We have our own little nature reserve.
Its creation started back in January 1992 when we purchased 57 North Farm Road, Lancing, on a bright sunny winter day. Over the past 33 years, it has become an oasis of greenery for all kinds of creatures to enjoy.
Our back garden was almost a blank canvas when we arrived, with just a solitary mature Hawthorn standing guardian on the north boundary. A few straggly lavender bushes and raspberry plants border a patch of nondescript lawn adequate for two children and a washing line. A small shed was tucked away beneath the branches of the Hawthorn. A cement surface adjoined the house, which had been extended beyond the footprint of an old coal bunker.
The front garden had an attractive large Silver Birch whose branches reached the telephone cables and which elegantly overhung the pavement. Once again, the borders of roses and nothing much of note with a square of lawn in the middle. Unfortunately, the birch had to go as it was old and would continue to interfere with the telephone cables. We cut it down to a stump, and over the years this has deteriorated and been home to many invertebrates, and its hollow root runs have given an ideal home to a common wasp nest.
Seeing the Hawthorn from the back bedroom window in its autumn glory on viewing day sold us the house. Each year, it heralds the return of Spring and the rush of vivid green leaves quickly covers its skeletal frame. There has only ever been one large nest high up in its branches, and each year the Magpies and Crows squabble over ownership.
In this north-facing garden, we quickly identified the areas for Ray's compost bins and planted the three other trees which would grow to maturity in the following three decades. A John Downey Crab Apple, a Cotoneaster and a Twisted Hazel, otherwise known as Katherine's tree, as it was planted to mark her birth in 1994.
All of these have grown so well, especially the Cotoneaster, whose size and vigour we put down to its close proximity to the compost bins. The compost bins have provided a home for a multitude of slugs, spiders, and mini-beasts, including nesting mice, for almost thirty years. Bumblebees can be seen burrowing into the sides of them, and an occasional Toad can take you by surprise. The birds forage around them, looking for a tasty morsel or two.
In the early Spring, the garden is a wonderful picture of a succession of white blossoms, firstly the Hawthorn, followed quickly by the apple and a little later the cotoneaster. All of these lovely trees provide nectar for insects and tiny caterpillars for the Great Tits, Blue Tits, Goldfinches and Sparrows that search among the leaves. The Twisted Hazel provides welcome cover for many birds, a structure for the clematis to climb and nuts for the occasional squirrel.
We have placed Sparrow boxes on the side of the house. They have been there for many years, and we regularly see the new fledglings being fed by the parents hidden away in the greenery before they are bold enough to venture to the bird feeder.
