Insch Primary School

Harry’s Herbology Haven

Our garden tells the story of Harry Potter. We included a quidditch goal, Moaning Myrtle's toilet, Hagrid's hut, the Sorting Hat and Ollivander's Wand Shop. We used lots of reclaimed materials and created lots of spaces for wildlife to live.

Mandrakes

Ollivander's Wand Shop

Reusing materials to tell the story

We chose the theme of Harry Pottter as we really enjoyed the Harry Potter stories.

Our Pocket Garden Mentors, Wendy and Jim, advised us on plants that would attract different wildlife to our garden. They also very kindly donated a variety of plants to use in our garden. In Moaning Myrtle’s Toilet, we planted a variety of tall plants, to look like the water splashing out of the toilet. These include teasels, foxglove and poppies to attract pollinators and other wildlife. The Golden Snitch hanging from the Quidditch goal, is a spruce cone birdfeeder. We made Hagrid’s Hut into a bug hotel, using reclaimed material such as slate rocks and corks, twisted hazel twigs and spruce cones.

We have a grown a wide selection of edible plants in different parts of our garden. Our Mandrakes have dill growing from their heads, the Sorting Hat is a frame for peas and our cauldron is full of strawberry plants, sourced from our community garden. We have also grown some of Fred and George Weasley’s Edible Stink Bomb plants (known to Muggles as Brussel Sprouts). There are also tatties, lettuce, crown daisies and salvia. When the salvia blooms, it should attract butterflies and other pollinators, whilst deterring rabbits. Ollivander’s Wand Shop has garden sage growing from it.

We collected lots of bits and pieces from our local community to build our garden, which would otherwise have ended up being thrown away. We used a tyre to create the Sorting Hat, an old Hula Hoop for the Quidditch goal and old dolls’ heads as our Mandrakes. Ollivander’s Shop is made from old tin cans. We even managed to reuse an old, cracked toilet as Moaning Myrtle’s toilet. Everything is secured to a reused pallet which has been put in place in our local Community Garden space for everyone to enjoy.