Southlands Arts Garden
The History of the Garden
The main house was a farm over several centuries (possibly from Tudor times) serving the local area and possibly delivering produce into London.
It was fairly usual to have a walled garden close to a large house, where animals could not damage the produce but where the fruit, flowers and veg could be grown sheltered and warm.
The garden measures approximately 45m x 25m and intentionally runs exactly East-West to capture the warmth of the sun along the south-facing wall.
The topsoil is well cared for, possibly by the addition of decades of manure from the farmyard animals.
How can you help?
The volunteers meet in the walled garden every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning from 10:00 to 12:00 noon.
Please contact us if you are interested in joining our group. We have a WhatsApp group where we can chat about jobs in the garden and ensure others are on site on volunteer days.
Jobs are set on a daily basis, and we have ongoing projects. We have tools on site, but you are welcome to bring your own small fork, secateurs and kneeler. We stop for coffee and a chat.
No pressure! No stress – just join in with the group. Come when you can.
The Garden Volunteers’ intent
We are aiming to maintain a formal aspect to the garden with the addition of Yew hedging, scheduled for autumn 2025 (hence the bamboo canes and string markers), which will refer back to the original symmetry in the beds while providing structure through the inclusion of resting and feeding places for birds. Several areas of the garden have been left for wildflower seeds until we can replant.
Water troughs have been set up to allow for visiting dogs, birds and bees. Our resident woodman has kindly created the ‘Bee Hives’ – although no bees are in situ, these structures serve as compost bins and also provide strong focal points.
In the Spring of 2025, a Hillingdon volunteer group called The Woodlarks & Waders built a ‘Dead Hedge’ at the far end of the garden to provide a composting area and to offer more ecological interest. The birds have great fun inspecting for insects and bathing in the nearby water troughs.
The fruit and veg that we grow today will be offered to the cafe.
The garden is ‘organically’ growing as new volunteers join us and more ideas flourish. We are now a 15-person voluntary gardening team.
Your ideas are welcome.
Eco-systems
Whilst the garden carried a formality thought of in its time to be manageable, the original Box hedging, lavender, Sage, Euonymus balls and Erica layout offered very little in the way of ecological diversity. The volunteers have now created many areas to attract and overwinter insects – the two loggeries, water troughs, the dead hedge, the cone towers and the bee and ladybird hotels.
A generous area around the bug hotel at the back of the garden has been deliberately left to nettles and provides cover for the bird feeding station.
Soil health
No chemicals are used in the garden, and we try to keep plastic to a minimum. We have future plans for leaf bins as we have an abundance of trees on site around the walled garden. Once composted we can use the leaf mould on various beds. Apart from initial removal of perennial weeds and ivy caught in the Box hedging, we try not to disturb the soil too much.
Water Conservation
The tree stumps embedded around the water troughs provide a sheltered area away from the sun’s heat and are planted with tall grasses to minimise water evaporation. Ground cover planting in the rest of the garden will minimise weeding, soil erosion and water evaporation from the soil.
We have plans to collect water from the roof of the house – a work in the thought processes.
Natural Pest management
By offering birds perching areas throughout the garden, we are providing them with the opportunity to catch insects as they please. In the veg beds, we offer companion planting and sacrificial Nasturtiums.
Right Plant, right Place
With the changing climate, we have adopted a scheme to plant only those plants that require little to no watering during the hotter seasons. Shrubs and herbaceous perennials packed tightly will help to reduce watering. Mediterranean herbs, Geraniums, Sedums and Salvias are accommodated.
Composting and Recycling
The dead hedge is offering an area where we can add debris from the garden continuously.
Work in the garden 2024
In February 2024, it was sadly decided that the formal box hedging through the garden was beyond help and had to be removed. It had been attacked by the Box Tree Moth, which had devastated the whole garden. (Photo – Wikipedia)
With the help of Hillingdon Council, the group of volunteers began digging out the old hedging and replanting.
Box hedge removal
Before wildflowers
Work in the garden 2025
Below is a list of our upcoming garden-related events and information on how to join our group.