Wildlife-Friendly Gardens: Inviting Nature into Your Garden

With more and more green space being lost to paving, housing, and commercial developments, wildlife is running out of places to nest and feed. This has spurred a lot of people to wonder how they can make their gardens more wildlife-friendly.

This comes in a number of forms, from sectioning part of your garden as a wild garden to adding a hedgehog home somewhere or selecting plants to attract bugs and animals. In this blog, we take a look at some of the ways you can invite nature into your green space.

Plant Native Species

Certain plants and species will be native to your area and will be adapted to the soil and climate conditions of your garden. Native plants are likely to need less maintenance and caretaking than non-native plants will.

They will also be part of the area's ecosystem, meaning that they provide food and a habitat for local wildlife. If your neighbours are more inclined to landscape their gardens, you will likely find that the wildlife starts congregating in your garden as you provide a safe space for them to feed and live.

Create Habitats

Wildlife are looking for a place to call home, just as we do. Giving them homes in your garden invites them in.

Add birdhouses and bat boxes to your trees, hedgehog homes in a shady and quiet spot where they won't be disturbed, and butterfly feeders or bee hotels around your outdoor space. These give different species a place to nest or feed away from dangers.

You can also separate your garden into a selection of areas, such as wood areas, ponds or meadows, to attract a more diverse range of species to your garden.

Provide Water Sources

Offering places for birds, insects and other animals to bathe or drink is a great way to encourage various animals into your garden.

Install bird baths, small ponds or shallow dishes around your space. Make sure they are easy to access and find, as this will make it more likely that animals use them.

Ensure you keep the water fresh by regularly changing it and cleaning the sources.

Avoid Chemicals

Chemicals can be harmful to wildlife, so if you want to embrace them in your garden, you should avoid using things like pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilisers. Instead, choose organic methods and natural pest control methods.

Alternatively, you could opt to have a wild garden and simply let whatever is native grow. You can control this by cutting down anything that overgrows or pulling out weeds, but this would eliminate the need for chemicals in your garden.

Attract Pollinators

We all know that certain plants attract pollinating insects and animals such as bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Planting flowers that harvest plenty of pollen will encourage these animals into your garden, attracting them because they are food sources.

Keep a steady stream of animals throughout the year by choosing to plant a variety of shapes, sizes and bloom times.

Provide Shelter

Offer shelter and protection to animals by creating areas of dense vegetation. To make this, you can use a combination of shrubs, hedges and tall grass.

You will find that birds, small mammals and insects use this area to nest.

Practice Sustainable Gardening

Create your own compost using kitchen waste so you reduce waste going to landfills and create a little haven for minibeasts.

This will also help improve your soil and reduce weed growth, helping other plants grow, which will invite more animals to your garden.  

Maintain Wildlife Corridors

Create little paths and openings between your neighbour's gardens and the surrounding natural areas, as these will help animals move freely around the area and between habitats.

As with anything, easy access will make a difference, and you will likely see an increase in the number of animals in your garden as they navigate in and out without barriers.

Need Help Creating An Inviting Space?

If you would like a bit of help to create a wildlife sanctuary in your garden, get in touch with our experts at The Real Green Gardener.

We offer a comprehensive gardening service, meaning no matter what state your garden is currently in, we can help.

If you are currently undergoing a garden refurbishment, we can design a garden that will work exactly as you would like it to, whether that be a combination of leisure space and wildlife habitats or solely a wild garden. From these designs, we can work with you to build your dream garden.

Alternatively, if you are looking to simply alter your garden and introduce a special area for wildlife, our landscapers can work with the current garden, adapting a dedicated area to fit your requests.

If you are just looking for some advice on what plants and flowers to add to your garden, we can provide bedding plant packages and plant packages, which will include a selection of plants that we recommend based on your desires.

We are passionate about helping create safe spaces for wildlife and using sustainable gardening practices to do this. Through our wide range of services, we are confident that we can help you establish a haven for wildlife in your garden.

Get in touch with our team to learn more about our services. Call us on 01202 722943 or complete our contact form, and we will call you back as soon as possible.