So here we are, a week after the official opening of the garden and - importantly for me - five weeks since I joined the RSPB team at Stour Estuary. I’m the new intern, and over the next eight months I will be working with the staff and volunteers to make the garden as good and as relevant as it can be, while learning all I can.
As time passes, plants grow. Even within the five weeks I’ve been here I’ve noticed borders fill out, and the floral composition change as some plants come to the end of their flowering season, and others begin. Most spectacular for me has been the transition within the ‘Entrance Garden’, just to the right of the wonderful carved arch. So recently the bee-filled Salvia ‘May Night’ dominated this bed, but now as it fades into the background the fantastic Aster ‘Monch’ is stealing the show. It pleases me greatly to think that where I see a colourful and beautiful border for months on end, pollinating insects see an almost continuous source of essential nectar and pollen. In gardens at least, it seems you can have your cake and eat it.
Working with nature is the essence of the gardener’s craft; after all, you won’t get far without respecting the seasons and the particular requirements of your plants. So it seems a short hop from understanding what you need to do to make the most of what nature gives you to thinking a bit harder and giving something back. It’s reassuring that the Flatford Wildlife Garden manages to do this while being both well laid out and attractive. It feels as it should, like a sanctuary for people and wildlife.
Over the remainder of my internship I will do my best to blog on the interesting work we’re doing, on my experience of being an intern, and on whatever catches my eye in the developing garden. No internet experience beats a walk and a chat however, so if you are able to make it to the garden do come and have a look around for yourself.