Our team was thrilled to welcome BBC Gardener’s World to the Meon Vale development in Warwickshire recently, to celebrate a green-fingered resident’s success in encouraging the growth of native wildflowers and an abundance of wildlife in her new garden.
Dionne Sambrook started her garden in Spring 2018, when she moved into a new-build house on the Meon Vale site. As well as creating a haven for wildlife, Dionne also grows tree saplings and plants to share with her local community.
In 2023 Dionne was named a BBC Gardeners’ World Garden of the Year finalist and, although she didn’t clinch the top spot, her nature-friendly garden caught the eye of the judges, including Alan Titchmarsh and Arit Anderson. Her garden was then featured in a special wildlife edition of BBC Gardeners’ World magazine in February 2024. This led the production team from the long-running gardening programme on BBC2 to organise a follow-up visit, keen to learn more about her curated oasis.
The BBC Gardener’s World team recognised how rare it is to have such a wonderful garden within a relatively new housing development.
She credits the surrounding countryside including daily walks along The Greenway, an extension of Stratford-Upon-Avon’s flagship cycle and footpath, which runs through Meon Vale, as inspiration for her gardening style and efforts in cultivating her garden to include native wildflowers and provide a wildlife sanctuary.
Dionne said, “I love spending time outside, growing flowers, fruit, and veggies and observing the wildlife. Having a new-build garden has had some challenges but it has been a great opportunity to start with a blank canvas. My garden is organic, so I’ve never used chemicals or peat and I’ve incorporated several different habitats and features to encourage wildlife. I don’t believe in perfect gardens; my approach is to work with nature, encouraging wildlife and incorporating native species in making a beautiful and interesting space for all the family. I encourage everyone to have a go, you don’t need green fingers or much space, just time and patience."
Cameron Maguire, the Regional Client Manager at Preim, our specialist brand which manages Meon Vale, said:
“What Dionne has achieved is fantastic and we were delighted to see her reach the final of the Garden of the Year competition. It is wonderful to see a resident taking such joy from their own garden, as well as inspiration from the open spaces within this development. For her garden to be recognised by such a prolific gardening team, like BBC Gardener’s World, is a fantastic achievement.”
For more on this story – and for an exclusive look at Dionne’s garden – go to the Preim website here.
