One of the biggest joys of having a garden is seeing all the wonderful wildlife that comes and goes each day – and the good news is that you can easily provide a welcoming environment for birds and animals with just a few landscaping changes here and there.
An excellent starting off point is to build a pond or some other kind of water feature, as this will prove really attractive to all sorts of insects, birds, water plants and amphibians.
What is important is to make sure that there are shallower areas of water (no more than three centimetres deep), as this will help support life cycles of water beetles, dragonflies and frogs, while ensuring that birds, hedgehogs and so on can bathe easily. It can also be beneficial to add a gentle slope to the pond to make it more accessible.
Another brilliant option is to design a rock garden, with well-chosen plants included that are attractive to important pollinators but which also provide a safe haven for a range of different creatures, everything from lizards and spiders to mice, shrews and insects.
Alternatively, you could consider letting some of your garden grow wild and free. Not only will this cut down on your maintenance work, but it will be very attractive to different types of wildlife and help support biodiversity. Also try to avoid the use of chemicals so you don’t affect wildlife populations negatively.
And, of course, planting shrubs and trees can make a big difference to making your garden a welcoming environment for one and all. Species like silver birch will provide an amazing habitat for lots of insects and birds, while dogwood is perhaps a better choice for anyone with a smaller space to play around with.
You don’t have to go for a complete garden overhaul to make your outdoor spaces more inviting to flora and fauna – and if you’d like any further help or advice, get in touch with the LW Landscapes team today.