If you’re fortunate enough to have a garden, making it look beautiful so that you can have cocktails on the lawn at sunset and summer barbecues at the weekend is probably at the tops of your agenda, but what about making your garden attractive to the local wildlife?
Inviting the animal world into your garden is a great way to commune with nature and just watching the birds and the bees go about their business can brighten up the dullest day and help you to relax. Sound good? Here are some tips to help you attract wildlife into your garden:
1. Install Nesting Boxes
Birds like having a safe and secure place to shelter, so if you put up bird boxes in your garden, you can guarantee that in no time at all, you’ll have a few feathered friends to get to know.
2. Feeding Stations
Birds also need food, so erecting a feeding station, preferably one that allows you to put out various different kinds of feeds, will, in a matter of days, have the most beautiful birds flocking to your backyard. Once they’re used to being fed by you, one or two might even be bold enough to come up and say hello. It’s really special when that happens.
3. Plant Trees
Trees will attract all manner of birds, insects and cute furry critters to your garden. Conifers, alder and elm are particularly good for birds and squirrels, while Willow is great for bats, so think about what you want to attract and plant accordingly.
4. Install a Pond
If you install a pond, not only will you attract all manner of animals looking to bathe and drink, including birds and frogs, but you’ll also be able to keep fish in your garden, if that’s your thing. If you do install a pond, you be aware you will need to maintain it well if you want to keep the wildlife coming. Click here for more information on ponds and the equipment you’ll need to keep your pond in good condition.
5. Plant Hedges
If you plant hedges like blackthorn hawthorn, privet and hazel, you’ll not only provide nesting birds with a nice new place to call home but depending on where you live, you’ll also attract hedgehogs and other small animals.
6. Plant Wildflowers
If you love to watch bright, bold butterflies fluttering by, the best thing you can do is plant wildflowers on your property. Species like Buddleia and bluebells are particularly popular, and they’ll help to attract bees too. Protecting bees is really important because we all rely on them and they’re having a hard time right now.
7. Rewild
Rewilding sections of your garden so that it looks more like a meadow than a yard is probably the best thing you can do to encourage wildlife to your garden. All kinds of animals, birds and insects love long grass, dead wood and freely blooming flowers, so give your garden back to nature, and you’ll be surprised what you see.
Is your garden teeming with wildlife? What helps you attract them?
*This is a collaborative post.
