Sustainable Gardens

Poole is renowned for the beauty of the summer and winter bedding displays in our parks and open spaces. 

There is an environmental cost to these displays, however, and the Council is well aware of:

Poole's bedding displays may need to change in the future, and since 2007 trials have been underway on a number of sites to use attractive permanent, rather than seasonal displays.

There have already been successes; Holes Bay Road roundabouts demonstrate that combining hard landscaping and drought tolerant planting can work to great effect.

Everyone can garden in a more sustainable manner; here are a few thoughts and ideas:

• Don’t over water your lawn; consider using a hose instead of a sprinkler.

• Have a water butt installed to reduce run-off from your roof, and use the water on your garden.

• Use pesticides & fertilisers sparingly.  Better still, use organic mulch or safer, natural pest controls whenever possible.

• Compost or mulch garden waste.

• Plant and encourage native species, and species that attract native wildlife

• Provide food & water for birds & animals, particularly at times of drought or other hardship.

• Use local & renewable materials, preferably recycled.

• Utilise an area of your garden for the production of organic fruit and vegetables.

There are more than 15 million gardens in the UK and these already provide a very important home for wildlife. But they could be far more valuable still if more people gardened with wildlife in mind.

	RHS advisors are producing a new series of Gardening Matters leaflets and booklets. The first two booklets are Front Gardens - Are we parking on our gardens? Do driveways cause flooding? - and Water in the Garden - Are we draining our water supplies? How can gardeners save water?   Both can be downloaded from the link on the left.
	Nature in the Garden - lots of tips, information and booklets to download at the Natural England website, including What to See & Do in the garden this month
	Space for Nature - Garden Biodiversity Forum packed with features, news and tips
	Wild About Gardens - a joint project between The Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Horticultural Society, bringing together the worlds of gardening and nature conservation
	Landlife Wildflowers - a charitable organisation growing & selling native wildflower seeds, wildflower grass and books online
	The Organic Gardening Catalogue - organic seeds for vegetables, heritage and modern varieties, herbs, flowers and green manures, organic composts and fertilisers, biological pest controls, organic gardening books and gifts
	Scarletts Plant Care sell biological pest controls by mail order