Dry stone walls

Dry stone walls

Dry stone walls are a key feature of the Cotswolds where we are based, criss-crossing the hills and meadows creating beautiful field boundaries that total a remarkable 4,000 miles.  Some of the earliest date back to neolithic times but most originate from the 18th and 19th centuries when sheep farming was profitable and labour was cheap.

We are lucky to have about 150m of old walling that runs along our south-western boundary dividing our borders and vegetable garden from the meadows beyond. Clothed in moss  and peppered with ferns and lichen the wall is a superb habitat for wildlife from mice and voles to beetles and snails.  Constructed from limestone there’s every chance that the materials were dug from the very land we garden; the immediate farmland has numerous small quarries dotted around and remnants of old spoil heaps now inhabited by small copses punctuate the east and westward points of our garden.


Wildlife in the garden - the tawny owl

The tawny owl (Strix aluco), is a medium-sized owl species widely distributed across Europe and western Siberia.  It’s a common sight in woodlands and has successfully adapted to urban environments...
Read More

Gardeners' notes - what to do in November

Clearing Borders   With many plants now beyond their best it’s time to consider clearing your borders.  Although an operation that many are choosing to leave until the spring, we...
Read More

Plant folklore - blackthorn

The blackthorn or sloe, scientifically known as Prunus spinosa, is a well known countryside plant and appears frequently in Celtic folklore and mythology.  This thorny shrub is intrinsically linked with...
Read More