5 Ways to Help Wildlife Grow in Your Garden

Seeing wildlife thrive in your garden is something everyone in the family can enjoy, and with a few simple tweaks you can make sure that your garden provides the perfect environment for wildlife to grow.

We’ve listed a few simple ways to ensure wildlife is constantly present in your garden below.

Bird baths and feeders

Keeping your bird baths and feeder clean will not only keep the birds that visit your garden healthy, but will also encourage more to come back. Dirty bird baths can spread disease, so rinsing yours out at least once a week will help it remain a healthy environment for birds to bathe in.

Likewise, keeping bird feeders in your garden will encourage wildlife to grow in your garden – with squirrels likely to try their luck with the feeders too! Investing in a slightly higher quality bird food will also guarantee higher levels of birds visiting your garden.

Provide a source of water

Providing a source of water for all wildlife will enable it to grow within your garden. Whether you want to install a proper pond in your garden, or just keep a mini wildlife pond in the form of a barrel or bucket, make sure that creatures can get in and out of the water source safely and stay sustained. Rainwater is ideal for topping up your natural water source as it is free from any chemicals that may be in your tap water and harmful to smaller animals and insects.

Let it all go wild

Spring is the time when birds are making their nests, and animals and insects alike begin laying eggs and making their homes for summer. Cutting back your hedges and keeping the lawn short can destroy the wildlife’s habitat, forcing them to travel elsewhere to make a home. To encourage wildlife to grow in your garden, hold off on gardening and let your plants go a little wild to encourage the wildlife to remain in your shrubs and trees for the summer.

Animal-friendly shrubbery & hedges

Planting hedges that can provide natural food and shelter for birds is the ideal solution for looking after the birds in your garden without installing bird feeders. Known as rich hedges, these species provide the perfect environment for birds to make their shelter, whilst also providing natural food for them to feed from, too. This can include blackthorn, wild cherry, and other shrubs.

Likewise, keeping all of your hedges bushy will enable other wildlife such as hedgehogs to explore your garden comfortably. Hedgehogs rely on the natural protection hedges provide in order to shield them from predators, so keeping big hedges in your garden will encourage them to roam around more freely.

Early and late flowering plants

Planting a wide variety of plants and flowers in your garden will encourage a range of insects to visit your garden, but by tactically planting certain flowers you can help the wildlife at the same time. Planting early and late blooming plants will ensure that insects can get nectar at critical times in their lifespan – immediately before and after hibernation. This will not only encourage wildlife to grow in your garden, but will help them survive, too.

For help when planning your ideal garden space, our team here at R&J Landscapes provide a wide range of landscaping and gardening services, providing high quality solutions for your garden no matter what design you have in mind.

To find out more about the services we offer, or to discuss your landscaping project, feel free to contact the friendly team here at R&J Landscapes today, and we’ll be more than happy to help you.