It is easy to feel hopeless about the future of British wildlife. The 2023 State of Nature report found that one in six species are at risk of extinction, with the groups most under threat including plants, birds, amphibians and reptiles, fungi and land mammals. But many of us can do something simple to help: gardening.
“There are 23m gardens in Britain, so we can make a real difference,” says Rob Stoneman from the Wildlife Trusts. Gardens cover a bigger area than all the UK’s nature reserves combined, he says. “If you haven’t got a garden, perhaps you could have a window box, or get involved in a community garden, or apply for an allotment.”
Adrian Thomas from the RSPB says: “Twenty years ago, there was a sense that gardens contained bog-standard, unimportant wildlife. Research has now shown that gardens are some of our richest habitats. Villages often have more birdlife than the surrounding countryside.” He cites Jennifer Owen, who had a modest-sized suburban garden in Leicester. Over a 30-year period from 1971, she recorded 2,673 species of wildlife in her garden, including seven new to Britain and four new to science.
Even the smallest plot can be a haven for a host of creatures. Whether you have space for only a hanging basket, or have a balcony, a yard or a garden, here is how to welcome in wildlife.
Turn a grey space green
“The No 1 piece of advice is always: grow something. Turn a grey space green. If you haven’t got a lot of time, knowhow or mental space, just grow what you want,” says Thomas, who is also the author of Gardening for Wildlife. “Choosing plants that are known to be good for wildlife is just the icing on the cake.”
Every pot counts
“If you’ve got room for only one pot, I’d grow buddleia, which is great for butterflies, or nicotiana [the tobacco plant], which is good for moths,” says Stoneman. Helen Bostock from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) suggests lavender in a sunny spot or nepeta (catmint) for shade. “Both are classic, bee-friendly plants that may also attract the odd butterfly.”
Plant for pollinators
If you have space for more plants, “grow as wide a variety as possible”, says Kate Bradbury, the author of One Garden Against the World. She says: “There are 270 species of bee in the UK. Grow different-shaped flowers – bowl‑shaped, tubular, composite – for all their different tongues.” Thomas recommends cottage-garden-type plants, while Bostock suggests shrubby veronica (hebe), hardy geraniums and fuchsias, or anything with the RHS’s Plants for Pollinators label.
Structure matters
Stoneman tells me about the Bugs (Biodiversity in Urban Gardens in Sheffield) project run by the University of Sheffield: “It found that three things are needed for really diverse gardens: dead wood, a water feature and structure. Structure means having everything from mature trees to low lawn; in a small garden, it might mean having a mixture of big plants and small ones.”
Build a log pile
Bradbury explains that dead wood is important for a host of species, including fungi, centipedes, beetles, bees, frogs, toads and newts. “I’ve got a small garden, so my log pile is under my garden bench,” she says. “There’s a sleeping hedgehog in there at the moment.” She says a mix of wood is best – when her neighbour cut down an apple tree, she asked for a few branches. Thomas says a stick pile is just as good: “Whenever you prune something, add to the pile.”
Plant a fruit tree
“Fruit trees [in pots] are really good in small gardens. They will grow well in big pots, if you keep them watered, and you can train them to grow along a wall,” says Stoneman. “They have blossom for pollinators, fruit for you or the birds and they look gorgeous.” Bostock suggests a crab apple, a flowering cherry or a strawberry tree, or a pear tree or a gooseberry bush if your garden is shady. Strawberries can be grown in tower planters and trailing blackberries in hanging baskets.
Grow some herbs
“If you have space for a window box, many herbs are easy to grow,” says Thomas. “They have some of the best flowers for pollinators.” He particularly recommends marjoram. “Butterflies are very picky. Lots of plants are marked as butterfly-friendly when they’re not. Marjoram is.”
Create natural habitats
Before spending money on butterfly houses and bug hotels, think in terms of natural habitats, says Bostock. “A log pile, a mature shrub, a little tree, climbers, a little garden shed – these will provide lots of nooks and crannies and create homes for all sorts of things.”
Add extra homes
Having said that, good-quality bird boxes, bee hotels, hedgehog homes and bat boxes are worthwhile buys. Research where to position them – bird boxes should face north to east, whereas bee hotels should face south. And choose wisely: “It’s very easy to find blue tit boxes, but they are already doing very well,” Thomas says. “House sparrows and starlings are decreasing in number.” If you’re hoping for hedgehogs, you and your neighbours will need to make holes in your fences to create a hedgehog highway.
Feed the birds
“It’s best for birds to eat insects and berries, but supplementary feeding can be important in winter and spring,” says Thomas. Clean your feeders regularly: “The decrease in greenfinch and chaffinch populations is partly down to poor feeding hygiene.” If you don’t have a garden, you can get a feeder that sticks on the window, suggests Bostock.
Start composting
A compost heap is a triple win, says Stoneman: it avoids binning green waste; it saves having to buy compost; and it makes a really diverse habitat. Bostock says: “A small compost heap will be home to tiny microscopic creatures, woodlice, millipedes, slowworms, maybe grass snakes, some bumblebees and amphibians. It’s like a dark, moist, miniature garden.” Use a mix of green waste (no cooked food; not just grass) and brown material – shredded paper, ripped-up cardboard, twigs. A compost bin or a wormery are space-saving options.
Garden vertically
“We should be covering every single inch of our spaces with plants,” says Bradbury. “Climbers are really useful. There are some clever wall systems, where you grow plants in pockets, but you can just grow ivy and hydrangeas up the wall, or honeysuckle and clematis up a trellis.” Bostock is a big fan of honeysuckle: “It’s a real go-getter with a great fragrance and very useful for evening-active wildlife such as moths and bats.” Bradbury has put a green roof on her shed. “You can lay a wildflower turf or grow things such as sedums,” she says.
Let your lawn grow
“If you have a lawn, it’s extremely likely to have wildflowers that just don’t get a chance to flower, such as daisies, dandelions and lady’s bedstraw,” says Thomas. Mow it less often to let them bloom and the grass grow. “A bit of long grass provides cover for invertebrates, frogs and toads and a few little scurrying things, such as shrews, field voles and mice,” says Bostock. She suggests planting some crocus or daffodil bulbs, too.
Make a mini meadow
“If you’re starting from scratch with bare ground, use a meadow seed mix that contains grasses,” says Thomas (cornfield or poppy mixes have colourful flowers, but need to be resown every year). To keep it looking neat, Bostock advises cutting a border around it or a path through it. “This tells neighbours and visitors that it’s intentional.”
Rethink weeds
“We need to get away from the idea that weed equals bad. A weed is just a plant in the wrong place,” says Thomas. That doesn’t mean letting nature run wild. “Nettles, brambles and bindweed will come to dominate if you don’t put them on the compost. Actively gardening leads to more diversity.”
Bostock highlights the difference between “weeds” and invasive species such as Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed and some non-native aquatic plants. “Take action to stop them spreading beyond your garden and dispose of them properly,” she says.
Be water-wise
“Water is really important for wildlife,” says Bostock. “Get a little bird bath or ground bowl, but don’t put it by dense shrubbery,” because birds need a clear view of predators. Thomas suggests using “water-wise ways”, such as getting a water butt and watering directly to the base of plants in the morning, evening or both.
Turn down the lights
Bostock urges gardeners to think about their lighting. “Do you really need so much light in the garden? Can you have solar lights in one area and leave the rest dark? Artificial light is one of the drivers of insect decline.” She says intense security lighting and all-night lights are some of the worst offenders.
Forget fake grass
“Fake grass is still so popular and it’s heartbreaking,” says Bostock. “There isn’t anything good to say about it. It’s not providing cooling; it’s not helping soil and therefore earthworms; it’s not absorbing pollutants; it’s not creating nesting sites for ground-nesting bees.”
Ditch the decking
In better news, she says: “The craze for decking is over. Natural materials are much better, such as gravel, or a few slabs of paving with gravel in between. You can plant thyme, oxeye daisies and euphorbia in the gaps.”
Make a pint-sized pond
“No garden is too small for a pond. Even on a balcony, you’ll get a pond skater or two,” says Bostock. You could repurpose a washing-up bowl, a watertight trug or a half barrel. “A pond becomes a real focal point and introduces a habitat for a new range of species, including dragonflies and damselflies,” says Thomas. The impact can be enormous. “There are more ponds in Sheffield than the whole of rural Yorkshire,” says Stoneman. “It’s like a disaggregated wetland complex.”
Go peat-free
Stoneman is unequivocal. “Do not use peat anywhere. Peat bogs are a really important store of carbon and vital for flood control. When you see a peat bog that has been mined, it’s really awful – it makes you want to cry.” He says it’s not just about buying peat-free compost – ask if plants have been grown peat-free, too. “Using peat is a bit like knocking down York Minster and using the rubble in your garden,” he says.
Grow vegetables
Bostock suggests growing “anything in the pea and bean family”, such as climbing beans or dwarf beans. “With a growbag, you could grow courgettes, whose flowers attract insects. Nasturtiums have edible flowers and leaves and are great for bumblebees, as are tomatoes. If any of your veg has bolted, such as leeks or carrots, let them flower – they’re really good for insects.”
Do no harm
“It’s really important not to put things in the garden that are known to be harmful,” says Bostock. “Ask yourself: what’s the least harm I can do to solve this problem? Perhaps you can protect the plant physically, create a water barrier or plant something else.” Stoneman goes further. “The average garden centre is like a killing field, a poison factory. Don’t use pesticides, herbicides and insecticides. Welcome bees, wasps and aphids – they’ve all got a role.” Bostock admits that aphids can be a problem, especially on roses. “But if you kill them, what are the ladybirds going to eat? Can you sacrifice a plant for their sake?”
Save dead leaves
“Let dead leaves fall on your borders and tuck them around your plants – leaf mould is really good for them,” says Bradbury. It’s also good for your soil: “Looking after your soil is key to looking after fungi. Try to avoid digging it.” Rake up leaves from the lawn, if you have one, and add those, or make a leaf pile. “It’s like gold dust from the garden – and a home for beetles, hedgehogs, frogs and toads,” says Thomas.
Make friends with molluscs
Bostock flags up Wild About Gardens’ mollusc campaign: “It’s all about welcoming slugs and snails and learning to live with them. A lot do quite useful jobs,” she says. Of course, they can also devour your precious plants. “In my garden, it’s my dahlias,” says Thomas. He goes on a nightly slug safari: “I collect the slugs and snails and transport them to the compost heap. The frogs and slowworms feast on them.”
Make a slowworm sunbed
Thomas suggests laying down a sheet of corrugated iron for slowworms to slither under to warm up – they will be protected from predators such as crows and cats. It could also be home to millipedes, violet ground beetles and grass snakes. “If you don’t like them, just don’t pick it up!”
Don’t feed the foxes
“Grey squirrels, wood pigeons and foxes are all doing fairly well and are not in need of help – and they can be nuisances,” says Bostock. “Yes, it’s wonderful seeing foxes raising cubs in your garden, but they’re probably creating havoc next door.”
Grow a hedge
“I’d love everyone to tear down their fences and grow a hedge instead,” says Bradbury. “They have enormous value for wildlife: nesting sites and berries for birds, leaves for moths and sleeping places for hedgehogs.” Also, hedges are much more durable in high winds.
Let things go to seed
“Don’t clear plants away as soon as the flowers have gone,” says Thomas. “Seed heads are a great habitat for ladybirds,” while birds will eat the seeds.
Keep an eye on your cat
Yes, wildlife lovers can be cat-owners, too – with caveats. “Explore ways to reduce the impact of your cat,” says Thomas. “It could be a collar with a bell; keeping them inside in the early morning and late evening; or relocating bird feeders and bird boxes.”
Hone your habitat
“If you see a great tit, find out more about them and hone your habitat to keep them coming back,” says Bradbury. “That can be really magical.” Thomas has done this successfully with rare butterflies, planting kidney vetch for the small blue butterfly and blackthorn for the brown hairstreak butterfly.
Take your time
“The myth used to be: give a little bit of the garden to wildlife and keep the rest for you. Now, we try to make the whole garden wildlife-friendly,” says Thomas. “But it’s incremental. Ask yourself: what can I do this year? You don’t have to do everything in one go.” You will be rewarded with some instant wins, says Bradbury. “Bees will come straight away. As soon as you plant trees or shrubs, you’ll get more birds.”
Sit back and watch
“Enjoy your space,” says Bostock. “You don’t have to be doing, doing, doing. Make time to sit, have a drink and watch the wildlife.”
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