A ‘Jake Bug Hotel’ takes centre stage in a wildlife-friendly garden being created for the open day at Nottingham City Council’s Nursery on Saturday.

The novel insect home is the idea of nursery gardener Elaine Rodrigues.  She says that inspiration struck her like a lightning bolt – and she hopes the Clifton-born singer-songwriter would approve.

The figure is made entirely of recycled materials, including pallets, trousers, plant pots and even two guitars that had been left out for the bin men.

She says: “I thought it would be good to use materials that people might have lying around or would otherwise throw away.  It includes a wire body filled with cones where insects can hide; moss arms, and hollow canes that will give shelter to bugs.”

The Jake Bug Hotel stars in a mini show garden demonstrating ways to make a small change for nature – the theme of this year’s open day.

The event runs at the Nursery at Woodthorpe Grange Park from 10am to 3.30pm on Saturday May 9th.  There will be a range of stalls and activities, and an opportunity to look around the glasshouses where all the city’s plants are grown.

Visitors will be able to find out about the ‘Bee-Friendly Nottingham’ campaign, be encouraged to find space for a hedgehog house, a bat box or a bird feeder, and get advice on making gardens more attractive habitats for wildlife.

The event features free workshops run by the Royal Horticultural Society on the theme of ‘Perfect for Pollinators’, as well as stalls from a range of organisations including Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, Friends of the Earth, the RSPB and Nottinghamshire Bee Keepers Association, who will be running tours to the beehives in the old kitchen garden.

There will also be planting and craft activities, information about composting, stalls from local organisations and food producers and a café.   Nursery Manager Glenn Springthorpe and the team will be available to give gardening tips and answer questions, and staff and students from Nottingham Trent University’s Brackenhurst campus will be running ‘Gardeners’ Question Time’ sessions and talk to anyone interested in studying Horticulture.

Visitors will also be able to vote on the winners of the Nottingham in Bloom Painting and Photography competitions both sponsored by Capital One, and suggest a name for the Grass Lion sponsored by Hollies Day Nurseries.