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Our background
We were originally farmers who had enjoyed a lifelong, hands-on
connection with and love of the land, but by the 1980s times were
changing both in agriculture and in the countryside. A future in
farming looked bleak and uninviting and as concerned conservationists,
we made a wise and positive decision to give up farming and used
our combined interest and skills to create the wildlife garden at
Sticky Wicket.
Our objectives
With our objectives firmly focussed on providing a safe haven
for wildlife, it was our equally firm intention that this garden
would also be an artist's paradise. We wanted a perfect marriage
of concepts which would dispel the myth that wildlife gardening
is necessarily an easy option to creative gardening. Our borders
were to be brimming with a combination of wildlife-friendly garden
plants and wildflowers, composed in a painterly way and with a sensitive
use of colour.
The encouraging results
We opened our gates to the public in 1989, three years after our
arrival and since then the garden has consistently attracted media
attention, both at home and abroad. We have been featured in many
books and magazines and made several television appearances. Our
garden and business has grown, we write, lecture and consult, promoting
and practicing our gardening philosophy but never compromising with
time spent in hands-on gardening at Sticky Wicket.
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