A National Trust project has shown that high horticulture and biodiversity can co-exist.

And results from the survey revealed that 66 species of conservation importance could be found at one of the trust's properties, Dyffryn Gardens, in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Dyffryn is a blend of formal lawns, kitchen garden, arboretum and Edwardian garden 'rooms' covering 90 acres.

The National Trust is restoring the Grade I garden and, inspired by the original owner’s experimental spirit, is looking for innovative ways to garden with biodiversity firmly in mind rather than try for an exact historical recreation.

This has involved creating 'mini-meadows' on the Great Lawn, enabling the growth of more insects and bird species.

Head gardener Chris Flynn said: "We think Dyffryn is a hot spot for biodiversity.

But we want to prove this over the next three years and use that understanding to do a modern restoration in a sustainable way."

Mr Flynn has recently received the first results of an in-depth, three-year biodiversity study to back anecdotal evidence with scientific rigour.

He said: “Dyffryn had always been managed with good intentions, but we asked ourselves, how much better can we make it? We hope to answer: what lives here, how do they interact and what is the value of the garden to them? How do pollinators use our cultivated plants?

“We can then balance biodiversity, history and visitor enjoyment, and ensure we allow space for nature recovery. We can show that gardens can be spectacular and be rich in biodiversity.”

The gardens also nurture a variety of bees, greenfinches, bats, notably the whiskered variety, and numerous dragonfly species.

The Reflecting Pool is home to pea mussels, great crested newts, water stick insects, attracting kingfishers and long-eared bats.

Changes in management approaches and planting, like the rotating mowing of the parkland, have already proven fruitful, with the emergence of pyramidal orchids and nesting queen bumblebees.