Go wild ın your garden. I have!
Urging everyone to do their bit for wildlife, Lisa Snowdon tells how she attracts all creatures great and small to her beautiful garden
Lisa Snowdon has been a more or less permanent fixture in the public consciousness for almost three decades now. A supermodel who graced the pages of Vogue and Elle in the 90s, she segued seamlessly on to a succession of television programmes — everything from presenting Britain’s Next Top Model to finishing third with her partner Brendan Cole in 2008’s Strictly.
She was also a regular co-host on
Through The Keyhole with the late David Frost and appeared in the celebrity jungle in 2016. A much-publicised five-year on-off romance with George Clooney did little to keep her out of the limelight.
She’s currently fronting a weekly slot on This Morning dedicated to fashion and beauty. Of course, that has been filmed from her home recently where she’s been happily sitting out the crisis with her fiancé George Smart, who runs his own creative agency advising clients on everything from music and travel to design and film.
Both of them have been taking real pleasure in their beautiful garden and the wild creatures that visit it. Lisa believes that taking the time to focus on the environment and the creatures living in it can benefit us all. ‘It can only make you happier, more mindful, if you take note of what’s going on around you. We’ve been given more time recently to stop, look and listen to the natural world.’
Even as a little girl Lisa, 48, loved being in the garden. ‘I liked getting muddy, collecting rose petals and making pretend perfume. My parents enjoyed gardening, as did my nan and grandad. I loved going to stay with them. They’d walk me round the garden teaching me the names of all the flowers and plants.’
In 1997 she bought her Edwardian house in Essex, close to Epping Forest. For a while she was mainly living in London because of her work, but she moved back to Epping full-time four years ago. ‘Since then I’ve concentrated on making the garden as nice as possible with the help of George. He’s an outdoors type and a really keen gardener. I’d say he’s naturally green-fingered. But I’m learning. I use Candide, a free app which helps you identify plants. When it comes to gardening I’d say George is a ten out of ten... I’m a six and rising.’
Two years ago Lisa and George were planting in their garden every weekend. ‘We planted four ceanothus shrubs, one variegated, wisteria, ‘Dublin Bay’ climbing roses, honeysuckle, acers, passion flowers, lilacs, lavender, you name it.’ They’ve deliberately left some parts of the garden wild. ‘I didn’t want it to be perfect. I wanted some shabby chic elements — and the wild areas are also good cover for insects and other animals.’
She’s adamant that no pesticides or chemicals will ever be used in her garden. ‘I inherited a rose from my grandparents and sometimes it gets covered in greenfly and black spot. But I won’t spray it. Blue tits love eating the greenfly or I pick them off individually with my fingers. We’re very organic, very natural.’
There’s also a compost heap at the bottom of the garden, but not for leftover food. ‘I’m always worried that would attract rats. We use ours for cuttings and mown grass.’ They do have foxes, though. ‘I don’t mind them. There was one that used to sit at the bottom of the garden, sunning himself, bold as brass. And my neighbour tells me there’s a new family of foxes in her garden.’
Butterflies are also frequent visitors. ‘We get holly blues, small tortoiseshells, small whites and peacocks. And I’m sure I’ve seen some red admirals although I could be mistaking them for peacocks.
‘I’ve always got my iPhone with me and I love taking photographs of butterflies when they rest on a leaf or a flower. They’re easier to capture than birds and you can get closer.’
There isn’t a pond in Lisa’s garden, but George has plans to dig one in. ‘They’re great for attracting all sorts of wildlife. Even so, we see plenty of frogs and toads.’ But easily the most frequent visitors are a whole range of birds. ‘We get house martins, song thrushes, blackbirds, swifts, starlings and dunnocks.
‘And parakeets! You know that sound as soon as you hear it, then you see them flying over and settling in a tree at the bottom of the garden. They make a real racket but they seem so exotic in an Essex garden. I love that flash of green.’
Other visitors include ladybirds, dragonflies, hoverflies and lots of bumblebees. ‘They seem to be on the increase, which is a good sign. They particularly love the ceanothus flowers. The other day I counted eight of them on one plant alone. They also like the lavender and lilacs, both of which are pollinating plants.
‘My garden calms me. It brightens my mood. I love being out there hearing the birdsong and the buzzing of the bees and lying on my back looking up at the blue sky. It makes you realise we share this planet with so many other creatures. It’s as though the planet has been given a break to breathe again.’
‘We’ve been given more time to stop, look, listen’