1 - Take a break!
The first one is the easiest of all. Don't do anything, or at least don't do as much.
Take a break from weeding, especially if those weeds are in flower.
Plants such as nettles, daisies and buttercups are an important food source for many insects, including butterflies and moths, providing food when other sources might be absent.
Mow the grass a little less often.
Long grass is one of the rarest garden habitats.
By mowing less often, you will be giving 'short-grass' plants like daisies and white clover a chance to flower in profusion, boosting nectar production tenfold.
Don't fancy letting your WHOLE garden go a little bit wild? Try zoning.
Choose one area to turn over to wildlife or make it a feature.
Leave the grass longer and mows paths through, or create a clearing for sitting and enjoying.
2 - Add water
A pond is an incredible resource for a wildlife garden but not always practical with pets and kids.
Shallow dishes filled with water dotted around are just as valuable, offering fresh drinking water and a bath to birds.
Just remember to top them up regularly.
If you fancy a pond, make sure it has sloping sides, so if other animals fall in, they can get out.
Adding plants such as hornwort and waterlilies will help oxygenate the water and keep its inhabitants healthy.
There are six amphibians native to the UK. They are great pest controllers and beneficial for your garden; you may even attract dragonflies.
3 - Build some insect real estate!
Whether a house or a whole hotel, you can get creative with insect habitats.
You can buy or indeed make a range of bug houses but just as effective is a simple pile of rocks, twigs and rotting wood.
These will create shelter for essential insects, such as beetles and spiders.
You might even find slow worms, newts, frogs and toads sheltering between the logs!
4 - Don't forget your nocturnal visitors
Some of the wildlife in your garden only come out at night.
There are 18 species of bats in the UK, and night-flying insects make a lovely meal.
Honeysuckle and evening primrose are night-blooming flowers that release their scents after dark, attracting those tasty night-flying insects.
You can also help bats by removing or switching off artificial lighting from your garden when you're not using it.
Hedgehogs are another night-time visitor that helps keep the ecosystem in your garden balanced.
Leave some gaps at the bottom of garden fences to allow wildlife to move from garden to garden. It will help link different habitats together.
5 - Look after the birds
Birds are an essential part of your garden's ecosystem, and putting up bird boxes and feeding them will help them thrive.
In spring, provide protein-rich feed, such as fat balls. Seeds are best in the winter.
Different birds have different tastes. Sparrows, for example, love mealworms and goldfinches niger seeds.
Try providing a range of foods and see what birds you attract.
6 - Grow butterfly friendly plants
Planting a variety of flowers that flower at different stages throughout the year will attract a variety of butterflies and other insects.
As a bonus, flowers look beautiful and bring colour and scent into your garden.
Go for native species, if possible.
The different shapes of flowers will attract different insects. The long, thin tubes of honeysuckle are particularly popular with butterflies, and bellflowers and foxgloves are great for bees.
Fruit trees such as plum and apple are good additions to the garden for animals active earlier in the year.
Rotting fruit is also an excellent food source for butterflies.
7 - Start composting
Composting is a win-win situation.
Not only will you reduce what goes to landfill, but you'll also create your own nutrient-rich compost for gardening and provide a minibeast haven to boot.
Compost heaps provide a habitat for worms, woodlice and many other insects, including frogs and slow worms, which are excellent food sources for other wildlife.
Worms help to create compost out of organic material, including leaves. Worms also improve soil drainage and transfer essential nutrients to the surface.
Spreading homemade compost in your garden will encourage worms wherever it is applied.
Slugs and snails are important recyclers, so if you spot them elsewhere in your garden, you can add them to your compost heap.
100% Secure Shopping | Payment Options
