The Wildlife Friendly Garden Competition 2012

Following the success of our second wildlife friendly garden competition last year, The Garden’s Group of Sherborne and Poundbury, Dorchester has again offered to sponsor this county-wide competition for 2012.

Big or small, enter your garden!

See below for the entry form and support notes. Don’t feel that you must have a huge garden with full scale habitats to qualify. We are just as interested in what those of you with small gardens are able to do for wildlife.

Remember, our native birds and insects do not see your garden in isolation but as part of a patchwork of habitats within the landscape. Joy Wallis, our community conservation officer, managed to get 13 mini habitats on a meter square pallet which even attracted real bees, hoverflies and beetles in the short time it was up at shows and events across the county.

How is the competition judged?

The judges will be assessing your garden for how much effort you have put in to creating wildlife habitats and what you do to attract and provide for wildlife in your garden so as much evidence as you can provide to support this will help to make sure your garden gets into the finals for judging.

The categories

There are 5 categories this year: Patio or Small, Medium/­Large, Large, Community Garden or School (any size) and Best Improved Garden for winners from previous years. See the entry form below for further details.

Is my garden "wildlife friendly"?

“Gardens can be full of perfect specimen roses, they can be full of leeks and lettuces but they can still be very comfortable homes for wildlife!" Our sponsor, Mike Burks, MD of The Gardens Group says "One does not preclude the other and so we will hopefully find gardens where plants and wildlife are in perfect harmony!”

Here are a few wildlife friendly garden features that your garden might include:

	Wildlife Pond		Long grass area		No-go area
	Bog or permanently wet area		Nectar rich flower border and bushes		Log pile and/or substantial decaying tree stump
	Bird bath		Mixed Native Hedge		Climbing plants/trellises suitable for nesting & feeding
	Bird Box		Mature native tree		Slug pellet free
	Wild flower meadow		Compost heap

How to enter

Entry to the competition is FREE. Click on the following link to download an
Entry Form and download some notes to help you with your entry

You can also collect an entry form from Castle Gardens - Sherborne, Poundbury Gardens - Dorchester and our wildlife centres at Brooklands Farm, Lorton Meadows and the Urban Wildlife Centre at Beacon Hill, Corfe Mullen. 

The closing date for entries is 18th May 2012, and judging will take place at the end of May and during June.

The prizes

Prizes will include a wildlife friendly selection of products, gardening vouchers, books and a winners plaque.

The Award Ceremony will be at Castle Garden in Sherborne hopefully on 19th July 2012 with a guest speaker and a chance to see photos of all the winning gardens.

For further information, please contact Joy Wallis at Dorset Wildlife Trust on 01305 264620 or email
 

 
Mike & Louise Burks, Directors
of the Gardens Group & sponsors
of our gardening competition

Joy's mini garden at Gillingham Show

Baby Blue Tit 
Photo by Judith Crompton

 Entry Form

 Notes to help with your entry
 

Winner of the Large Garden
Category 2010 © Michael Evans