Wildlife at The Chelsea Flower Show
Many people are wondering when someone will design a wildlife pond or water feature for the great British wildlife we have. The main theme at this year’s show is biodiversity, less than in the last two but it is still prominent. Many of the show gardens have natural meadow style planting, there’s a few “bee hotels” but these are only any good for frogs and hedgehogs and such. Many of the water features at the show do appear in the big budget gardens but are quite the opposite of wildlife friendly and seem more of a death trap.
Sources of water in the entries are of great importance as the vast number of them shows. Water adds harmony and brings in a new dimension with birds using it to quench their thirst, smooth out their feathers to make them more streamlined and improve their flight. It helps them clean their feathers which in turn keeps them warmer. There are lots of animals that breed in water as well as animals that spend most of their lives around a pond. Then there are the grass snakes that hunt in the water.
We are certainly looking forward to an entry with a water source that is wildlife friendly, will 2013 be the year?
Also at The Chelsea Flower Show, after gaining two silver medals, the Yorkshire garden has finally won a gold medal from the Royal Horticultural Society. The wild but gentle entry from the brashest of England’s counties enlisted the power of the Bronte sister’s and finally achieved its ambition and swept rivals aside.
Here at Prestige Flowers this is one of our favourite entries.