Take a tour: https://youtu.be/3YGprcTQt6o?si=Hcir3VmFV2KNFV50
Ashley Ball is taking a walk on the wildside this week as he meets the second contender in our ongoing competition.
IT is a love for wildlife which has inspired Emma Sedgwick to craft the sprawling garden she has.
There is no doubt that every species which calls her Shafton garden home will have reciprocal feelings.
And there are plenty.
Foxes, bats, newts, birds of prey, grass snakes, owls, scores of smaller birds, pollinators, squirrels, hedgehogs and too many creepy crawlies to name are all present.
Emma encourages everything in her all-inclusive garden: weeds are cherished, nettles are left alone and slugs aren’t persecuted. They’re all key components to her micro eco-system.
But there is a real skill to attracting these species and Emma, a haematology nurse specialist and mum to an 11-year-old boy, has created habitats everywhere including a wildlife pond, log and rock piles and compost heaps.
She tailor-makes the garden for their needs.
Emma said: “We’ve got a great environment for wildlife. To get your bigger predators like sparrowhawks you’ve got to start at the bottom with little logpiles for insects that bring the little birds in. I have never really been a gardener but my love of nature and wanting to get animals in which has made the garden what it is.”
There is no doubt the garden is hers and has been worked on tirelessly for the 15 years she’s been there. But Emma’s kind enough to allow the youngster a football net to perfect his shooting in... so long as he minds the plants. It’s a fair compromise.
The garden’s primary purpose may be as a habitat and haven for wildlife but it does this whilst still being a family garden with many places to sit and relax in. The colours and views are beautiful with a huge willow tree the centrepiece.
Emma has a very big space to work with but it’s cleverly split into more manageable sections where flowers, fruit and vegetables are grown. She’s studied the garden to know where and when to plant everything so it can excel.
She added: “I do tend to use all the veg. The family love the apple pies that I make and I take them into work too.”
An orchard and meadow are in their infancy at the back of the garden and it’s certain Emma has put them in the right place because she has got everything else right so far.
The vote for Barnsley’s Best Garden will open on our website once all the contenders have been featured. Then the final decision will be made by a judging panel in August.
The search for Barnsley’s best garden is kindly sponsored by Sunflowers From The Hills.
