Sam’s field
A mile outside St Davids is Cae Helyg a ‘two acre Forest Garden planted on Permaculture principles’ apparently. I did not create Cae Helyg. The land was transformed from a bare potato field to a varied and diverse ‘art garden’ by a land artist called Magda. She held it for around 12 and I became its custodian in the winter of 2012. We took on what appeared to be a large overgrown bramble patch with a few trees but wonderful views. Over that spring we saw this piece of land transform in to a stunningly beautiful garden full of herbs, roses, young trees and diverse flora and fauna. We have learned so much in this garden, from the discovery of the incredible sounds of the Grasshopper Warbler to watching a Tawny Owl hunting at dusk, it is a privilege to own and care for it.
I look after the garden with my close friends Clare, Martyn and our group of close friends. This will be our thirteenth summer at Cae Helyg. We are guided by the structure that Madga planted and kept a watching brief for several years while amazing things popped out of the brambles, such as an entire privet hedge, David Austin roses and several wonderful specimen trees. It is home to badgers, foxes, adders, butterflies, dragonflies, bats, mice, hedgehogs, moths and more.
The focus of everything we do is bi-odiversity, we are constantly learning and it is a privilege to have this opportunity to make a difference in this time of large scale habitat loss. This tiny corner of the St Davids headland is a haven for all wildlife?