As we are instructed to look after God’s creation (Genesis 2:15), we take pleasure in providing the best environment for wildlife to thrive as well as maintaining a beautiful place for guests to relax. We spoke with Louis Adlington, The Hayes’ gardener, who is as passionate about taking care of local wildlife as he is about maintaining our historic gardens.
Can you give us an overview of what you’re up to?
At the moment I’m mostly focused on the aesthetics of The Hayes’ gardens. This is partially due to an upcoming competition we’re taking part in; East Midlands in Bloom.
I’m working on getting the balance between maintaining beautiful gardens all the while supporting our biodiversity. My work with nature never stops, however, quite often it’s more about just leaving nature to do its thing.
Can you explain why we have different grass lengths?
I try to provide as much plant diversity as possible and many species like different living conditions. We have sections of hay meadow and let it grow all summer and then cut it back at the end of the year, stripping out all the growth to allow space for new species to grow.
If we were to leave the growth, all the nutrients would go back into the soil resulting in overcrowding of species such as nettles. Over time, taking out the growth each year helps to build a diverse group of plants.
With that being said, there are benefits to cutting grass more regularly in moderation. Species such as daisies and cinquefoils thrive in shorter grass. I also leave some areas of growth completely untouched all year round. In doing this, these areas provide the perfect habitat for small rodents, which in turn provide food for barn owls and other birds of prey.
To summarise, I allow for a variety of different grass lengths with varying levels of maintenance to support a diverse range of wildlife.
What animals do we have at The Hayes?
To name a few, we’ve spotted grass snakes, voles, mice, Barn Owls, Great Spotted Woodpeckers and lots of insects. We've even found a water vole which is a relatively endangered species.
A water vole.
What is our composting procedure?
We have a large compost bed on site where we dump grass, leaves and our coffee grounds and teabags. I leave it a year to break down and degrade, after which we can use it in our gardens. It’s an ongoing cycle which makes great use of our waste.
What other biodiversity projects are you working on?
I’m carefully maintaining the growth around the lakes for several reasons; one being to protect the Common Spotted and Southern Marsh Orchids which have multiplied this year after last year's efforts to support their growth. Also, the reeds make good nesting grounds for Moorhens. I’ve carefully cut back some species that are becoming too dominant and left others that are more beneficial for wildlife.
A Common Spotted Orchid by the bottom lake at The Hayes.
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