We got advice from Sandro Cafolla, Design By Nature, Carlow, and he told us that we needed to provide shelter at the front of the school; so we decided to plant a hedgerow.

We sent a fax to Sandro for:

We already had some Birch growing there. The trees and shrubs we planted would bring birds and insects and butterflies to our garden. The birds would eat the insects that live on our nature trees and also the berries and nuts. The butterflies would sip pollen from plants like Buddlia and Escallonia.

As the hedgerow grew, it was difficult to mow around each tree and scrub so we decided to mulch the plants and make three new beds - we called them the Hazel, Aspen and Birch Beds. We did this in Spring 1995. We planted Nasturtiums in the new beds.

They grew quickly and no weeds would grow as there wasn't enough space for them. We planted Michaelmas Daisies in the Birch Bed.

When the Buddlias grew, they had lovely white and purple flowers. Peacock butterflies came on sunny days. They hibernate in buildings.

The Painted Lady butterfly spends the winter in Africa and comes here in the Spring. They love Buddlia, Mallow and Lavender.

When the Michaelmas Daisies come out in late September, Tortoiseshell butterflies are very plentiful. They are stocking up on nectar for hibernating in hollow trees.