GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE - thoughts for 2021
Gardening is a pastime which helps keep us fit and healthy. Wildlife gardening additionally lets us enjoy and connect to nature, bringing with it a host of benefits including a sense of wellbeing and improved mental resilience; a perfect antidote to the events of the last year. You can encourage wildlife without compromising the way your garden looks; gardening for wildlife needn’t mean leaving an untidy mess. Small changes to your garden can bring major benefits for the creatures that call it home and bring in more wildlife for you to watch. We have been gardening for wildlife since we moved here and hope we’ve achieved something
16 Looklocal Magazine - March 2021
that looks good and provides colour throughout most of the year whilst providing cover, protection, habitat and food sources for wildlife. As spring approaches, it’s time to think about new projects and how best to manage the garden this year. Some suggestions are • Plant some pollinator friendly plants - look for the Plants for Pollinators or Perfect for Pollinators logo - and consider planting some berry shrubs as a winter food source. • Put in some ground cover plants and allow some grass to grow long for shelter and insects to lay eggs. You could plug plant the grass with
