As I take a walk with my partner, I have noticed more and more “pristine” gardens developing. Now while these are very pretty in their array of colour from bedding plants and decorative use of stones and paving, they seem to lack something. LIFE! Yes there are plants, but that’s it. Insects, birds all seem to be missing.
This was drawn even more to my notice when my two neighbours at either side of me, cut down ALL the trees in their back garden. Suddenly the birds that were often seen and heard sitting in these trees had no real shelter.
Then the houses opposite did the same, all seeming to opt for this sterile image in their garden. It now makes my back garden look like some scruffy oasis and I am keeping it like this way for the garden birds.
Below are a few tips for making your garden wildlife friendly:
Think Life! – Life is a mess chaotic and disorganised… use this in your garden! I’m not saying make a big mess but leave some wood in a pile for beneficial insects and hedgehogs to hide in. Don’t make everything too pretty, too sterile! Remember this is wilderness, so let a little of the wild out!
Boundaries – Okay so you want a fence, maybe to keep the neighbour’s dog from getting into your garden. But how about adding ivy to grow up it, or better still plant some native hedges in front of it for birds to nest in. You could even add a few blackberry bushes in between that will feed the birds and give you something to nibble on when gardening
Pond-life – If you have a pond don’t make it too clean, with the right plants the water can stay pretty clean and shouldn’t need too much attention. This will help to encourage frogs (great for reducing slugs!) and insects. Always remember to add a large rock or piece of wood in the pond that will allow animals to climb out if they fall in!
Feeders – If you want to encourage birds, feeders are a good idea but make sure you think about where you’re situating them. Keep them away from fences that cats climb on. In the centre of a large lawn can be too open for most birds, so try against a hedge or under a tree (again, not one that cats are known for climbing). Have different feeders, hangers for tits and finches, ground feeders for blackbirds and songbirds etc.
Remember peanuts should ONLY be supplied in mesh feeders to stop the risk of choking. Live food such as mealworms is a great addition especially in the breeding/birthing season as chicks can only eat live food. Also, a quick note, if you throw bread out make sure its cut small and for added safety, moisten it so birds don’t choke!
Weeds or flowers – Remember a weed is an “unwanted” flower that can be invasive. However so-called weeds with shallow roots can be very beneficial especially during spring before the other flowers haven’t opened. It gives insects a source of food. So think about leaving some of these so-called “weeds”, as long as they aren’t too invasive, aren’t choking or pushing out other plants leave them.
Creepy Crawlies – Don’t see every little creepy crawly as some horrid bug to be squished! Insects are important to an eco-system and many of them are extremely beneficial. It may even help to learn a little about so they can be identified. This can be great for letting you know if there is a problem, the wrong insect in a situation can help you catch a problem early.
Killers – You check the tub, it states that the product is safe for pets and children so you start to madly sprinkle the pellets everywhere – whether its slug pellets, ant powder or vine weevil killer you have to remember if you use a chemical they rarely distinguish between unwanted pests and beneficial garden visitors. This is why it’s always best to look towards non-chemical methods.
Think about using nematodes, companion planting for vegetables and trying to encourage beneficial insects into your garden.
Hunters – If you have a cat, make sure it wears an elasticated collar with a bell. The best you can do is give birds and other wild animals a little notice! If you find that birds like to nest in certain bushes, you might be well planting cat repellent plants near and around this area.
Grass and Leaves – These are not enemies, they are some of the most useful things to have in a garden. So, you mown the lawn and before you tip the cuttings into your compost bin (unless it really needs it!) think about using it as a natural mulch and covering your borders with it. Cut grass works wonders to suppress weeds. (though be aware if your lawn suffered heavily with weeds itself)
When leaves begin to fall in the autumn, you can rake them up and add them to your compost however how about turning them into leaf mould or sprinkling them around the base of trees and under hedges, they protect the ground from frost and will naturally break down and return the nutrients to the soil.
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Gorgeous list, Maddy (as ALWAYS!). Do you have a reliable online reference vis companion planting, by any chance?
Hi Clara Most companion planting is for vegetables, so the link I have covers this (I believe my other half has a book through somewhere that has it for regular plants too) The link I use is: http://www.companionplanting.net/ListofCompanionPlants.html Wiki also has a chart of companion planting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants Hope this helps!
So Clara, what’s your garden like? What sort of wildlife do you get?
You have many good points here, Maddy! we have a lovley garden, with a tree at the end, and a wildlife area at the top. The trees give us much to watch, and the bird feeders placed around the garden draw in all sorts of birds! I love to watch them! I lived in a flat for many years, so to sit outside, and watch birds is wonderful! we had a woodpecker, and recently a jay in the garden, so we are very lucky!!! and no our garden is far from pristine,
Hi Cheryl, your garden sounds great! I’m glad you’ve now got a lovely slice of wilderness to enjoy
I was raised with a big garden and fields behind but when I moved out, my first house was a terrace and had no fields nearby and no garden. It really makes a difference so now I’m pleased we have a little garden thats just jammed packed wilth hedges and trees to make it more wildlife friendly. Oh how lovely! Its been years since I’ve seen any woodpeckers! Do you take part in the Big Garden Bird Watch each year?
I’m not very up on my wildlife, Maddy, but I’ve seen a few white butterflies so far, bees and wasps, lots of ants, slugs, snails and spiders, LOADS of wood pigeons, magpies, parakeets, and my favourite, blackbirds. And the old wall at the back of the garden is the equivalent of the M1 for all the local foxes, squirrels and cats. Hubby and I have spent happy evenings watching the foxes run back and forth across the back of the garden. LOVE them!
Hi Maddy! Yes i do take part in the Big Garden Bird Watch! Im also a member of the RSPB although I havnt visited any bird watching places yet
My back garden is quite enough for now 
Like most of the ideas Maddy, but what about adding, ‘If you have a cat, make sure it doesn’t have kittens’, and ‘If you are thinking of getting a cat, don’t'?! They really are bad news for the birds, (and your gardening neighbours), and since they are a top predator, there are far too many of them. What are the cat repellent plants by the way?
Hi Maddy, I enjoyed your article very much and found it really helpful! I was wondering if I could have your permission to use some of it in an article I’m doing for my church magazine? Thanks, Linda
Hi Nicky Thanks for the comment, I am actually in the middle of a “Responsible Pet Owner” article. I myself have 3 cats, however they are house-cats (because we live near a main road and because our garden TEEMS with wildlife.) They go out in the garden on harnesses/leads and enjoy sitting in the grass and chasing flies
I find the problem with many people who own cats is they forget that cats do go wandering & just because they like them, doesn’t mean their neighbours like them (especially ruining their garden!) Some of the main cat repellent plants are: * ‘Scaredy Cat’ or Coleus canina * Rue * Lavender * Pennyroyal They are also suppose to hate citrus (I think my three are the exception to this rule) so adding hollowed oranges/lemons/grapefruit would be good for catching slugs and deterring cats from specific areas. Hope that helps 
Hi Linda Thanks for the comment, and I’m glad you found it useful. By all means, please feel free to use some of it in your church magazine and thank you for asking
Thanks for the info Maddy. I know that there are many responsible cat owners like you, but there are a lot of the other sort as well! Last year I moved in to a flat where I am making a small patio garden (was the parking space, but I got rid of the car!), and I have planted raised beds and pots with lots of bee-friendly plants. However, I haven’t seen many bees. There were some around the broom when it flowered, but now the honeysuckle is out, and there don’t seem to be any. It’s really quite worrying. I’ve put up a nest box for blue tits too, but it remains empty. Perhaps these creatures take a while to find new gardens? One good thing though is that it seems to have inspired the neighbours to get planting too – great for the community and hopefully for the wildlife! And now my church are talking of turning part of their car park into a community garden!
*nods* true, there are a number of cats that prowl through my garden and I’m often keeping an eye out to make sure they don’t try anything with the birds I get! I love the idea of creating a patio area out of the parking space. Its a great way to re-invent an area! Regarding the bees, it can take them awhile to arrive. We’ve only just started seeing bumblebees in the backgarden. Have you thought of getting a “bee house” for mason bees? Also a pile of logs in one sheltered corner can encourage bumblebees who live solitary to nest there. We had bird boxes up for about two years, before our family of bluetits arrived. They chose the one right at the bottom of the garden, hidden from view. If it’s against a fence or wall, how about growing ivy around it as this will add to the “security” the birds like and also encourage insects that they will eat when nesting
hi do you,or anyboby reading your site know of a weed killer that DOES NOT KILL ants spiders insects ect i have area of about 1/3 of an acre i wont to keep clear but share with the wild life i am using weed barrier and wood chip but weeds,grass still find a way,would be very grateful for info
Thanks for the advice and encouragement Maddy. By next year the nest box should be hidden by plants. I also have something I can make a bee house with. So I’ll persevere with the wildlife and hopefully it will gradually move in!
Hi Ian Thats a tough one, because any weed killer thats chemical will affect the insects. Anything you use such as salt (brilliant for killing dandelions) has to be very localised as it can kill other things and damage the soil if used in to high a quantity etc. Unfortunately, the this situation, the best way is to just weed by hand, cover with black sheeting and add mulch or stones and then catch any weeds that come through quickly. I feel this is the only “wildlife friendly” method that I’m aware of.
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