Designing a wild space for the community
The brief
1200m2, a former tree nursery, now owned by a town council with a vision to turn it into a space for nature.
Response: a forest garden and wildflower meadow
What is a Forest Garden?
Forest gardens mimic the natural ecosystem of a forest where you have layers of planting from the upper canopy to the forest floor. A forest garden is organised in up to seven ‘layers’ including tall trees, smaller trees, climbers, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, ground cover, and everything down to the rhizosphere.
“Tessa has been a pleasure to work with, full of imaginative ideas to bring our project to fruition.”
Forest garden design process
Mapping the area and site conditions
Consultation with those involved to refine the brief
Shortlisting appropriate plants for each of the seven layers
Positioning species based on many variables, including their requirements for shelter, light, moisture, good/bad companions, mineral requirements, pollination, pest protection, etc.
