If you've visited Ventnor recently, you might have wondered who was behind the beautiful meadows on the corners of busy streets. I was excited to learn that this was the work of Ventnor's Flower Fairy - aka Lesley Brown. I met with Lesley in late January, at her allotment, to find out how she has been making space for wildlife, while brightening neglected corners of her town by planting wildflowers. Her enthusiasm for a wilder and more beautiful Ventnor was catching, and I was inspired to introduce more biodiversity to my local area after talking to her.

 
One of the first and most inspiring things she showed me was her compost heap. By leaving her garden waste stacked neatly against a fence, she has created a mini haven for wildlife, which attracts "hedgehogs, foxes, badgers, and all kinds of birds" to the allotment. So, by saving time and money in not having the waste removed by a service, Lesley is creating a wilder space. It's also a natural form of pest control; the birds and hedgehogs will manage the insect, slug and snail populations on the allotment! 

Another way in which the Flower Fairy is allowing nature to take the lead, with benefits to all involved, is by giving plants free reign to self seed where they like. She told me that she makes a point of not cutting seed heads off in autumn. This has multiple benefits- firstly, it allows plants to reseed themselves, saving money and plastic on new plants. Secondly, they look beautiful, and provide a point of interest throughout the autumn when many flower beds look empty and boring. Thirdly, the seeds provide food for hungry animals in winter months. Lesley showed me an impressive crop of foxglove seedlings which she found growing in her compost heap, dug up, and was now nurturing to plant around Ventnor later on. Indeed, she had an impressive nursery of many wildflowers, all grown from seed or cuttings, ready to brighten the town in warmer months. 

Lesley then showed me the wildflower garden she has grown on previously unused space at the entrance to the allotment. As well as a space for wildlife, she has created a space for the community, with herbs like chives, rosemary, and thyme, (or yarrow and valerian for the more adventurous Ventnor residents) that are available for people to pick a small bunch of, instead of paying for an expensive, plastic-wrapped alternative.

Ventnor's residents are really getting involved, Lesley telling me that plants are frequently donated, and she often visits a plot, to find a few things have been planted that weren't there before! Indeed, on our short walk around Ventnor, we found a purple-painted stone which had kindly been donated to a flowerbed. The Flower Fairy is clearly doing wonders for the wildlife and the humans of Ventnor. She told me how an unassuming wildflower plot next to a playground had been a sea of poppies in the summer months, with people coming all the way from Freshwater to see them! 

Lesley has had a passion for gardening all her life, asking for garden centre tokens on her twelfth birthday. However, it was not until four years ago that she became the Flower Fairy. She told me how she had noticed that some flower beds on Ventnor seafront were neglected, used mainly as a rubbish dump. Instead of tutting to herself and saying "somebody should do something about that", Lesley decided that she would be the person to do something. She offered to take over the management of the beds, free of charge, and plant them up with wildflowers. It is a testament to her green fingers that the beds were full of greenery and many blooms, despite it being January on the edge of the English Channel!

From then on, it snowballed for Lesley, with her finding patches of neglected ground all over Ventnor, some only a few metres squared, and planting them up with wildflowers. Lesley has truly achieved marvels in a short time, receiving in 2020 a Britain in Bloom Certificate of excellence for her efforts. 

So, what advice can Lesley give someone keen to make their local area wilder? Well, firstly, she says, "don't be scared." Nothing will ever get done if you don't ask, so why not find out who owns that neglected patch of land in your neighbourhood, and ask them if you can plant some flowers there? The worst thing they can say is "no." Alternatively, you could convert a patch of your own lawn, or even a window box, into a haven for nature by planting a bee-friendly wildflower seed mix. Be careful about the seedling plants you buy because even if you don't use pesticides, the plant nursery might, and these stay in the plants for several years after being planted, posing a danger to visiting insects.

Secondly, Lesley says, "pay attention to what grows well where." That is the secret to her success on Ventnor seafront. There is a plant for every condition so save yourself wasted effort by not trying to grow plants that do not like your plot, and focus on maximising the pollinator-friendly ones that do.

If you don't want to start your own meadow, but you'd like to get involved, Lesley's next project is to start a wildflower meadow in Ventnor Cemetery. She says that humans have created a lot of death in the world, she wants to redress the balance by making life out of death. She plans to create a perennial meadow on the verge of the driveway leading to the cemetery, and smaller annual meadows over the graves which she has been given permission to respectfully plant up. She needs help to make this possible so if you're in the Ventnor area and would be keen to help, get in touch with Lesley on Facebook, through the Ventnor Flower Fairy page. 

Written by Ellie Cody, Totland

Ellie is Wilder Communications Champion for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. She is passionate about writing and inspiring people to take action for nature.