You can’t rush a woodland. Trees and shrubs take time to grow. But we knew a few ways to help to speed things along. We chose a site which already had some large, mature trees and added young specimens to that area. We planted native species because these are most beneficial to wildlife.
Before planting woodland shrubs and flowers, you need to change the ground because they will not grow well in grass, so we removed the grass with a lot of weed control fabric and wood chip. Once the grass had gone, we planted young trees and shrubs in the newly bare earth and also started to get the ground ready for woodland plants.
Bluebells and wild garlic will be going in soon. Preparation for a path has also started. The view into the adjacent cemetery was screened using natural materials, including a new hedgerow.
Where it was too shady for plants to grow, we used branches and twigs to create a ‘dead hedge’ for invertebrates to live in. The birds and bugs are loving our new woodland and we are looking forward to welcoming more wildlife this year
