One of the best things you can do for nature is to make space for it in your garden. There is lots you can do, from leaving an area of grass long, to not using chemicals, to planting native wildflowers and trees, feeding birds and creating a wildlife pond.
We’ve gathered together some links from various organisations for you to get your teeth stuck into!
If you’re starting from scratch, we recommend reading this guide:
https://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/actions/how-start-wildlife-garden-scratch
Wildlife wellbeing (Sussex Wildlife Trust)
https://tinyurl.com/Wildlife-wellbeing
Creating a pond (Plants for Ponds – commercial website)
https://tinyurl.com/Creating-a-pond
Wildlife-friendly Gardens (Kent Wildlife Trust)
https://tinyurl.com/Look-after-wildlife
Wildlife gardening (Royal Horticultural Society)
https://www.rhs.org.uk/wildlife
Wildlife gardening (the Wildlife Trusts)
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/gardening
Planning a wildlife garden design (RSPB)
https://tinyurl.com/Planning-a-wildlife-garden
Wildlife gardening (Jenny Steel) – all sorts of information!
https://www.wildlife-gardening.co.uk/
Plants for pollinators
https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/research/plants-for-pollinators
How to increase biodiversity in your garden (The Woodland Trust)
https://tinyurl.com/Biodiversity-in-your-garden
Top tips for a biodiverse garden (Kew Gardens)
https://tinyurl.com/Tips-for-a-biodiverse-garden
Create a haven for butterflies and moths
In summary, any (or all!) of the following actions are things garden-owners can do:-
- Build a pond (or even just a bowl sunk into the ground)
- Hang bird feeders
- Put up nest boxes
- Create a small logpile (preferably with rotting wood)
- Buy or make a bee hotel (for solitary bees to lay eggs in)
- Create gaps at the base of hedges or fences to make wildlife corridors (e.g. for hedgehogs)
- Plant wildflower seeds or plug plants (can be done in pots or boxes)
- Grow plants that have flowers for pollinators (favour flowers with single rather than multiple layers of petals)
- Leave the dandelions and daisies in your lawn
- Let Ivy flower in the autumn
- Only buy (or make) peat-free compost
- Don’t use weedkillers or insecticides
- Don’t make the garden too tidy!