SHAFTESBURY ABBEY GARDEN SUSTAINABILITY & WILDLIFE

 

Sustainability

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Water saving water butts.

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Composts bins - decomposing our cleared plants to be reused in the gardens.

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Plants for sale – we reuse plastic pots, buy wooden plant labels and some peat free compost, collect seed and selfsown seedlings to grow on, thus making native wildlife friendly plants available for sale.

Choosing natural materials wherever possible as items need replacing.

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Wildlife

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Water features: bird bath, hedgehog water bowl.

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Creating wildflower areas within our gardens supporting wildlife. We allow some to naturally establish in parts of the grassy areas or stony banks. We have sown wildflower seeds in a couple of beds.

 

Creating a variety of bee and bug hotels.

 

Swift boxes installed.

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Herbs – excellent source nectar and pollen for insects. Many herbs are wild native cultivars that have evolved within natural biodiversity of our lands and so support sustainability for ecosystems. Many valuable medicinal herbs are ‘weeds’ – plantain, dandelion, nettle, cleavers, which we include in our herb collection.

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Our orchard includes older fruit tree species supporting biodiversity.

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Avoiding use of chemicals, pesticides, insecticides.

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Dorset Wildlife Trust web entry

https://www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/gardenscheme

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Shaftesbury Abbey Museum & Garden

Living collections of herbs and wildflowers grown among the ruins of Shaftesbury Abbey. Free entry 7 days a week 10-4 April through October. Garden maintained to encourage wildlife 12 months a year with wood and stone piles, yew hedging, bird baths, wildflowers, and pollinator-attracting species.

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