Good gardens
As wildlife gardens look set to dominate the RHS Chelsea Flower Show again this year, we reveal the many ways you can attract birds, bees and other creatures into your own green space
From bee hotels to luxury hedgehog boxes and planting wildlife-friendly flowers, shrubs and trees, there are plenty of ways to attract wildlife into our gardens – and doing so can make a real difference to the natural world. The UK’s gardens cover more hectares than the country’s 225 National Nature Reserves put together, and with many of the UK’s wildlife species now threatened with extinction, experts say making our domestic green spaces a safe haven for wildlife can help prevent a further decline. It’s also no surprise to discover that watching wildlife thrive in our gardens can help enrich our own wellbeing, too. So, if you want to create a space where insects and animals can not just survive but also thrive, here’s where to start…
UNDER COVER
Hedges have much to offer even the urban gardener. They can be clipped formally or left to develop a more natural shape, and also provide nesting sites for birds and small mammals, plus shelter from the wind and a good habitat for spiders and other insects.
In smaller spaces, a single shrub, such as Cornus mas, Viburnum opulus or Rosa moyesii (each of which offers wonderful flowers and berries or hips), planted in a border or large pot will make your garden seem bigger by making use of vertical height.
The more flowers your garden can offer throughout the year, the greater the number of bees, hoverflies and other pollinating insects it will attract and support. Try to have something in flower every month, especially early or late in the year, sticking to single flowers that wildlife can feed readily upon.
A shrub or small tree, such as Malus sylvestris, Amelanchier laevis or Sorbus hupehensis, will work especially hard in creating seasonality, while supporting not only climbing plants, such as clematis and roses, but nesting birds and their hatchlings, too. Trees provide foliage for aphids and caterpillars to feed upon, and via their blooms nectar and pollen for insects to dine on – all of which, in turn, will feed our fe
