Creating a Nature Garden

These days a lot of people prefer a low maintenance garden, and whilst we love how it looks, sometimes it isn’t best for our wildlife friends. However, this is a problem that can be easily fixed. There are many small ways you can adjust your garden to become wildlife friendly. Whether you choose to entirely change it to a Nature Garden, or just dedicate a small patch you’ll be helping to protect local ecosystems. Below we have come up with a few suggestions to help you do your bit;

Choose Plants to Encourage Wildlife

If you like to keep your garden filled with colour, why not choose plants that encourage wildlife? Being mindful about choosing plants for reasons other than their appearance is a great way of attracting local species to your garden. If it’s butterflies you’re looking to attract, Buddleia, Red Valerian and Hebe are three great plants to get started with. For bees, try purple flowers such as Lavender and Alliums or any plant that produces single flowers. You’ll finish up with a garden that not only looks pretty, but is full of butterflies and bees too.

Install a Water Feature or Small Pond

Small water features are a great way of attracting birds into your garden, and they can be so simple to make too! It doesn’t always have to be a pre-made feature, you could even create a birdbath out of an old dish or tray. These water features take up almost no space at all and create a great place for birds to cool off in the Summer. Birds love small ponds for this too, and so do many other small animals. A small pond will attract dragonflies, frogs and so much more. Not only this, but they look great in the garden too. It’s a win win really!

Create a Shelter in your Nature Garden

Whether this be an insect hotel or a bird box, creating a shelter for wildlife really helps them out. It’s a fun activity for those with kids too! Not only are you conserving wildlife, but you get to watch them nest and breed in your own garden. Bird boxes are easy to set up. Buy a box and hang it in a place that’s reasonably sheltered from the sun and wind but with a clear flight path for the birds.

Use Natural Pest Control in your Nature Garden

None of us enjoy having pests in our garden and the common reaction is to get the quickest fix possible. Usually, we go for the slug pellets or the wasp spray, but these contain chemicals that can greatly harm other animals too. For example, a bird could eat a poisoned bug and die itself. Or a bird of prey could eat a poisoned mouse and die the same way. It’s dangerous for our domestic pets as well. Using a natural pest deterrents, such as coffee grounds, protects our wildlife whilst also getting rid of pests. The coffee repels slugs and snails as well as mosquitoes and other insects, but it won’t hurt anything else. Next time you get out the slug pellets, why not try this instead?

Leave a Patch of Lawn Uncut

Leaving a patch of lawn uncut allows for a mini-meadow to develop in your back garden, especially in the summer. You’re likely to get wildflowers blooming creating a little haven for wildlife. It saves you the effort of cutting it too! Just leave it to nature and watch the bees and butterflies relish in their own little Nature Garden.

About The Author of this Post

Katie Waterson

administrator

Katie wrote articles for the Garden Centre website as well as running the social media whilst working for us as an E-Commerce apprentice.

See author's posts