Wildlife Gardening
UK gardens make up more acreage than all the national nature reserves put together. This makes our gardens a vital source of food, water and shelter for wildlife. There are many different ways to support nature in our gardens. See below for some ideas and lets help nature recover together.
Water
Water is a basic need for most creatures. How many of these features can you provide?
Wildlife pond (without fish) and with at least one shallow edge for safe access
Smaller ponds with partial shade / plant cover on the surface to avoid overheating in summer
Water dishes at ground level for hedgehogs
Shallow dishes on the ground or higher up for insects to drink from (add stones to the bottom of the container)
Bird bath in a safe place for birds
Bucket or container pond for wildlife (with one side stacked with rocks so frogs can leave easily)
Planted bog area that stays wet all the time
Plants in the garden that are drought resistant
Food
All wildlife needs food. This can be provided naturally by the plants in our garden. We can help by putting out food for birds and hedgehogs too. How many of these features you can include in your garden?
Dandelions and other wildflowers to help early pollinators
Single flowers that are nectar rich for day time pollinators
Berry-bearing trees and shrubs
Night-scented flowers rich in nectar for night time pollinators, such as moths
Grow fruit trees, vegetables, herbs as food sources for pollinators
Perennials left un-cut until spring after the last frosts so birds can eat the seeds over autumn and winter
Bird feeders with fresh seed/ nuts / fat for the birds
Food left out for hedgehogs
Shelter
Our gardens can be home to many different species including many invertebrates we’re not aware of. How many of these different habitats can you provide in your garden?
Mixed native hedging for birds to root / nest and home for countless invertebrates
Wood and or log piles in the shade
If a tree must be cut down, leave the stump in place for wildlife
Rock / stone pile (great for amphibians)
Climbing plants on walls / fence / trellis (shelter for birds and invertebrates)
Areas of grass left to grow long with other plants in (such as daisies, clover and dandelions) for invertebrates to live in
Leave perennial plants un-cut until after the last frosts in spring so invertebrates have a home over autumn, winter and spring
Nesting boxes for birds
Nesting boxes for bats
Insect homes such as bug hotels / solitary bee house
Hibernaculum for amphibians to over winter in
Management
How we manage the garden can make an enormous difference to how wildlife-friendly it is. How many of these are you already doing? And can you add others here too into your gardening?
Use only peat-free compost
Use water butts to collect water for the garden
Stop using pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides and slug pellets
Talk to your neighbours about what’s in your gardens, can you look after wildlife together?
Create a CD-sized hole in your fence so hedgehogs can pass in and out of your garden
Save seeds on your flowers and collect when they are dry
Swap seeds and cuttings with friends and neighbours
Look at the neighbouring land and try to bring in some of the shrubs and plants into your garden to extend natural networks of plants
Avoid cutting hedges during the bird nesting season (March to August)
Leave unnecessary lights off at night in front and back gardens for moths