The garden here was not created in a month or even a year, but it has slowly evolved to become a haven for wildlife and ourselves, a design created back in 2005, with a combination of layered planting creating numerous habitats for wildlife in an urban environment. The mixture of evergreens and deciduous shrubs, with perennial planting, offers both interest, colour and structure for every month of the year. There is a large kitchen garden, which used to be the cricket pitch, which proves that areas can be redesigned and changed depending on what is needed for the family.

Springfield is a garden of many rooms but because of its size the rooms are naturally interconnected to make the best use of the space. There is a natural flow when walking around the garden. Entry and exit points slow not only your pace but the transition from one area to the next. Vistas that are barely visible of what is beyond the gate encourage you to explore further. Nature both envelopes and takes you to another world offering a calm and positive atmosphere. Seats are positioned at various points around the garden to capture the light during the day.

There is nothing we cannot achieve so long as we all pull together, and the statement is not just from a human level. Working alongside nature will provide food for all of us. We are seldom able to choose the site where we are going to have the option to create a garden, but if we feed the soil and grow what vegetables adapt to this area then we will not fail. No space is too small.

Each month there will be an article published covering garden design, with ideas and concepts that you can perhaps take forward yourselves. Sections on vegetable growing and cooking, producing even a small tray of salad leaves that are cut and come again will save us money which is a very important factor in the current economic situation. There will be photographs of the garden and how it has evolved through the year.

‘Let’s go back to the Garden.’