Nature

Stop using pesticides.

As gardeners and householders we have a huge potential positive role to play in reducing pesticides. Think about whether you really need to use weed killer, insect killer, slug pellets, rat poison or other chemicals in your garden or house.   

Put in a pond.

This is a great way to bring nature into your garden.  Make it even friendlier so mammals and birds can have a shallow beach area to wash in and drink from. Try to have around a third of the surface area taken up with pond plants. This can help partly shade the water, provide more habitat and give dragonfly nymphs a support to climb on to for their transition from larva to adult stage.

Buy organic.

Plant nurseries are slowly moving in the right direction, but most of the plants we buy now aren’t organic. Most will have been treated with pesticides and more visibly some come with slug pellets on the top of the soil. If you can, buy organic plants, and/or arrange plant swaps with friends and neighbours.  

Grow more flowers.

Again, this is a win-win. You’re making your garden more beautiful and potentially scent-filled. You’re also providing food for insects. If you can extend the flowering season for as long as possible, even better. Native species of plants would be the best for wildlife. 

Welcome native plants. 

Ivy, for instance, is a source of the latest nectar in the year making it a real lifeline for pollinators. It creates habitat and is a rich part of any wildlife garden.  

Dandelions, buttercups and daisies are helpful long-flowering plants and can make a pretty mosaic of colour in your lawn.

Some garden designers are now using wildflowers in their designs.  These are native plants that want to be in your garden and are fantastic for your wildlife. Can you be a trend-setter and join these pioneer garden designers in embracing wildflowers?!

Go peat-free.

Peat grows at a rate of 1mm per year.  It forms incredibly rich habitats, home to rare plants, invertebrates and birds. Peatlands also store an amazing amount of carbon.  It’s simply not worth losing all of this natural wealth just to buy peat-based materials.  Instead buy peat-free compost online or from a garden centre and make your own compost and leaf mould.

Make your garden part of a nature network.

Can frogs and hedgehogs move from your garden to your neighbours? If not, consider digging out some hedgehog-sized tunnels under them your fence or hedge in a few places so they can come in and out again. That way wildlife is not stopped by our gardens. It’s welcomed in to forage for slugs and snails at night before moving on to next door.  Another win-win for many gardeners!

Let the grass grow.

This one saves on the time and energy of mowing. Can you let some or all of your lawn grow long for wildlife? Short grass provides very little habitat for wildlife. Whereas long grass is creating a potential wildflower mini-safari for insect life. It can be wonderful to sit and watch mining bees in your long lawn or hear grasshoppers!  

Make your own compost.

Compost is a win-win for your garden and your wildlife.  You gain an amazing material to enrich your soil helping your plants you grow. You’re also making a fantastic habitat for many insects as well as frogs and if you’re lucky slow worms too. If you’re short on space you could use a worm composter for your food waste and gain worm compost and worm tea (incredible liquid feed to dilute for your plants).

Make a home for nature.

Try leaving an area of the garden wild.  Put up nest boxes for birds, bees, other insects and bats. Give birds food and water and enjoy watching them.

Consider how you put your garden ‘to bed’ for winter. It may look tidy but it’s effectively removing habitat, and therefore survival, through the winter for many invertebrates.  Instead, cut back in the spring after the last frosts. You might well be rewarded by fewer pest invasions in the warmer months if you can keep a year-round habitat for a more diverse group of bugs.

Having a good range of habitat in your garden includes a mix of trees, hedges / shrubs and flowering plants, as well as some long grass. Try making a log pile and letting broken branches decay on the ground.