Our goal is to inspire and guide you to create beautiful, productive and biodiverse spaces here in our wonderful city.

Our garden is planted entirely in containers and everything in the garden from the pots to the table are recycled and upcycled. 

We want to show you can have a stunning garden whatever size or type of space you have access to without spending a pretty penny.

In this blog you can find;

• Details of the plants we have used, to be extra helpful we've broken them down into those suitable for sunny and shady spaces, those useful for creating height and those that attract pollinators.
• A list of the fruit and vegetables we have packed in.
• Details on how we've created habitats to attract wildlife.
• Suggestions on where you can find upcycled items.

If you have any questions or want some advice when you're visiting the garden just grab one of our knowledgeable staff. There is nothing we like more than chatting about plants!

• Vinca - great groundcover
• Hellebore - winter/ early spring flowers loved by pollinators
• Dryopteris - textured foliage providing colour and interest all year round
• Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing' - decorative cow parsley with deep-purple leaves and pink-tinged flowers
• Brunnera - delicate, patterned leaves with small blue flowers in spring
• Foxglove - tall spires of flowers adored by pollinators
• Heuchera - colourful, evergreen ground cover with flowers in late spring
• Polemonium - interesting foliage and flowers in early summer
• Acer - shrubs/ small trees with a range of delicate leaf shapes and colours
• Alchemilla mollis - hairy, light green leaves with scalloped and toothed edges with small, bright yellow flowers in summer
• Ophiopogon - a black, grass that provides interest all year round
• Hydrangea - available in a range of flowers shapes and colours. Flowers in high summer.

PLANTS WE HAVE USED IN THE SUNNY AREA OF OUR GARDEN

• Allium - purple globes of flowers on tall stems, loved by pollinators
• Geum - yellow, red or orange flowers in late spring/ early summer
• Verbascum - tall spires of flowers loved by pollinators. Can cope with drought conditions once established
• Lupin - classic cottage-garden plants with bold, colourful flower spikes loved by pollinators
• Rose - every garden should have one! If you do your research you will find roses that like the shade as well
• Peony - show stopping plants that flower late spring into early summer
• Sweet pea - annual flowers that can be grown from seed adding height and knock out fragrance to your garden
• Geranium - flowers prolifically all summer. A great groundcover plants that helps cover the knobbly legs of roses and shrubs. You can also find geraniums suitable for shade
• Clematis - if you choose wisely you can have a clematis in flower every month of the year. Great for providing height and covering walls and fences
• Stipa tenuissima - you can't help but touch it! A gorgeous grass with upright tufts of thread-like leaves, with narrow, arching, feathery flowering panicles in summer

PLANTS WE'VE USED TO CREATE HEIGHT

• Crataegus (Hawthorn) - a lovely tree suitable for small gardens. They have pretty spring blossom loved by pollinators
• Grapevine - we're growing this up a homemade trellis to give height and cover on a bare wall
• Blackberry - we're growing this up a homemade trellis to give height and cover on a bare wall
• Sweet pea - annual flowers that can be grown from seed adding height and knock out fragrance to your garden. Grow them up a wigwam of canes
• Runner bean - annual vegetable that can be grown from seed. Such a winner of a plant with beautiful flowers adored by pollinators followed by yummy beans
• Climbing French bean - annual vegetable that can be grown from seed. Such a winner of a plant with beautiful flowers adored by pollinators followed by yummy beans
• Sunflower - annual flowers that can be grown from seed. A great plant to grow with children
• Clematis - if you choose wisely you can have a clematis in flower every month of the year. Great for providing height and covering walls and fences
• Jasmin - a vigorous, evergreen, woody climber with twining stems, glossy dark green, oval leaves that turn deep bronze-red in winter and clusters of very fragrant, white flowers produced in mid to late summer

PLANTS WE'VE USED THAT ATTRACT POLLINATORS/ WILDLIFE

• Hellebore - winter/ early springh flowers loved by pollinators
• Foxglove - tall spires of flowers adored by pollinators
• Allium - purple globes of flowers on tall stems, loved by pollinators
• Verbascum - tall spires of flowers loved by pollinators. Can cope with drought conditions once established
• Lupin - classic cottage-garden plants with bold, colourful flower spikes loved by pollinators
• Crataegus (Hawthorn) - a lovely tree suitable for small gardens. They have pretty spring blossom loved by pollinators
• Runner bean - annual vegetable that can be grown from seed. Such a winner of a plant with beautiful flowers adored by pollinators followed by yunmy beans
• Climbing French bean - annual vegetable that can be grown from seed. Such a winner of a plant with beautiful flowers adored by pollinators followed by yunmy beans
• Sunflower - annual flowers that can be grown from seed. A great plant to grow with children
• Buddleja - known as the butterfly bush, the fragrant flowers of buddleja are a favourite nectar source for butterflies. Some selections are compact and can be grown in containers

THE FRUIT, VEGETABLES AND HERBS WE HAVE GROWING IN OUR GARDEN

Vegetables

• Tomato - upright and trailing
• Courgette
• French bean
• Runner bean
• Radish
• Lettuce
• Kale
• Carrot
• Broad bean
• Potato
• Sweetcorn

Fruit

• Pear
• Rhubarb
• Strawberry
• Alpine strawberry
• Tayberry
• Gooseberry
• Blackberry
• Grapevine

Herbs

• Chives
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Mint
• Rosemary

WHERE WE SOURCED OUR UPCYCLED AND RECYCLED ITEMS

All our pots and containers were found in our very own recycling station situated next to our garden and free for you to rummage through every time you visit.

Our table cost £20 from Facebook Marketplace

Our bookshelf was found in a skip and was free

Our planted wall was left in our very own recycling station situated next to our garden and free for you to rummage through every time you visit

 WHAT WE'VE DONE TO ENCOURAGE WILDLIFE INTO OUR GARDEN

In conjunction with using plants pollinators adore we have also introduced a number of habitats to encourage wildlife to take up residence in our garden.

Bug Sanctuary

Insects need a range of habitat types to thrive. This 'sandarium' is a mini habitat for invertebrates like mining bees, digger wasps, spiders and earwigs. A sandarium offers them the chance to hide away in sandy burrows and raise their young. The shallow water filled dish on which the pot stands deters ants and acts as a drinking station for flying insects. You may even find birds take a drink and a splash on a hot day too.

Bug Hotel

We've filled an old wooden box with sticks, leaves and pine cones to create a cosy space for bugs to hang out. Buh hotels are good for lots of different types of minibeast such as ladybirds, bees, woodlice and spiders. You might even get frogs or hedgehogs coming to stay.

Log Pile

Log piles are the perfect hiding place for many bugs and insects, providing a feast for animals such as hedgehogs and frogs. They're easy to build and are perfect for gardens, especially if you want to see more wildlife around your home.

Bird Feeder

We've also added a bird feeder which was donated at one of our Swap and Share events.