Three garden designers on how to make a wildlife-friendly sustainable garden
We never truly own our gardens, do we? We are simply custodians of them for a while before passing them on to the next generation of maintainers. We are here for a moment in time, yet what we do with that moment rings through decades to come. What’s more, we share the space with the organisms – flora and fauna alike – that live in our gardens and cultivate them as we do.
With the privilege of owning a garden comes the responsibility of looking after it, and the most intrinsic and important part of that is looking after the wildlife and ecosystem that lives within it. Wildlife is the lifeblood of a garden. It maintains harmony and balance from an ecological and conservation perspective. Climate change and habitat loss caused by humans has seen much of our endemic wildlife displaced and numbers dwindling. Lovely creatures like hedgehogs and song thrushes, sparrows and stag beetles are on the decline. Soil health is a subject of increasing concern. Without these elements to help regulate carbon absorption, plant pollination and food chains, the planet will suffer. So why not do your bit to prevent them from disappearing altogether and use your garden as a mini nature reserve?
Building ponds, composting food and plants and selecting bug- and bee-friendly plants will attract wildlife quickly. Creating a little nature reserve in the garden is not just good for the animals and environment, but benefits us, too. Children can learn and find joy in what they find in a bug hotel, whilst adults will find a moment of reflective peace sitting by a pond.
Claudia De Yong’s Top Five Tips
- Introducing any form of water in your garden will not only encourage wildlife from the moment it is there, but also give you hours of enjoyment. Water is a magnet for all sorts of wildlife, from frogs to dragonflies, newts to birds and small creatures, and it adds another dimension to a garden.
- To attract more bees, plant more blue and purple flowers, as they can see these colours more clearly. Choose single, open ones where the bees can access the nectar and pollen more easily than double flowers which make it hard for bees to get to the centre.
- Create log piles of dead and decaying wood – these are important for insects, fungi, mosses and lichens. They also provide shelter for hibernating small mammals like hedgehogs and amphibians like frogs. Worms and grubs that will live in and on the woodpile provide a great food source for mammals, amphibians and birds.
- Build an insect or bug “hotel” to provide shelter, nesting and refuge for many different species. You can easily build one with pieces of wood, bamboo canes, old bits of brick. As long as you give the structure a roof, there will soon be no vacancies!
- Plant wildflowers to attract many different species of insect and birds to your garden. We have our own mini bottles of native British wildflower seeds in our online garden shop. They are ideal for creating a wildflower patch in the garden. Make sure you only use native seeds, and you can supplement any planting with plug plants.
See more from Claudia De Yong here.
Butter Wakefield
“I notice wherever there is a hawthorn tree (crataegus monogyna) there are hundreds of bees enjoying the nectar the blossom has to offer, so plant a hawthorn! I am particularly keen on the white flowers, but it also comes in a lovely pink variety as well (‘Paul’s Scarlet’).
“I personally am also very keen to have as much wildlife in my garden as possible and, as such, I have a section of native wildflower meadow running down the middle of my lawn. I have also stopped mowing sections of my grass to help the insects find more habitat and pollen.
“I think another very easy way of helping the birds and the bees is to plant ivy on the garden boundaries. The dense foliage is great for nesting birds in the spring and the late flowers are a great source of goodness for the bees towards the end of the summer and autumn.”
See more from Butter Wakefield here.
Randle Siddeley
“Should the space allow, we love to include a green or ‘living wall’ in our schemes. If not, we endeavour to get some climbers on a wall or two, not only because they provide a spectacular living sculpture in one’s garden but also are fantastic at helping nature.
“We recommend climbers or flowering species that will provide nectar for invertebrates, such as evergreen honeysuckle (lonicera japonica) and clematis (clematis montana). These plant species increase biodiversity by providing mixed height vegetation with foliage for nesting habitats for a variety of birds, and also the flowers attract a range of insects and invertebrates.
“For pots and planters, a lavender, rosemary, or thyme bush will help out our bee friends.”
See more from Randle Siddeley here.
Scroll on to see the best bits to buy to make your garden nature-friendly: some chosen by Randle Siddeley, Butter Wakefield and Claudia De Yong, some chosen by the House & Garden team.
3/19Nature camera, £189 from the RSPB.
Whilst this may not increase the volume of nature in your garden as such, this camera will enable you to revel in the fruits of your labour when it comes to wildlife. Fully waterproof, this motion-triggered camera will help you see creatures such as owls, bats and badgers that you may not otherwise be able to spot.
5/19Dewdrop bee biome, £18.99 from the RSPB.
This bee biome is home to a specific type of bee: the solitary bee. Unlike its close friends (honeybees and bumblebees), it doesn’t live in a colony, nor does it make honey. As a result, they are very gentle and non-aggressive, so there is no reason not to invite them into your garden.
8/19Garden life hedgehog house, £29.99 from Thompson Morgan.
Whilst hedges and piles of dead leaves are their preferred habitats, hedgehogs are vulnerable to being injured, or worse, by strimmers, lawnmowers and other garden tools. This little home will keep them as safe as possible and help them to thrive.
10/19Green squirrel-proof bird feeder, £45.99 from Primrose.
Different birds like different foods but it isn’t too tricky to attract some of the most common and sweetest garden birds with a feeder like this one. Robins, long-tailed tits and blue tits are particularly keen on suet balls. Niger seeds, peanuts and mealworms are mostly safe bets to include.
