Faye Wimpenny, City wildlife garden (SE3)

Styles: Allotment or vegetable plot, English cottage, Organic, Suburban, Wildlife

Soil types: Clay, Loamy

Soil drainage: Moist but well-drained

Soil pH: Neutral

Light: Full Sun, Partial Shade

Exposure: Sheltered

Hardiness: Tender in frost (H3), Hardy (H4)

Last Summer we bought this London house with some rambling mature shrubs - 2 ceanothus, 3 hebe and a rose but it also had loads of bare patches on the shady side and was very overgrown on the sunny side. I have since planted the garden to attract bumblebees and butterflies with a good number of native flowers and single blooms in muted colours for tranquility. There is a small patio with a seating area and containers of scented flowers such as jasmine, honeysuckle and alyssum. At the far end of the garden I created a raised bed for vegetables, salads and various fruits (quince,strawberries, cape gooseberry and grapes) and a kitchen herb bed by the house. I try to stick to organic no dig gardening and have a compost bin, a rainwater collection butt, a raised shed to allow wildlife shelter underneath, a wildlife log pile and number of bird and insect houses and feeding stations