New wildlife garden opens up at Horsham’s Chesworth Farm

View of the Wildlife Garden at Chesworth Farm

A new wildlife garden has been created at a Horsham nature haven in a bid to inspire visitors to support wildlife in their own gardens.

The original proposal for the garden at Chesworth Farm was presented to The Friends of Chesworth Farm in early 2022 by Tony Cook.

Since March this year the area adjacent the Volunteer Centre at Chesworth Farm has been transformed from, a neglected bramble filled space to a wildlife haven.

The small picnic area now has a backdrop of wildlife friendly features to inspire visitors to the garden.

The Friends of Chesworth Farm and Horsham Green Gym have funded the development of the garden and members of both groups have generously given more than 500 hours of their time to transform the garden.

They have also donated seeds, plants, and a hedgehog house.

The garden includes a range of features designed for insects, reptiles and small mammals. These have been created at little cost from recycled materials wherever possible. These include pallets, discarded wooden benches, logs, rubble and even a cast iron bath which was retrieved from the river Arun, which runs through the farm.

Amongst the features you can see in the garden are two ponds, a bog garden, a bug hotel and two hibernacula (for reptiles and amphibians). The latest addition is a rocket beehive. The garden is still evolving and further features will be added in coming months.