Blog: News

Caption: All in a days work for Ade

Caption: Where paths meet

Caption: A view through the arch from steps

Caption: Looking towards the main building

How do you design a garden that speaks to all five senses?

Designer and grow-your-own champion Ade Sellars (@adesellars) shares how he helped create a sensory garden for a Suffolk spa – and how sound, scent, texture and taste can transform a space into something both calming and blooming.

From plant choices to pathways, compost blends to mindfulness, Ade explains how thoughtful design (with a little help from our peat-free composts) can make a garden not just beautiful – but meaningful.

Gardening is a direct vein into our hearts and minds. It unlocks doors to creativity, expression and self-growth. It gives us skills to harness nature, grow food and help sustain wildlife. To achieve this in your own green space is hugely rewarding, but how do you convert these benfits to a wide audience who are all have different tastes and requirements?

As a gardener designer, earlier this year, I was commissioned to create several designs for Riverhills Spa and Health Club in Ipswich. They were undergoing a multi-million overhaul, and part of their remit was what to do with large sections of their outside space. An open space, a woodland area and a large meadow. Stepping into the realm, I was given the creative freedom to give each of these spaces a unique vision, something that would encourage their guests to go and explore.

Three gardens to be dealt with in three phases. Phase one would be built and opened for May this year, with phase two and three to follow a little later down the line. So, this spring it was full steam ahead for the ‘Spa Garden’.

From the off I knew it had to reflect the ethos of the club, highlight the beauty of its grounds and work with nature. I wanted to provoke a person’s senses of sight, smell, touch, taste and sound. This would be a garden that would have its roots tapped into mindfulness. A place for the visitor where they could reflect, escape from their day to day and be given permission to just be still. I wanted this sensory garden to be given the full blessing of Mother Nature.

When creating a sensory garden, as a designer, it’s vital to keep in mind what the garden is being used for and by whom. Is it a place of solitude or for families to gather? If so, does seating areas need to be created. Are the walking areas and paths safe to walk on for children, the elderly or the unwell. Will your planting schemes have to be mindful of avoiding plants that are thorny, irritant or toxic, especially if dogs are invited into the space. If it’s a garden open to the public, how will you create planting schemes that everyone can enjoy and won’t cause congestion. Maintaining the flow of a garden is a real skill, as you have to fully understand the space. It is an unseen energy that acts as both maestro and master of ceremonies. It welcomes in one and all, ensuring everyone gets to experience the thrill of the show.

Our sense of sight is often the first thing we tap into when experiencing something. And the design of a garden’s colour palette, structure of plants and overall space is key. For example, low growing plants will encourage someone to crouch down to take a closer look. If you have tall thin plants, these will not only sway in the wind adding interest, but allow the person to peak through the planting gaps to see beyond. For tall, rambling plants, we’re looking skyward, taking in the plant and sky, giving us an entirely new viewpoint.

The heady fragrance of a blooming rose or the release of lavender oils as your hand passes over its foliage can catapult your sense of smell. It can take you to a recent experience of giving cut flowers given to a loved one, or unlock childhood memories of playing hide and seek in the garden. How often when you smell a freshly cut lawn does this conjure up thoughts and experiences of days gone by? Whether you incorporate sweet smelling blooms or aromatic herbs into the garden, all will add another layer to your garden design.

Touching something, really allows the brain to assess the subject. Is it hot, cold, smooth or rough? To touch, can immediately satisfy curiosity. So, when designing, consider what building materials will be used and how they will be used. Are your planting schemes light and featherily, allowing them to pass through a person’s fingers? Or, by using something substantial, such as trees, it allows keen hands to caress the bark grooves or even hug its trunk.

As a veg grower, taste is something I constantly do in the garden. Whether it’s the first pea pod of the season, or a ripened strawberry found hidden under its foliage, taste can quickly alter a person’s mood. I wouldn’t be a grower if I wasn’t constantly finding something to nibble on in the veg garden. So lavender, thyme and sage all found their place in the final design. Which incidentally, is a reflection of the spa club, as herbs are often used when dealing with various spa treatments.

I sometimes feel sound can be overlooked when it comes to garden design, but they are missing a huge trick. From the soft trickle of a water feature to the enchanting birdsong, the buzzing of bees, to a gentle breeze tickling growing plants, sound can do so much to calm us. Sound unlocks the mind, transporting us on carefree journeys and adventures. If we can hear something but not see it, curiosity rises to the front, keen to satisfy our questions on ‘where is it coming from?’ or ‘what’s making that sound?’

The other factor important to me when designing a garden, is the use of local business. Not only to support and showcase, but to help, however small, keep the carbon footprint low. For example, the commissioned water feature was created by a company within twenty miles of the club.

With so many beds to create, and an opening date of May, once the flowers went in I had to ensure they had the best possible start and cope with heavy freshly dug soil. Again, as someone who advocates ‘peat free’, the ideal choice for this is a combination of Dalefoot’s Lakeland Gold and Wool Compost Double Strength. All plants chosen came in pots from 2ltrs to 10ltrs, so this compost combination would keep them fed and enriched for many months, whilst retaining the moisture and suppressing weeds. Also, the head gardener would be grateful as not to work constantly to maintain such a large garden.

Sensory gardens can bring incredible joy to a visitor, but they can also hold enormous benefits for illness, rehabilitation and end of life care. Charities and organisations, such as Thrive, Horatio’s Gardens and Greenfingers charities, have been investing in this garden therapy for many years, showing the benefits of what nature can bring to both the patient and their loved ones.

A few months on, and the spa garden at Riverhill’s is thriving. Wildlife is buzzing, guests are exploring and everything is bedding in. Although this garden may not win Chelsea Flower Show ‘Gold’. It is a space where a team of people have worked tirelessly on one vision to create a place of beauty, peace and curiosity. In the words of American poet Walt Whitman, ‘Be curious, not judgemental’. And if you haven’t heard of him, try Ted Lasso, who also preaches from the same hymn sheet… Right, onto phase two!

To watch a short video of the Riverhill’s build, go to:

https://www.adesellars.com/garden-design

BIOG
I’m Ade Sellars the ‘Good Life Gardener’, and I’m am award-winning garden writer, gardener designer, and filmmaker, with a passion for growing my own food in my kitchen garden. I’m also a garden presenter on the QVC Channel and I regularly deliver talks around the country. This August, I shall be hosting the ‘In Conversation With’ Stage at Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair at Audley End House.

Website: www.adesellars.com
Instagram: adesellars
YouTube: @TheGoodLifeGardener
LinkedIn: adesellars

Ecologist and gardener Becky Searle shares her thoughts on the importance of heirloom seeds and seed saving:

Deep in the arctic circle, on the island of Svalbard, a thousand kilometres from the coast of Norway, under hundreds of meters of rock lies the Doomsday Vault. In one of the securest locations on earth and fastidiously maintained by thousands of farmers and growers from around the world this vault contains just one thing: seeds. 642 million seeds to be precise (at last estimate).

These represent 1.3 million different varieties of edible and ornamental plants from around the world including some 82 million rice seeds, 54 million wheat seeds and 19 million maize seeds. The seeds are kept fresh and updated regularly to ensure that they are fresh and ready to be used at any time.

This gargantuan global effort has been orchestrated to secure the future of humanity in the event of a global catastrophe. Obviously, none of us are hoping for any such disaster, but the very fact of this vault’s existence tells us a little bit about the value of seeds. And one category of seed in particular: heirloom seeds.

So, what is an heirloom seed? An heirloom seed is a seed that will grow a plant the same as the parent plant if you were to save the seeds and grow them in future years.

The beauty of heirloom seeds is fourfold; firstly, they allow you to grow food indefinitely without having to keep buying seed. Secondly, if you continue to grow and save seeds in your own garden they will adapt to your local environment and improve in their strength and vigour. Thirdly, heirloom seeds are important for their biodiversity value, and biodiversity equals resilience. And lastly, the seeds saved from heirloom varieties are generally saved because of their taste, or some other defining characteristic, like the pink stripes of the peppermint chard.

Let’s explore each of these factors in a little more detail, with a view to truly understanding the deep importance of heirloom seeds, and the powerful act that is seed saving.

Local Adaptation

One of the best things about heirloom seeds is that they get better and better over time. The more you grow something, the stronger it becomes. By saving seeds from the most vigorous plants in your garden, you select the individuals best suited to your conditions and pass those genes on to your next crop. Local adaptation is extremely important for the resilience of crops. It’s exciting to grow things that are exotic or new, but if your livelihood was dependent on these crops doing well, this would be hugely risky. These crops don’t often do very well in our gardens, unlike British varieties or seeds from your neighbour or local area.

Biodiversity and Resilience

When we think of endangered species we generally think of pandas, polar bears, tigers or even things like pole cats. But the truth is all biodiversity is important, because it contributes towards resilience, and the maintenance of ecosystems. The greater the biodiversity, the better that ecosystem will function, providing us with valuable services such as food clean water carbon storage shelter and a multitude of natural resources.

So, what does this have to do with heirloom fruits and vegetables? Our growing reliance on fewer varieties over the past century has narrowed our growing down to what you see in front of you when you stand at a seed rack in a garden centre. Many seeds that were once revered for their incredible taste aesthetic value or cultural value are sadly no longer grown.

Character and Taste

One of the reasons that heirloom vegetables are making a comeback is for the same reason we started saving the seeds in the first place: we like them. They might not be the most disease resistant or the most productive all the time, but they are reliable, adaptable, and generally extra tasty. If you really like something you may also want to share it with your family, friends, and neighbours, who might also like to try growing it. In this way, seeds are passed down through generations, we just need to remember to do so.

Learning more

It’s really simple to save seed, but if you’re interested in learning more about heritage and heirloom varieties, or you would like to get started with seed saving and learn some of the basic skills, my box, The Seed Collectors Kit is a helpful start. It is a beautifully illustrated set of 50 cards, each representing a different edible or ornamental plant. Each card tells you how to collect the seeds from that plant and give some pointers on sowing them the following year.

Sourcing seeds

If you don’t have any heritage varieties in your garden and want to get started with heirloom seeds you could go to –

• The Heritage Seed Library, Garden Organic | The Heritage Seed Library

• The Real Seed Company, Top Quality Vegetable Seed from The Real Seed Catalogue.

 
The role of good compost

If you are keen to get going with heirloom seeds, consider giving them a great start.

Dalefoot Composts are a perfect match:

• All Dalefoot Composts products are certified for organic growing by the Soil Association. The Soil Association audit each year, so Dalefoot customers can be confident to grow without chemicals.
• Dalefoot Composts use traditional ingredients that are available in the U.K. - bracken, sheeps wool and comfrey.
• There is no need to add feed later in the season. Our combination of ingredients supplies plants with nitrogen and potash throughout the growing season and beyond. The compost continues to slow-release nutrients as it gently breaks down, keeping you plants productive.

Becky

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About me:
Becky Searle is an ecologist and gardener best known for her Instagram account @sow_much_more. Her new book Grow a New Garden takes an ecological approach to planning, designing and creating a garden from scratch, or transforming your existing space. With a whole chapter on soil, and lots of information on balancing your garden ecosystem, this book is a mine of information for new and experienced gardeners alike.

This dish, or collection of dishes, is called ‘All the Garden Gathered’ in our house, because it uses pretty much everything available in the summer patch. It is perfect for eating al fresco on the lawn, with a chilled glass of rosé and friends around you. After all, that is how the best meals are eaten: rustically. (see photo)
Serves 4 (assuming everyone has a bit of everything)
FOR THE COURGETTE AND SALTIMBOCCA:
2 aubergines
2 courgettes
Extra virgin olive oil, for frying
12 slices of prosciutto
Small bunch of basil, leaves picked

FOR THE BULGAR WHEAT SALAD:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 spring onions or 1 salad onion
1 garlic clove 1 tbsp tomato purée
¼ tsp chilli flakes
150g bulgur wheat
300g tomatoes
½ lemon, zest and juice
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp pine nuts,
toasted 1 heaped tbsp baby capers 2
tbsp sultanas
6 green Gordal olives, pitted and torn

FOR THE BEAN SALAD:
300g French beans, topped and tailed
1 tsp apple cider vinegar ½ orange, zest and juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp faked almonds, toasted
 
FOR THE SAUCE:
300ml strained Greek yoghurt
75g leafy green herbs (parsley, fennel, mint, hyssop, chervil, sorrel…),
finely chopped ½ cucumber, grated, and all the water squeezed out
1 tsp apple cider vinegar Edible flowers, if you have some

FOR THE SALTIMBOCCA:
Slice the aubergines from top to bottom into crosssections around 1cm thick. Do the same with the courgettes but slice them thinner, around 5mm. You should get around three ‘steaks’ and two stubby ends (which can be saved for another recipe) from each fruit.
Drizzle the steaks with one or two tablespoons of oil, season with salt and pepper, and fry in a hot frying pan for 3–4 minutes on each side until browned. Lift the slices out of the pan and onto a plate lined with kitchen paper.
Lay a piece of prosciutto on a board and place one aubergine or courgette ‘steak’ on top at a 45-degree angle. Arrange four basil leaves evenly on top of the aubergine/ courgette, then wrap the prosciutto over the steak to enclose everything and cover the basil. Repeat with the remaining slices of prosciutto, aubergine and courgette.
In the same frying pan, now set to a medium-high heat, warm the remaining oil, then fry the wrapped ‘steaks’ for two minutes on each side so the prosciutto turns golden and crisp.
FOR THE BULGAR WHEAT
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a low-medium heat. Chop the spring onions and cook gently for 3 minutes. Crush the garlic (with a little salt and the fat of a knife) then add that to the pan too, continuing to cook gently for 2 more minutes, until soft but not browned. Add the tomato purée and the chilli flakes and cook for 2 minutes more. Pour in the bulgur wheat, together with 150ml of hot water. Bring everything to the boil then turn the heat of, cover the pan with a lid, and leave for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes into quarters or rough slices. Once the bulgur wheat is done add the lemon juice and stir it with a fork to loosen the grains. Add the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients and combine. Check the seasoning – it may need more salt, then transfer to a bowl ready to serve.
 
FOR THE BEANS:
Boil the beans in salted water for 4 minutes, then drain and refresh in cold water. Pat dry and transfer to a serving bowl.
For the dressing, put the vinegar, orange zest and juice, olive oil and a pinch of salt into a jam jar and give it a good shake. Pour over the beans, add the almonds and mix.
FOR THE SAUCE:
Simply mix everything together with a big pinch of salt.

To serve, load the aubergine and courgette steaks onto a big board and take them to the table with the bean salad and bulgur wheat. Serve with dollops of herby yoghurt sauce. Make a toast to the harvest and to happiness and dig in.

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Award winning grower cook Kathy Slack will be sharing four exclusive seasonal recipes with us over the coming year.

Her book, From the Veg Patch cookbook was highly acclaimed for its simple delicious recipes - transforming ten easily grown garden vegetables, into one hundred readily made inspiring dishes.
Very excitingly, her book Rough Patch – a memoir with recipes, is due out in spring 2025.

We can’t wait to post her first recipe in the series - it will be featured during October, and will use produce of the season.

Kathy is not only a brilliant cook and grower, she also uses Dalefoot Composts. In her own words she describes it as, ‘The caviar of composts…not cheap, but it’s really marvellous stuff.’ Quoted from her book, From the Veg Patch, Ebury publishing, 2021.

Visit her website at www.kathyslack.com

Follow her on Instagram @gluts_gluttony

Subscribe to her blog kathyslack.substack.com

In the second article in this series about Permaculture, I explain why there are three ethics in permaculture and explore Earth Care - including some fun and frugal garden projects.

What are the three ethics in Permaculture?

In our daily lives we have an understanding of what is good and bad; what is acceptable and what is unacceptable behaviour. These moral principles are known as ethics, and affect how we live our lives as part of a community. It’s a way of making choices that are good for us as individuals and also as part of society.

In permaculture there are three ethics which help to guide decisions and designs: Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share.

The idea of having “permaculture ethics” can be off-putting. It may give the impression that permaculture has loads of strict rules and specific ways that things have to be done to be “properly permaculture”. Indeed, over the years I have met some people who do treat permaculture like this, as if it were a religion or a cult, but this kind of elitism, exclusivity and control is absolutely not what permaculture is about.

The three ethics, along with the twelve principles, offer a guide to help with the practicalities of creating a design, whether you’re thinking about designing a vegetable garden, a compost loo or a community well being hub.

These ethics are of course not just a permaculture thing, and although credited to some permaculture writers, they have their roots in most traditional societies - the ideas are international and widespread. It’s mostly just about common sense ways of living harmoniously with each other and nature.

Earth Care

Earth Care focuses on sustainable ways of protecting our planet, on which we depend for everything we need to stay alive. It includes caring for everything, living and non-living, because everything is interconnected.

There are many ways that we can consider caring for the Earth in our daily lives. The choices we make have a wide spreading effect, like ripples on water. Try to live as sustainably as possible, taking in account that we need to thrive in and work with the situation we are in. Very few of us can live entirely off grid or or grow all our food. It’s about doing the best we can and knowing that even a small contribution to living more sustainably does make a difference.

Earth Care - everywhere

Here at my homestead I create lots of environments for the wild creatures: this is fun, thrifty and can be done in any outside space. I use twigs, piles of leaves, old pots and other bits and bobs to create places for creatures to live, forage, drink, wash, and reproduce.

Use an old shallow bowl to make a drinking pool for birds, hedgehogs and bees. Pour in some with stones to create a ‘beach’ so that smaller creatures can climb out. It is important that this is kept clean and topped up daily.

My daughter Caitlin lives in an urban area, renting a flat with a small paved yard that was devoid of life. Just adding some pots of edible plants and flowers has significantly increased the biodiversity there. Insects including slugs, woodlice and aphids have moved in, which in turn means that birds are frequenting the little garden foraging for insects to eat. Bees, butterflies and other pollinators visit the flowering plants. She has created a little oasis for the wild things. A small step which has made a world of difference to those insects and birds.

Jason Williams aka The Cloud Gardener was surprised to discover how quickly insects discovered his balcony garden on the 18th floor of a block of flats in Manchester! Find out more here. You really can make a difference wherever you are.

Soil care

One of the easiest and most effective ways gardeners can make a difference and care for the earth is to make their own compost. This is the ultimate in recycling, turning garden and kitchen waste into crumbly sweet smelling compost, which is a perfect food for soil life and plants.

You don’t need fancy equipment, even a pile of garden waste in a heap will eventually break down into compost. I prefer to enclose my compost using old pallets to make a frame, or using “dalek” composters (cone shaped plastic composters). Whilst the ingredients are turning into compost, the heap provides a habitat for all kinds of creatures including microorganisms, slugs, beetles, toad, slow worms, small mammals, lizards and hedgehogs. Open topped heaps provide a foraging ground for creatures including birds - and it’s great for fungi too.

If you don’t have the space for a compost heap there are some indoor home composting alternatives that might be perfect for you, including bokashi, indoor wormeries and even electric kitchen composters. Or sent kitchen waste off to be recycled by the council if that works best for you - it is all part of Earth Care.

It can be difficult producing all your compost needs yourself. When buying compost, make sure that it is peat free and using sustainable resources, such as the wool, comfrey and bracken used to make Dalefoot Composts.

Make a No Dig Hugelette!

Hugelkultur is a permaculture technique for making raised beds, using organic materials. They often require using piles of large logs, which is not something most of us have access to, so instead I create “hugelettes” - using twigs and other garden materials. This project is a brilliant way of quickly tidying up the garden too.

As the ingredients inside slowly decompose they feed the plants and also help to conserve moisture.

Hugelkultur often requires digging a trench which of course as a no dig gardener I try to avoid doing. This no dig method creates a beautiful mounded raised bed, ideal for areas with little soil (such as very stoney ground) or to create a raised bed to reduce bending.

Useful ingredients:

twigs and branches
leaves
grass clippings
old hay or straw
garden compost - half rotted is fine here
topsoil or compost

Simply pile the twigs and branches in a mound the length you wish the bed to be, and as high as you want. Next layer the grass clippings, hay, straw or leaves. Add the half rotted compost (if using) and then the topsoil.

If you don’t have any topsoil then compost (homemade or bought in – such as Dalefoot) works well too.

Plant out and admire your new hugelette.

Note: hugels of all kinds create a perfect habitat for slugs and rodents, so it is best not to plant anything that is susceptible to being munched by them. I grow rhubarb on mine and wild flowers.

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About Stephanie:

Stephanie Hafferty is an award winning garden and food writer, expert no dig gardener, homesteader, edible garden designer and inspirational public speaker. Stephanie is currently creating a no dig homestead on half an acre in West Wales, where she runs gardening and homesteading courses, at the homestead and online.

Her garden was featured on BBC Gardeners’ World in 2022. Her books include: No Dig Organic Home and Garden and The Creative Kitchen: seasonal plant based recipes using ingredients you can grow on an allotment.

Follow her journey on her blog, Instagram and You Tube

Website and blog : NoDigHome.com

Instagram: instagram.com/stephaniehafferty/

You Tube Channel: youtube.com/c/StephanieHaffertyNoDigHomesteading

We're giving away a bumper prize bundle to TWO lucky winners – one on Facebook and one on Instagram – featuring premium gardening tools from Burgon & Ball and nutrient-rich, peat-free compost from Dalefoot Composts!

Get ready to grow glorious flowers and tasty veg all season long – the prize includes:

From Burgon & Ball’s BoronGreen range (RHS-endorsed, sustainable, and built to last):
• Digging spade
• Digging fork
• Hand trowel
• Hand fork

The BoronGreen range combines the superior performance of boron steel, with an ambitious approach to sustainability. This includes using steel that’s 80% from recycled sources, and of course FSC®-certified wood. Has a 25 year guarantee

From Dalefoot Composts’ peat-free range:
• Wool Compost for Seeds
• Wool Compost for Potting (x2)
• Wool Compost for Veg & Salad (x2)
• Wool Compost for Tomatoes
• Wool Compost Double Strength
• Lakeland Gold

Dalefoot Composts is renowned for its high-quality, peat-free composts made from sheep’s wool, bracken, and comfrey - an innovative mix that provides slow-release nutrition for plants, reducing the need for feeding and watering.

To enter - to be in with a chance of winning one of these lovely prizes all you need to do is:

• Like the post
• Follow both @dalefootcomposts and @burgonandball
• Tag a friend in the comments
• Tell us why you’d love to win these prizes for your garden this season!
• And on Instagram, also share the post to your stories, tagging @dalefootcomposts and @burgonandball

Prizes worth: BoronGreen tools from Burgon & Ball inc delivery £83.96 and composts from Dalefoot Composts inc delivery £116.42

Both competitions open Friday May 16th 2025 17:00and close Monday May 26th 2025 at 23.59 and winners will be informed by Wednesday May 28th 2025. Full terms and conditions below.

Terms & Conditions

By entering Dalefoot Composts and Burgon & Ball’s Facebook or Instagram competitions you agree to be bound by the following:

Facebook – the prize as described above. Entrants must like the post, follow, answer the question and tag a friend.
Instagram – the prize as described above. Entrants must like the post, follow, answer the question, share to stories and tag a friend.

Dalefoot Composts and Burgon & Ball will choose winners at random. A prize winner will be selected from both channels (two prize winners in total). The prizes will be sent to the winners before the end of June 2025.

The prizes are non-transferrable and cannot be refunded for any money.

Open to all UK mainland residents aged 18 and over, excluding families, agents or anyone professionally connected with the giveaway for Dalefoot Composts, Heltondale, Cumbria CA10 2QL or Burgon & Ball,17/19 Oakham Drive, Parkwood Industrial Estate, Sheffield S3 9QX

Dalefoot and Burgon & Ball may publish the winners’ details and the winning entries on their social media channels or website. If Dalefoot and Burgon & Ball do not publish the winners’ details on social media, those details may be obtained by emailing sales@dalefootcomposts.co.uk within eight weeks of the draw date.

Personal data will be processed and shared with third parties only for the administration of the prize, and for promotional purposes as listed above.

By participating in these competitions, entrants confirm they have read, understood and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.

These competitions are in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Meta, Facebook and Instagram.

Dalefoot and Burgon & Ball reserves the right to cancel, suspend or modify these competitions or these official rules. No responsibility can be taken for entries which are lost, delayed, corrupted, damaged, misdirected or incomplete or which cannot be delivered for any technical, delivery or other reason.

Entry is taken as acceptance of these terms and conditions. Entry is free and no purchase is necessary. Automated entries will not be accepted.