My garden is haven for wildlife, including grass snake

THE new chairwoman of Henley in Bloom describes herself as an “avid gardener”.

Catherine Notaras moved to Elizabeth Road more than 25 years ago and later bought a patch of land, which almost doubled the size of her garden.

Over the years she has created flowerbeds and planted trees and hedges to create a “wildlife corridor” for animals such as hedgehogs.

There is also a pond and she has built a rockery for slow worms and newts and a wood store for bugs, caterpillars and hedgehogs.

Ms Notaras said: “I moved here in 1986 and in time I bought a patch of land at the back that was just soil.

“I put it down to grass and then I dug out the flowerbeds and added trees. There is such a fashion for fencing but it is not great for wildlife. Hedging takes time but it contributes so much more.  

“You have to work out what’s best for your garden and the plants will tell you if they want to be in your garden or not. With my garden I’ve tried to work my way through the year.

“It starts early with snowdrops and hellebores and daffodils and spring bulbs.

“Then the garden opens up and goes through to the height of summer. When it starts getting cooler you get Michaelmas daisies (yellow) and rudbeckia (yellow) so you have a longer flowering season. We try to use perennial plants for low maintenance.”

Ms Notaras, who also runs a gardening project at Gillotts School in Henley, likes to keep her garden as natural as possible.

She said: “I don’t have bird feeders but I spread teasle seeds high up for birds and we have berry trees and fruit trees and a vegetable patch. I also have an allotment.

“We do not mow in May and June, although a lot depends on the weather.

“We have a grass snake but it gives me the heebie-jeebies but we put up with that.”