Gardening for Nature
With a loss of 97% of flower-rich meadows since the 1930s, our gardens are a lifeline for struggling pollinators.
There are lots of ways you can garden for nature, why not . . .
- Embrace your wild side and have a go at No Mow May. The best part is that you don’t have to do anything at all!
- Try growing your own food – fresh, and rich in nutrients! Start small, maybe with a few herbs and see what grows from there!
- Conserve water with a water butt, mulch your plants to reduce watering, and water your plants early so they can absorb the water before the day warms up.
- Avoid using chemical pesticides and herbicides in your garden, as these can harm beneficial insects and pollinators. Instead, use natural pest control methods, such as companion planting and encouraging predators like ladybirds and lacewings.
- Create a bug hotel to encourage beneficial insects.
- Compost! Use kitchen scraps and garden waste to create compost for healthy soil, and reduce methane as it breaks down well.
- Make your garden wildlife friendly with water, food and shelter for birds, bees and wandering wildlife.
- Plant for wildlife with a diverse range of flowering plants which bloom throughout the year, prioritising native species which are great for insects and wildlife.
- Plant hedgerows and create wildlife corridors.
- Garden organically, to stop poisonous chemicals harming wildlife.
- Swap out using compost with peat in, which is taken from important carbon storing bogs and damages fragile ecosystems, for homemade or peat free compost.
- Avoid single use plastics, and opt for biodegradable or recyclable alternatives. Consider starting seeds in homemade newspaper pots, toilet roll inner tubes, or reusable seed trays.
Check out the Hedgehog Preservation Society’s top tips for helping hedgehogs in your garden.
