Field of Dreams, Transforming a rural desert into a thriving wildlife garden

Field of Dreams Transforming a rural desert into a thriving wildlife garden.

When Bob Salisbury and his wife Rosemary moved back to County Tyrone from Nottinghamshire and bought a seventeen acre piece of land with the plan of building a house and establishing a garden, they soon noticed that the plot was devoid of animal or birdlife. Nothing moved and there was no birdsong, let alone a dawn chorus. ‘It was when we first spent time on the land we now owned that Rosemary asked whether I noticed anything odd. Eventually I gave up. ‘There is no birdsong,’ she said. ‘In terms of wildlife this land is barren.’ She was absolutely right!’

a true love of the countryside – along with a formidable line-up of friends, family and willing local wildlife – can make a field of dreams a reality. Field of Dreams celebrates the Irish countryside and its wildlife with great warmth, humour and lightness of touch and is a book that reminds us of the profound importance of maintaining a connection with the land. From time to time, Bob and Rosemary invite gardening societies to enjoy their formal gardens, wildlife-friendly gardens, orchard and small lakes. Some 5,000 trees, planted a few years ago, complete the picture and already tower over the tallest of walkers. The various habitats – all joined by paths, steps or grassy areas – are home to a plethora of birds, insects and mammals.

‘This is an inspiring story of how to make a difference to our native wildlife by looking after a small piece of land with passion and hard graft. And what shines through is that in the end it’s not just nature that blossoms and thrives in such places. It’s the human spirit.’ Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

sources: Ireland's Home Interior and Living, August 2018