Coastal Life

I have always been inspired by nature and even in my years in London felt terrific sanctuary when surrounded by a green space. Whether it's a London park, the woods, fields of patchwork greens, a beach, being in my mothers garden surrounded by colours and scent. So when I moved back to Liverpool, my biggest aim was to find a space that I could invest time and energy into a garden of my own. For more than 15 years, having taken on a very neat and orderly garden, the garden has been transformed into a little wonderland. 

Sandhills is literally a garden on a sand dune! With the help of a small book by Derek Jarmen, I took huge inspiration from the spaces he had created in Dungeness, a wild and windswept place not dissimilar to my new found space.  I am grateful to various friends who came and went, happily giving their time to helping me along the way, each person leaving a footprint of their very own, clearing, building, planting. Over time I let the natural world in, combining wild plants with cultivated flowers shrubs and a couple of small trees.

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The garden is an ongoing project but what remains is that it is a home to so much wildlife. Through the seasons, I make sure there are safe habitats and food for the many garden visitors. I am always surprised by the new insects, birds and amphibians that I spot.

It is encouraging and wonderful to know that the garden can provide food and a home for nature.

At times it felt fruitless as I would work on an area and then the seasons would change, the winter’s harsh winds would perish any delicate Clematis or Passion Flower that had any chance of succeeding. The summers full sunlight on the dry sandy beds meant that without continual watering, even the toughest of perennials would wilt. My neighbours have at times been puzzled by the ‘stuff’ I have found from the beach or out of skips which I have used as planters and troughs. From discarded water tanks to even a scraped fibreglass fishing boat destined for the tip! I love my garden and all that the ever changing seasons bring. 

There are now birds and bees that nest here. The small ponds are full of frogs, newts and in the summer, dragonflies! It has been a joy discovering which plants reappear and go on to survive through to the following year. Creating a green space whether it is a garden, a balcony or just a window box is so rewarding I would encourage anyone to give it a go!