Festival of Gardening for wildlife championed by Alan Titchmarsh
1-31 March 2011
“A garden without wildlife… is like a kiss without a squeeze.”
Celebrity gardener, Alan Titchmarsh speaking at the opening of the RBC Rain Garden at WWT London Wetland Centre, September 2010
The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is devoting an entire month to celebrating gardening for wildlife by organising a host of green-fingered events and activities at its nine visitor centres across the UK, offering advice on how to attract wildlife to your garden, as well as showing you how to use water wisely! Events at WWT Arundel in West Sussex include drop-in chats with a Medieval herbalist, a Green Fingers family weekend on March 12-13 and a children’s Wild About Art: Growing workshop on March 19.
WWT’s Festival of Gardening has the backing of the country’s best known gardener, Alan Titchmarsh, who has thrown his weight behind this initiative to champion the link between gardening and wildlife conservation and highlight the importance of the sustainable use of water in your garden.
Alan said: “I happen to believe that gardening is at the sharp end of nature conservation. Wildlife is fragile, it’s true, but it’s also adaptable, and it’s certainly opportunistic. Create the right environment, and the wildlife will come. If WWT is able to build a magnificent garden for wildlife in the midst of a city of millions, just think what you can achieve in your own patch of land.
“The new RBC Rain Garden at WWT London Wetland Centre is a great reminder that water is the most precious of resources, and a well-managed garden pond plays a wonderful role in protecting that resource.”
Supported by NFU Mutual, the Festival of Gardening programme of activities and events at centres throughout March will include walks and talks covering topics including how to attract wildlife to your garden or build a butterfly garden. There’ll be demonstrations on subjects including how to create your own rain garden, build a mini-beast hotel or plant up a garden pond; and some centres will even have gardener’s surgeries where a panel of experts – including renowned garden designer Dr Nigel Dunnett – will be on hand to answer all your gardening queries.
Visit www.wwt.org.uk/gardening for full details of all the events and activities at each WWT centre.
Events happening at WWT Arundel Wetland Centre during the Festival of Gardening include:
Medieval herbalist 10, 17, 24, 31 March For centuries plants have given us food, medicine, shelter, fragrance and beauty. Learn more from our Medieval herbalist while you make a garland for your kitchen. 11am & 2pm
Green fingers weekend: Saturday 12 March & Sunday 13 March Batbox Building workshop 1-2 pm : £15 per box: Attract bats to your garden with a lovely home! Advance booking only, call 01903 8981530
Butterfly Garden 11-12:30pm & 2:30-3:30pm: Visit the Holt building to craft a butterfly for our garden and learn how to attract butterflies to your own. Decorate a pot and plant some seeds to get you started. Free with regular admission.
Wildlife garden: visit the wildlife garden for tips on how to keep your garden green.
Wild about art – growing Sat 19 March Get those creative juices flowing using natural materials. Create cress heads and other green fingered fun. £4.50pc. Children must be accompanied by an adult (1 free pc). Booking essential 11-1pm.
wwt.org.uk/arundel
