About
Wildflowers and talks to help you create your own wild garden and connect with nature. Inspired by my garden on an urban street in Exeter, where wildflowers now grow and wildlife finds a haven.
My ordinary, urban garden has evolved into a life-enriching wilder space filled with wildflowers, where bees, butterflies, ladybirds, hedgehogs and birds are just some of the wildlife finding food and shelter.
You can do this too! Or maybe you already are? That’s the joy of coming along to my plant stalls, talks and workshops in Exeter: meeting like-minded souls and supporting each other.
My wild garden was inspired by books, childhood memories of nature in Exeter’s green hinterlands and a desire to do something tangible to help reverse the biodiversity crisis in my home city.
Following on with an RHS diploma (commendation), working in organic flower-growing, garden maintenance and therapeutic horticulture, I started a small wildflower nursery to help get more wildflowers into local gardens.
Starting a small wildflower nursery
During Covid Lockdown, I imagined growing wildflowers could be a brilliant way to help garden wildlife: providing food for caterpillars as well as being rich in pollen and nectar. Designed by nature, wildflowers have a delicate beauty that blends with other plants while being resilient in a changing climate. Visiting Grow Wilder in Bristol showed me that people were happy to try planting wildflowers in their city gardens. Could something similar work in Exeter, on a small scale? Could wildflowers help nourish a connection with nature in our gardens, where it’s needed now more than ever? I started sowing seed in my 6x4 greenhouse…
All of my plants are grown in Soil Association-certified peat-free compost, without any pesticides, and sold in biodegradable packaging including pots made by a woman’s co-operative using renewable materials.
Giving talks and sharing ideas
Experiencing the joy of nature right outside the backdoor inspires me to share stories and ideas with people of all ages: if I can do it, so can you!
We’re living in a time of biodiversity and climate crisis but at this pivotal point we can take tangible, life-enhancing steps.
I hope my talks help you feel that creating your own wild space is at your (green) fingertips.
Lou’s Wild Garden is based in Exeter’s local community where so much is happening to create a sustainable, compassionate future.
My wildflowers are sold seasonally at Brillsville Market and Fore Street Flea, at occasional events and to order. In 2025, I’m excited to be growing some of my plants alongside Zero Mile Gardens in Theatre Alibi’s outside space with their kind permission, close to St Thomas Library – how brilliant to be part of this community hub!
Thank you to Exeter Seed Bank and Zero Mile Gardens for the opportunities to work together, and everyone for their support so far including Theatre Alibi, Newton Abbot Seed Library, Devon Wildlife Trust and Exeter Cathedral. Connections and collaborations are always welcome.