Butterfly Sanctuary Garden

The garden

This garden aims to encourage more people to plant butterfly friendly plants and help with their survival. The garden features a garden room with decking outside. Decking is also used for the paths and a secondary seating area, which is made from thermo-ash (no chemicals are used in treating it). A stream runs from a down pipe into a pond, which is designed to overflow into a rain garden. This demonstrates how to use run off water to create a wildlife pond and irrigate the garden. A boundary wall is created using hemp blocks, which have a low carbon impact.

The planting

The planting is butterfly friendly, with native trees and hedging and includes hemp agrimony, a plant which can be used to make hemp and is loved by butterflies. The herbaceous planting colour palette at the front of the garden will be pinks, purples, white and silver. The planting is in collaboration with The Butterfly Conservation Society.

Key plants:

• Eupatorium cannabinum (hemp agrimony): links to the hemp block wall and butterfly friendly

• Cistus: drought tolerant and butterfly friendly

• Agastache: drought tolerant and beneficial to many insects and long flowering season

• Salvia: drought tolerant and beneficial to butterflies

• Hawthorn: is critically important to a wide range of moths (let’s not forget the moths)

Plants supplied by: Howard Nurseries, Tamar Nurseries

About the designer – Amanda Thomas

Amanda has worked in horticulture for around 20 years. Prior to that she worked in the financial sector for KPMG as an Auditor and then as a Management Consultant. She studied for the RHS Level 3 Diploma in Horticulture at Easton College, Norwich and then for a Diploma in Garden Design at Writtle College, Chelmsford. She recently created a garden at the Sandringham Flower Show and won a Gold medal.

The garden legacy

The garden is being relocated to Kings House Gardens in Thetford after the show.