Our gardens and outdoor spaces tend to need a lot of tender loving care, if we want them to look a certain way or grow certain things. But have you ever thought of your garden as a place that needs to look after wildlife too? There are many creatures that will use your space as somewhere to live, or simply visit, and being able to attract wildlife is something that can make a massive difference.
This is especially true is you have children as you can use your garden to teach them all about these creatures, as well as being able to make your garden a lovely place to be. So here are some tips and steps that you could take to make a garden that is wildlife friendly.
Bird box and feeding
Birds are an important part of the ecosystem of our gardens. So one thing that you can quite easily do is to install some bird boxes, as well as bird tables and bird feeders. It helps them to have somewhere to shelter, as well as to keep them fed, especially when the temperatures start to drop.
Putting bird boxes up high is a good idea, as you don’t want an agile fox to be able to reach up there and jump up towards it. Then things like fat or suet balls can be a good idea to have dotted around the garden, plus, they are so easy to make.
Insect hotel
Gardens are a great place for insects, and you can create spaces for them that they will thrive in. Often, you find things like bugs, worms, and woodlouse under stones or logs, so having some rocks or logs piled up can be a good place for them to hide.
You can also buy a bug hotel from gardening stores, where you can pop out and see what has taken up residence there.
Hedges
If you have heard of a hedgehog before, then it can be easy to think about where they get their name from; they like hanging out in hedges. So if you want to attract them into your garden, having a solid fence between your neighbor and you, or as a border to your garden, isn’t the way to do it.
Hedge plants can be thick for privacy, but they do offer gaps for hedgehogs to climb through. So it is something to think about, especially if you have a fence that needs to be repaired.
Pond
Having a pond in the garden is a great way to boost the wildlife in your garden, as not only will you have fish, but things like frogs, toads, and so on. It doesn’t have to be a large pond, but designing it will, like having some stones around it, or twigs going into it, will help any wildlife get in and out.
Things like water lilies will help the water from being stagnant, which will mean that the water will be in the best condition for the wildlife that is around.
