Plants&Gardens Go wild!

The RHS has joined forces with the Wildlife Trusts to launch a special scheme this March in celebration of wildlife gardening

If you prefer a more natural look for your garden over carefully manicured landscaping, a springtime project from the Royal Horticultural Society might be perfect for you. Created in conjunction with nature saviours the Wildlife Trusts, ‘Wild About Gardens’ aims to encourage people to use their outdoor space to help support nature. From creating a pond to building a wormery, there is a wealth of information and ideas for encouraging wildlife – in particular, birds, the focus of the 2023 campaign.

You can see swifts, swallows and martins soaring through our skies from March to October and it is amazing to watch and hear these wonderful birds on their yearly visit. Sadly, their numbers are in decline. Climate change and human interference are their biggest threats –but there are plenty of things we can do at home to support these iconic birds. You might want to encourage the insects they eat, offer materials to help them nest, or build a swift box to act as a summer residence.

Create a pond

A pond is an attractive feature in any garden and, with a little thought about its design and construction, can also be a haven for wildlife. Over the past century, almost 70 percent of natural ponds have been lost from the UK countryside, meaning garden ponds and water features play an increasingly important role.

From a simple drinking source to a thriving habitat for multiple species, complete with its own ecosystem, water attracts wildlife. Pond skaters and diving beetles can arrive within a few weeks; damselflies and amphibians could easily be on the scene within the first year. Frogs, toads and newts will use even small bodies of water to breed. Caddis flies, mayflies, snails and water beetles all breed in water.

Large ponds will support waterfowl including mallard ducks, moorhens and coots, while swallows and house martins will pick off insects from above the water surface and use muddy areas for nest building.

Put the worms to work!

Another great idea is to get into worm composting. It’s a way to recycle kitchen and garden waste as well as create brilliant compost for the garden. A ‘worm bin’ consists of at least two compartments – a lower one to collect liquid and an upper composting area where the kitchen waste goes in and the worms are active. Over time it produces crumbly organic matter that can be used as a mulch, soil conditioner and a constituent of potting compost. A wormery is relatively easy to establish: you can find a guide at www.rhs.org.uk

The Wildlife Trusts are passionate about using our gardens to support wildlife. They say:

“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 di erence to the natural world. Large or small, window ledge or yard, your garden can be part of a mosaic of natural havens linking urban green spaces with nature reserves and the countryside.

“Hedgehogs, bats, sparrows, song thrushes and stag beetles are all declining species, but if we manage our gardens to benefit wildlife, these creatures and many more will find refuge. It’s not hard to help. After all, why have a plain, ugly fence when a green, living boundary can bring the riches of flowers, scent, berries, autumn colours and wildlife? If you dig a small pond, not for fish but for newts, dragonflies and pond skaters, you’ll also be providing water for birds. Plant up the edges with marsh marigolds and purple loosestrife and you’ll have nectar stations for insects and beauty to dwell on. Find these and more projects at www.wildlifetrusts.org/gardening