A wildlife garden

No matter how big or small your garden is, doing your bit is vital for the survival of the UK’s wildlife. A balanced ecology in your garden will add a focal point and interest to your garden, and will help in general with the prevention and maintenance of pests and diseases.

Many gardeners aren’t keen to invest in a garden for wildlife as they immediately think it will end up messy and ruin their garden plan; well this needn’t be the case.

Marina Christopher, a trained ecologist, stated "I don’t think you need an untidy garden to attract wildlife. It’s the choice of plants that makes a difference".

So, here at the Gardeners Club we’ve compiled some tips and hints to help you get started and attract nature back to your garden.

Key factors

The most important thing to think about is what you plant, followed by how you do it. Consider texture, movement, height, structure and colour to provide the wildlife in your garden with food, water, shelter and a place to breed. The most important thing to remember is that a variety of plants will attract a diversity of wildlife to your garden.

What to do

• Plant nectar rich or berry producing shrubs to provide a natural habitat for wildlife.
• Choose plants with simple flower structures as these produce more nectar, making more food available for visiting insects.
• Plant in groups to make them easier to detect.
• If you’ve a small garden you need to optimise the vertical space, grow climbing plants, such as Honey Suckle up trellis’s and fences as this will provide a great environment for nesting birds and a habitat for insects. You could even replace your fence with berry-producing shrubs.
• An easy and simple change you can make is to create little habitats for wildlife, for example log piles, small ponds and gaps in walls and paving slabs are perfect for low-growing plants such as Campanula or Dianthus. 
• Pack lots of nectar rich plants into your beds and borders to supply lots of food for bees and insects.
• Allowing perennial seed heads to develop will provide food for birds and other animals through the bleak winter months.
• Ensure you plant a range of plants that flower at different times of the year to provide your wildlife with a continuous supply of nectar; try planting aesthetically pleasing members of the daisy family, including Asters, Achilleas, Chrysanthemums and Echinaceas to attract bees, hoverflies and butterflies
• If you have a large lawn, if possible, you could try leaving a small section uncut, this creates an excellent habitat for grasshoppers, beetles and other insects.
• Also by adding colour to your lawn with meadow flowers, cowslip and oxe-eye daisies you will attract plenty of pollen and nectar for a variety of insects.