature, with habitats of high ecological value to form the foundation of the garden’s structure. Plans were underway for a show garden which BBOWT would lead on creating on behalf of The Wildlife Trusts.

Meanwhile, Estelle's and my fitness class continued to be a seemingly endless source of useful contacts. Woodworking expert, Gareth Lewis, also attends the Saturday morning ‘boot camp not a holiday camp.’ He quickly became part of the team in charge of construction of the bench. 

Gareth used an ash tree, felled on one of BBOWT's sites as part of the ash dieback safety work, to create both a practical and aesthetically pleasing seat, in line with the goals of the garden.

The logistics of transporting the log were, to say the least challenging, and there were many people involved in the complex operation to make that happen. 

It is unusual for a whole seat to be made from just one piece of wood and the responsibility for it, under time pressure, has been on Gareth.

Time pressure is something George White, contacts manager at Oxford Garden Design, deals with on a daily basis, but working on a show garden, his second at RHS Malvern Spring Festival, throws up a different set of challenges.

Work on the garden build began on Monday 17 April starting from a completely blank canvas. George’s job is to deliver on Jamie’s vision for the 10 x 10m space showcasing how small gardens can be used to improve wildlife habitats. 

The Wildlife Trusts: Wilder Spaces show garden has required innovative thinking, in collaboration with Charlie Luxton Design, to create a balance between an aesthetically pleasing space with environmental considerations.

The structure for the building required drilling, with incredible precision, into the rock substratum using a 1.5m drill to allow the building to be anchored without the use of cement. It was a satisfying moment when the structure slotted in precisely so the building now stands firm.

Adjacent to the building, the pond is being filled with a variety of rocks while pipe works and conduits are being discreetly incorporated to allow power for the water feature.

Russell Hartwell, Managing Director at Future Nature WTC, has been specifically working on the materials, plants and features that enhance biodiversity by providing niches for wildlife to nest, shelter and find food.

The composting channel, solitary bee columns, hoverfly lagoon, submerged amphibian reef and recycled habitat wall are all innovative examples of how these features can be incorporated into domestic gardens.

The biggest headache for Jamie has been the cold weather, which has held back plants that would normally be flowering in May, including the species trees, which are still not in leaf at the time of writing.

With nine hundred plants being used in this garden, Jamie is relying on a band of volunteers to help with planting on the days leading up to the opening of the show on Thursday 11 May. We are hoping for some sunny days between now and then to keep the team and plants cheerful.

If you're visiting the festival, do make sure you come and visit The Wildlife Trusts: Wilder Spaces show garden and see how you can incorporate some extra wildlife-friendly features in your own garden, whatever the size.

Visit the RHS Malvern Spring Festival

Make your garden more wildlife-friendly