Turning 1/4 acre into a wild garden

macraignil wrote: »

Grass is said to do better than wild flowers when nutrients are high so make sure not to add any fertiliser. You could mow it and remove the clipping to help reduce the level of nutrients but if it is too rough for this maybe getting it grazed by sheep again might help set the grass back a bit and allow more opportunity for other plants get established when they are gone.

There is a website dedicated to information on helping pollinators and their list of trees good for the purpose can be found in this link.

Trees that are deciduous are available cheaper bare root when they are dormant between Autumn and Spring and so you could start then and complete the planting more cheaply. Here is a link to a nursery price list to give an example of what could be available. There is a list on the second last page of trees available as whips which means they are still small and so can generally be planted without supports and because they develop more naturally can often out grow bigger more expensive trees that you might also consider and so prove a better option.

The flowers that are best for pollinators include buddleia and nepeta and it is an idea to plant things to cover having flowers throughout the year. I made a playlist of flowers in my own garden for each month of the year.

One other thing that might be a factor if you are going to be planting trees is that hares may try to eat the bark so you may want to put something around the tree trunks if they are around your area. I found spare sections of drainage pipe worked fine to protect young trees while they are getting established and they can be removed once the trees get bigger. Not sure if these are a problem in your area. Sounds like a great idea and do post some pictures of how it goes and any other questions that pop up.

Good luck!