Did you know that Britain’s gardens occupy more space than all our nature reserves put together?
So how can we best share our gardens with nature, and how can you help?

Lauren with her winning picture

Being thoughtful about how we design and maintain our gardens – with wildlife in mind – is one of the key aims of the Knoll Gardens Foundation, the charitable arm of Knoll Gardens, near Wimborne.
Through its committed team of volunteers, the charity helps support the care of Knoll Gardens, offers educational activities and events to the local community and also undertakes regular wildlife surveys.
Engaging with local community groups is a priority for the foundation, and over the summer they have offered free garden access to a number of local art and photography groups, inspiring artists and photographers to capture their own view of wildlife among naturalistic planting at Knoll.
An exhibition of some of the photographic work to come out of this collaboration was displayed as part of the foundation’s recent open day.

Lauren King, from bh photography club, captured the winning image and was presented with two annual passes for the gardens by foundation chair Rowena Jecock.
The charity also has big plans for the future, with projects to better help visitors understand and learn from their wildlife-friendly approach, to inspire more people to adopt sustainable gardening practices at home, and to realise the potential of further recording opportunities of the wild ‘flora and fauna’ at Knoll.
Meanwhile, the foundation is seeking a new trustee to join its friendly team, specifically someone with a background in ecology, to advise on survey/research methodology.
If you would like join the foundation team as a trustee or volunteer, get in touch by email to foundation@knollgardens.co.uk.