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How to make your garden a home for wildlife

February 5, 2015 by Catherine 10 Comments

Have you ever looked at your garden through the eyes of the wildlife that visits it?  Probably not.  You should though!

When I was sitting with my kids deciding what they would grow on their allotment plots this year, we talked about which flowers were good for pollinating insects.  This led to a lovely discussion about what it must be like to be a bee, buzzing around all the gardens and deciding which one had the most tempting flowers to visit and take a sip from.

It wasn’t long before we were thinking about our garden through the eyes of other wildlife; what did we have to tempt birds, mice, hedgehogs, frogs, newts and other insects?

This fun role-play got me thinking about how much more we could do to encourage wildlife to visit our garden and make a home there.  Doing this is beneficial on so many levels.  We’ll be helping our native species to thrive and, in some cases, survive; our garden will be healthier as a result; and it’s a fantastic way to get the kids involved and interested in the great outdoors on their doorstep.

Turning your garden into a desirable home for wildlife doesn’t have to be complicated, time-consuming or expensive.  Here are some ideas for small changes that you can make which will have a big impact.

wildlife gardening bird feederFeed the birds

Providing a source of food and water all year round will ensure you get plenty of birds visiting your garden, in return they’ll do a great job of keeping insects like aphids at manageable levels.  My kids love bird-spotting and take their job of topping up the feeders very seriously!

garden water feature hard landscapingAdd a water feature

This doesn’t have to be grand or complicated; a mini pond will be enough to encourage frogs and newts to spawn – great news if you’d like less slugs and snails in your garden.  You’ll also attract insects such as dragonflies and pond skaters which are great fun for the kids to study.

beautiful green grass on a summer morningBe a bit messy

Perfectly manicured gardens aren’t what wildlife need, so let some areas of the garden get a bit untidy.  Leave seedheads on some plants over Winter to provide a food source.  Let some areas of grass grow long to provide shelter.  Leave a small pile of fallen leaves in a quiet corner for frogs, toads, newts and centipedes to inhabit.  It doesn’t have to all look scruffy, even the smallest area can make a big difference.

wildflowersGrow flowers for pollinators

Choose plants that are irresistible to bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects and they’ll become a regular feature in your garden.  Take a look at the RHS Plants for Pollinators resource for lots of inspiration.

a garden log pile is a great habitat for wildlifeCreate a log pile

If you’ve got enough room a small pile of logs will provide a perfect habitat for insects, mice, hedgehogs, slowworms, newts, toads and fungi.  You could also make a bee hotel to help support your local bees.

For lots more ideas on how to encourage garden wildlife have a look at my pinterest board, and my post on 50 easy ways to garden for wildlife.

There are also lots of fantastic wildlife activity sheets available from the Wildlife Trusts which are perfect for getting the kids involved.

We’ll be trying to build these ideas into our garden and allotment this year, it feels really good to be doing our bit to protect our native wildlife.  Do you think you’ll be having a go too?

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Filed Under: Garden Tips Tagged With: Birds, Children, Flowers, Garden, Insects, Minibeasts, Pollinators, Ponds, Top Tips, Wildlife

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Comments

  1. Becky says

    February 5, 2015 at 11:50 am

    These are all lovely idea we have plenty of log piles good to hear they are useful!

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      February 5, 2015 at 1:19 pm

      Ooh you’ll have all kinds of creatures living in there!

      Reply
  2. Miss Tulip says

    February 5, 2015 at 5:04 pm

    I love the ‘be a bit messy tip’ because that’s what we do. We clear fallen trees but always leave some wood in place to rot which attracts a whole host of wildlfe from insects to fungi. I like your log pile-style too. I’m not so keen on the gemotric acurate patterns some people create. I prefer a natural looking ‘pile’ like it has naturally occured rather than made by a human. I recommend planting some wildflower seeds – they are so beautiful and attract lots of insects. They make awesome photo back drops too 🙂

    Miss Tulip x

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      February 5, 2015 at 5:19 pm

      Great tip about wildflower seeds, I’d love a mini wildflower meadow but we don’t have room in the garden. I think we could find some space at the allotment though, one of the other plot holders keeps bees so we could help keep them happy. Thanks for commenting 🙂

      Reply
  3. Aly says

    February 8, 2015 at 9:32 am

    We moved from a flat to a house last year, having a garden has been such a luxury.We made a good start last year with a compost heap and a bug house and a new decking patio.We have a water feature ready to go in, plans for a permaculture veg plot and a wildflower meadow.I’m definitely not the tidy lawn type, so we’re slowly getting rid of that too.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      February 8, 2015 at 8:55 pm

      Wow it sounds like you’ve been busy! It’s great watching all the wildlife move in isn’t it?

      Reply
  4. Kriss MacDonald says

    February 11, 2015 at 12:57 pm

    This is brilliant – I wish more people would make their gardens attractive for wildlife. Makes such a difference.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      February 11, 2015 at 1:52 pm

      I think lots of people don’t realise it’s not very hard to do and still looks great. It makes a big difference to kids too being able to explore nature so close to home – positives every way you look at it!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How to make your garden a home for wildlife  | LAB says:
    February 7, 2015 at 9:13 am

    […] Continue reading the rest of the post at its original source […]

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  2. Pinterest: Best Home Blogger Pins for May - Love Chic Living says:
    May 14, 2015 at 12:55 pm

    […] just for inside the home, but garden bloggers can share their pins too. Catherine from the Growing Family has some great pins and this one, on creating a garden for wildlife has some great ideas and tips. […]

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Hi, I’m Catherine. Welcome to Growing Family, a top UK home & garden blog sharing ideas, inspiration and tips for making the most of busy family life, indoors and out.
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