It’s so incredibly important for a garden to have wildlife.
A good wildlife garden is likely to be a stable ecosystem in its own right providing food, shelter and breeding sites for a wide range of Britain’s wildlife species, which in turn helps the garden and increases the interest and enjoyment of our gardens for us.
A good wildlife garden is likely to be a stable ecosystem in its own right
It stands to reason that a garden isn’t a garden without wildlife, but have you thought of increasing the wildlife population by attracting more wildlife in? As keen gardeners at Creeper & Knotweed we have long believed the conservation of wildlife is a fundamental part of having a garden and size really doesn’t matter, large and small gardens all unquestionably benefit from the presence of wildlife.
Actually gardens in the UK cover about 270,000 hectares (667,000 acres) so their importance as a haven for wildlife is considerable. They provide food, shelter and breeding sites for a wide range of Britain’s wildlife species, which in turn increases the interest and enjoyment of our gardens.
We can all enjoy sharing the garden with our native wildlife, and what’s more by actively encouraging it in the garden we are really helping to conserve wildlife too.
Also a good wildlife garden is likely to be a stable ecosystem in its own right, integrated with the landscape around it and providing a diversity of micro-habitats within its boundaries. This stability has advantages for gardeners as well. A stable, diverse system is unlikely to be over-dominated by any one species or group of organisms. This means that you should have fewer problems with pest or weed species and be less prone to outbreaks of disease among the plants or vegetables that you grow.
It’s alarming and quite upsetting for us to see that numerous birds which were once common have seen declines over the past 50 years, reasons are many and perhaps complicated, but it’s thought that a lack of food and nesting sites are contributing to the decline.
Song thrushes, sparrows and starlings along with many other species are struggling to survive in the countryside but gardeners can help in the garden by feeding the birds and providing adequate nesting sites.
Remember, birds also need a fresh source of water for drinking and bathing, this can be provided in the form of a bird bath or even a simple dish of water. Providing water is especially important in the winter when freezing conditions can mean ponds, puddles and other water sources freeze over and in the summer when hot, dry weather can make it hard to find. Our garden bird products can help our birds survive whilst providing us with hours of entertainment watching, listening and enjoying them in the garden.
See our Bird Feeders & Nest BoxesThe latest information is telling us that insects are rapidly declining in population and we need halt this for the good of humanity. It’s possible to have amazing gardens whilst helping bugs butterflies and bees as well as other nature at the same time. Many invertebrates from beetles to woodlice and spiders to centipedes live, breed or hibernate in dark refuges such as amongst or under logs, stones or dead vegetation. Providing habitat piles or bug houses is a great way to boost the value of your garden for bugs. Beneficial insects such as hoverflies, beetles and ladybirds hunt aphids and other pests – so treat them as allies.
See Our Insect habitats
Hedgehogs are also a useful ally to gardeners in that they eat snails slugs and other pests which can cause damage to plants. As you may be well aware, their numbers are in decline which is partially due to environmental pollution and the steadily increasing loss of their own natural habitat.
In order to help hedgehogs, gardeners should avoid using slug pellets because, as well as hedgehogs helping you get rid of a slug problem naturally, the pellets can also kill hedgehogs and even if they don’t eat the pellets directly, if the slugs they eat have been poisoned, this will also be absorbed into the hedgehogs’ body tissue too. You can supplement a hedgehog’s natural diet especially in autumn when they need to accumulate fat before they go into hibernation for the winter. We have a Hedgehog Care Pack in our wildlife section.
Hedgehog Care Pack
