Sparrow © Ben Hall/2020VISION
Wildlife gardening
Together, our gardens are a vast living landscape. With an estimated 24 million gardens in the UK, the way they are cared for can make a big difference to the natural world.The Wildlife Trusts
Wild about gardens
Go wild in your garden! Large or small, ledge or yard, your garden can be a mosaic in a wider network of natural havens linking urban green spaces with nature reserves and the countryside.
Free downloadable guide: Wildlife gardening
Wildlife-friendly gardening is about making a haven for you, as well as for wildlife. By gardening sympathetically for wildlife, you’ll be rewarded by a truly natural outdoor space, where you can get in touch with the plants, animals and birds that make their home there.
Hedgehogs, bats, sparrows, song thrushes and stag beetles are all declining species in the UK, but if we manage our gardens to benefit wildlife, these creatures and many more will find refuge. It’s not hard to be help.
Consider a whole host of wild ideas and features – or just pick one and then sit back, enjoy the view and see who visits!
Why have a plain, ugly fence when a green, living boundary can bring the riches of flowers, scent, berries, rich autumn colours and wildlife? Ever thought about which heavenly-scented plants provide night-time nectar for moths? Or digging a pond?
If you introduce a water feature, not for fish but for newts, dragonflies, pond skaters, you'll also be providing water for birds. Plant up the edges of a pond with the golden blooms of marsh marigolds and the lush spikes of purple loosestrife and you'll have nectar stations for insects and beauty to dwell on.
More ways to help wildlife
Find more ways to take action for the wildlife in your garden by clicking on our guides below.
Wild about Gardens: Ponds
Free downloadable guide: Creating a pond
Adding a pond is one of the best things you can do for wildlife in your garden! Even a small pond can be home to an interesting range of wildlife, including damsel and dragonflies, frogs and newts. It could also become a feeding ground for birds, hedgehogs and bats – the best natural garden pest controllers.
Free downloadable guide: How to help hedgehogs
Small, round, brown and famously covered in spines, the hedgehog is one of the most familiar of Britain's wild mammals.
Free downloadable guide: How to help bees
It’s no secret that many pollinators are facing threats. Insensitive land use, a reduction in plant species diversity and the use of insecticides have all been linked to declining bee numbers. This is bad news for us and for them. But you can help...
Free downloadable guide: How to help bats
Bats are stars of the night, seen swooping through the night sky in the pursuit of their prey. Little understood, just what is the truth about these enigmatic mammals?
Free downloadable guide: Helping earthworms
Let's go wild about worms! These wriggly fellows are well known to gardeners all over. At first glance they might not seem particularly special, but they’re essential for our soils and wildlife.
Free downloadable guide: Bring your lawn to life
Our lawns are so much more than just a patch of grass. They’re a bridge between our living space and the wild world that surrounds it. A central part of many gardens. A place to play and relax, whilst still making room for wildlife.
Lawns are sometimes thought of as green deserts, but with the right approach they can become an oasis for many of our natural neighbours.
Free downloadable guide: Growing a secret garden for butterflies
Butterflies and moths aren’t doing too well at the moment, with many species declining in recent years. But, the good news is that we can help butterflies and moths through gardening!
Free downloadable guide: Helping swifts, swallows & martins
No stranger to a long-haul flight, swifts, swallows and martins travel all the way from Africa to spend each summer in the UK. There are lots of simple things that we can do at home to support these special birds.
Free downloadable guide: Helping beetles
Beetles (in the order Coleoptera) make up more than a third of all known species on earth – that's around 400,000 worldwide. In the UK alone there are more than 4,000 species, and you can find them in almost every habitat, all year-round! Although a handful may eat your plants, beetles are a vital part of a healthy garden.
Make that difference for the wildlife you love
- Free entry to our nature reserves.
- Free nature reserve guide.
- Cumbrian Wildlife magazine three times a year with accompanying 'What's On' guide.
- Plus more! From just £3.50 a month/£42 a year (based on Individual membership)