Olivia von Halle

“I will be using this time to turn my attention to my neglected garden. A couple of months ago I read Wilding by Isabella Tree and was so transfixed by the concept that I’ve wanted to rewild my garden ever since. When we brought our house, plastic AstroTurf lawn had been laid in the garden: this is obviously not the most environmentally friendly option, so I’m planning on replacing that with Meadowmat and lots of English country garden flowers to make a sanctuary for birds and bees.

“Once complete, all I’ll have to do is sit on my hands and let nature take over. Our traditional way of seeing calls for us to remove weeds and keep areas tidy, but in doing this we lose the conditions that insects and wildlife so desperately need to survive and thrive. Even the smallest act, such as leaving a little pile of twigs amongst the flowers, will encourage beetles as well as moss and lichen – species which are vital to our ecosystem.

“If you don’t have a garden this is something you can play around with in smaller spaces too – we planted bee-friendly window boxes at our studio which have worked brilliantly or if you’re feeling more adventurous bee and insect hotels are a great little project that will have a really positive impact.”