Topic: Wildlife garden

[garyp]

Ok, so this is simple right? What is a wildlife garden? I am interested to hear anyones thoughts on what they think a wildlife garden is or should be.

Cheers for now

Gary

[Georgie]

Hi Gary.  I like to think my garden is a wildlife-friendly.  To me it means providing for birds, small mammals, amphibians and insects by: not using chemicals; growing native plant species where possible;  making a variety of foods available year round;  ensuring there are suitable habits such as rocks, a log pile, low ground cover and unpruned perennials;  and ensuring a year round supply of fresh water.  If I had room I'd also have a nettle patch and an area of unmown grass but that simply isn't possible in a small London garden.

G x

[Eristic]

Forget the nettles and un-mown grass, that is a wilderness not a wildlife garden. The gardens with the most abundant wildlife are the ones with the most flowers in them, ideally with a smallish neatly mown lawn.

In London, you are never very far from a patch of nettles so let your neighbours have the weeds and the caterpillars- the resulting butterflies will desert them and head straight to the flowers in your garden.

[Georgie]

LOL@Eristic.   ;D 

G x

[garyp]

Hi, Georgie,

Thats, interesting as you seen to have come up with most of the things that I have been reading about! It seemed to me that there are 4 things that are possible to do which require a very small effort. A compost heap, being a bit untidy (letting grass grow, don't deadhead etc.), no chemicals and a log pile. The neat and tidy lawns are maybe an area where it would be possible to be a bit flexible and have a small area which you let grow a bit longer.

I don't think that letting your grass grow long and having a few nettles is a wilderness. Long grass is a useful habitat for insects, some bees and moths also use these to nest in.

If you create these it also means more food for some of the wildlife further up the chain.

So, I guess it depends on your location, how much space you have available and what you would like to see in your garden.

I guess for a lot of people that is about attracting the more visible things like birds, bee, butterflies.

What about if you were not limited by your garden size? How would go about it? What would be the most important things to start with?

Cheers for now

Gary