Small Gardens, Big Impact: How One Devon Village became a Haven for Wildlife

Nestled between the rolling hills of Dartmoor and Devon’s south coast lies the quiet village of Ideford — a place so small it’s easy to miss on a map. Just 80 homes and 350 residents call it home. But what Ideford lacks in size, it more than makes up for in heart — and in hedgehogs, bees, and butterflies.

Over the past few years, this unassuming village has become a beacon for the wildlife gardening movement, with 14 homes already awarded Devon Wildlife Trust’s coveted Wildlife Friendly Garden accreditation, proudly displaying their Wildlife Friendly Garden plaque and more eager to follow.

At the centre of it all is Sustainable Ideford, a grassroots group of passionate locals who are proving that small actions can have a mighty impact. They have been encouraging neighbours to take up the challenge — promoting the Trust’s award and showing that even the tiniest patch of green can play a role in bringing wildlife back to our doorsteps.

What makes a Garden Wildlife Friendly?

To earn accreditation, gardeners must show that their plots provide food, shelter, and water for wildlife — alongside evidence of good management and connectivity to surrounding habitats.

There are five categories in total:

·      Food: bird feeders, berrying plants, nectar-rich flowers, herb and veg patches free from pesticides.

·      Shelter: log piles, nesting boxes, mature trees, long grass, or climbing plants.

·      Water: ponds large or small, birdbaths, or even a humble dustbin lid filled with water.

·      Management: peat-free compost, recycled materials, compost heaps, and no chemical use.

·      Connectivity: hedgehog holes in fences, native hedges, strips of long grass, or joining local wildlife groups.

The beauty of the scheme is its flexibility. Even a courtyard garden can qualify. The award celebrates effort over acreage — creativity over size.

Ponds in gardens range from the very large to the very small, but all provide a vital source of water.

A Patch of Paradise

In our own smallish garden, we’ve embraced the challenge wholeheartedly. We’ve managed to tick 7 features under “food,” 7 under “shelter,” 4 under “water,” and more still for management and connectivity. Every feature has its story:a tiny pond alive with dragonflies, birdbaths that the sparrows splash in daily, log piles, compost bins, arches heavy with honeysuckle and wisteria, and a simple gap in the gate for hedgehogs to wander through.

The rewards are instant. Nectar-rich plants such as Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’, Eryngium planum ‘Blue Steel, and Erigeron karvinskianus have filled the borders with colour and movement. Our roses — open-faced and richly scented — buzz with bees all summer long. It’s a living, fluttering orchestra of life. In other gardens, Solidago, Origanum vulgare and Shasta daisies all proving irresistible to a hosts of insects and butterflies.

In our garden, we carefully choose pollinator friendly plants and maximise planting space.

Wild areas are left for long grasses and little critters.

Sharing the Passion

An upside dustbin lid provides a water source.

This summer, Ideford held an Open Gardens event with a focus on wildlife-friendly gardens. Throughout the day, visitors discovered ponds tucked between flowerbeds, log piles hidden beneath apple trees, and families showing how even a busy, practical garden can hum with biodiversity.

For many, the experience was eye-opening. The simplicity of adding a water dish or leaving a corner to grow wild inspired conversations that could ripple far beyond the village hedge.

Even the Churchyard is Buzzing

The Parochial Church Council has joined the movement too. Taking guidance from the Diocese of Exeter’s Environment Advisor and Caring for God’s Acre, the team has transformed parts of the churchyard into a sanctuary for nature. Wildflower patches bloom on ancient graves, long grasses wave in the breeze, and a new “bug hotel” stands proudly among the gravestones.

It’s a reminder that churchyards — often untouched by modern farming — are among the last refuges for the wildflowers and pollinators we’ve lost elsewhere. Since the 1940s, over 97% of unimproved grassland has vanished. Here in Ideford, small efforts are restoring fragments of that delicate tapestry.

The Hedgehog Highway

A hedgehog hole in a fence is used every night.

Ideford is lucky enough to still have its own hedgehog population — and residents are determined to keep them safe. Fences have been adapted with “hedgehog holes,” helping these nocturnal visitors travel freely between gardens and several residents have hedgehog homes tucked away, leaving food out nightly.

As one Wildlife Award holder, Liz, explained while proudly pointing to her garden’s hedgehog gap, “They use this hole almost every night!”

Hedgehogs can roam more than a mile in a single evening in search of food, so leaving safe passage between gardens can be a lifesaver. The village even has signs asking drivers to slow down — though sadly, not every hedgehog makes it across the lanes.

A Collective Effort for Nature

Hetty Lewis of the Devon Wildlife Trust sums it up best:“A few small, positive actions can make an incredible difference for nature. Even a window box of wildflowers and a shallow dish of water can bring wildlife back to a space.”

Ideford’s story is proof of that. From ponds in old dustbin lids to bird boxes in apple trees, these little patches of care are connecting into a network — a living corridor across Devon of over 1,000 Wildlife Friendly accredited gardens that literally hum with life.

If a village of 350 can lead the way, imagine what could happen if every garden or outdoor space in the country joined in.

Words and images: Vicki Gardner (The Mindful Photographer) www.vickigardnerphoto.com ©