The sun is shining, which means it’s finally time to enjoy the great outdoors. A garden isn’t quite the same without a buzz of wildlife though, and luckily it’s never been easier to create a haven for all sorts of creatures to enjoy – from birds and small mammals, to insects. By growing the right plants and making small changes, your garden will soon be alive with a wonderful variety of wildlife.
Fill your garden with flowers
Chances are that you’ll have a favourite flower, and insects can be just as picky. Butterflies meditate towards certain coloured flowers, preferring bright blossoms in shades of red, yellow, orange, pink or purple. Bees are also attracted to flowers with bright colours, in particular purple, yellow and orange, and choose sweet-smelling plants when looking for nectar. A good way to please a wider range of pollinating insects is by planting wildflowers, which have the appeal of being both bright and fragrant.
Make your garden blossom all year round
There’s no denying that your garden flourishes more in the summertime, which is great for wildlife, but when it comes to the colder months it can be more difficult. Consider planting flowers that blossom at different times of the year so that there is always a touch of colour and nectar to entice butterflies and bumblebees. You don’t have to be elaborate with your plant choices either. Many insects actually prefer native plants to exotic plants, so give your garden a great British wildflower makeover.
Swap fencing for hedging
Not only does hedging provide a more natural appeal than fencing, offering all the same privacy – it also has a number of benefits for wildlife. From the berry and flowering species to the luscious evergreen types, all sorts of hedges can provide for wildlife. When hedging is in bloom, some insects will fly towards the flowers, whilst birds are particularly fond of eating the red berries that grow on Red Firethorn and Hawthorns. Hedges also offer shelter and nesting spots for small mammals like our prickly friend, the hedgehog. And some small mammals will even eat the tasty treats from berry hedging too.
Ditch the insecticides
It probably won’t come as a surprise that chemicals in certain gardening products are poisonous to a lot of animals. Ditch insecticides once and for all and watch, as your garden quickly becomes a myriad of insect life. While you’re at it it’s also worth ditching other chemical products like slug pellets, which are deadly to hedgehogs and other small mammals.
It doesn’t take much to transform your garden into a haven for wildlife. Sprinkle a packet of wildflower seeds or consider investing in a hedge. Then sit back and enjoy the benefits.
Guide provided by the friendly, green-fingered team at Hedges Direct