Medium sized gardens: 2 Denise Yeadon

Jul 23 2008 by Val Javin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

DENISE Yeadon could give lessons in just how to get the most out of a modestly sized garden.

DENISE Yeadon could give lessons in just how to get the most out of a modestly sized garden.

At her home in Meltham, Denise has shown that even if you don’t have rolling acres, you can have a taste of almost everything, quite literally.

She has not only created a relaxing and interesting space for the family to enjoy, she’s also managed to pack in enough vegetables to ensure that each family member – that’s husband Clive and their three children – can eat their five portions of fruit and veg a day.

In a corner of this busy plot, there are potatoes, old and new, there are peas, beans, carrots, onions, lettuce and tomatoes. Herbs are not forgotten and there’s a vine which is doing very nicely plus an apple tree and a kiwi fruit.

A couple of spare bean plants have been found a home in the compost bin and not surprisingly are racing towards the sky.

Nurturing crops sits well alongside Denise’s attempts to create a wildlife haven with boxes offering homes for butterflies, ladybirds and the feathered variety of bird too. Frogs are out in force in a garden which clearly has plenty of green credentials.

But it also has a plantswoman’s touch. The bog garden and pond have had a particular helping of tlc this summer and there are choice plants to covet at every turn.

Denise continues to have a busy home and working life – she’s a learning mentor and behavioural support worker at a local school where she’s been part of a team trying to get a new generation interested in gardening.

They could do worse than learn a few lessons from a garden that offers bags of colour, shape and interest with a real feel for the wider landscape around it.