Lawn to wildlife haven, part 2: RIP green stuff

The "what have I done?!" stage

It's early December, and my garden is a sad, bare, brown patch. I feel slightly horrified when I look at it. 

Just trying to trust the process and keep in mind that this is just a phase in its transformation from bland new-build lawn to wildlife-friendly garden!

Mmm, concrete. Lovely.

All the planting areas are now dug out. This involved a lot of double-digging to relieve compaction. I won't be doing it again - generally speaking, it's unnecessary! - but it did need to happen this once. Found some giant lumps of concrete in the process.

The rotting raised beds are gone. Only one remains, which is in good nick and nicely corrals a gooseberry bush.

I've installed a bunch of logs from the wood where my husband works, checked for disease. Some standing on their end, one-third-buried, and some lying down. These serve a few purposes. They will contribute to the informal, woodsy look I want amongst the planting (whatever they look like now... TRUST THE PROCESS, Sam), but they're also great for wildlife. 

Logs can...

• create habitats for spiders, beetles, woodlice, toads, ladybirds and more
• bring a totally new set of invertebrates into your garden
• which are eaten by woodpeckers, nuthatches and other birds, plus hedgehogs, frogs etc
• encourage fungi
• which recycle the wood into nutrients for plants, improving soil

I haven't used any concrete, so the logs on end will, of course, eventually rot and the unsubmerged parts will fall over. This is fine with me, given the style I'm going for, and will just be the next evolution of the garden.

Mostly, I haven't added any plants. I finished the digging in late November, and it's too late for many things. But I have planted an ivy (Hedera helix) and a male and female holly (Ilex aquifolium). And a couple of honeyberries rescued from the allotment have gone in too.

With the hard work over for now, I've got a couple of months to plan and save up for my planting. I already know I want a particular crab apple (Malus 'Jelly King'), which I'd like to plant in February to maximise its chances. 

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