Create a mini drainpipe pond
This could be a fantastic feature in any garden, or even fit the smallest of back yards. The idea of a mini drainpipe pond is to catch water as it comes off the roof and slow its flow into the drains. As well as creating a mini wetland habitat, this idea helps combat the huge issue of rainwater entering the combined sewer system and contributing to awful sewage spills into our rivers and seas.
To create a mini wetland, you’ll need:
- Two boxes (try and recycle something, such as old washing up bowls)
- A pot filled with gravel
- Some soil
- Some gardening membrane
- Plants to go into the mini wetland
- Materials to ‘clad’ the outside.
A handy video and further instructions can be found here.
Install a hedgehog box where appropriate
Hedgehogs need places to hibernate in winter and rest up during the day throughout the spring, summer, and autumn.
We suggest creating the conditions for hedgehogs to find natural places to hide and rest. Creating features such as log piles, dead hedges, and leaf piles or planting native hedges with plenty of long grass at the base can be hugely helpful. However, if you are worried about creating the conditions for hedgehogs to have cosy, secure places to nest and rest, then artificial hedgehog houses can also be installed to provide another option.
Position these in a quiet part of the garden or public green space, with plenty of shelter around them. Often, covering them with leaves and branches will make them feel and be more secure - so will be more likely to attract a hedgehog looking for a home.
Placing a hedgehog house won’t do anything to support hedgehogs without taking other steps, like:
- Connecting your garden to others' through hedgehog holes in fences is essential to allow access for hedgehogs to forage between gardens
- Not using pesticides
- Encouraging native plants in the garden (this will support worms and insects which the hedgehogs feed on)
- Providing water through the summer.
Make a bee bank
Bees across the UK come in many forms (about 270 species all together!), and in Kent alone we have 219 of these present at the last count. They are by no means limited to the honeybees that we frequently see in hives around the county or the large and charismatic bumblebees. 244 of the UK’s 270 bee species are solitary bees, and they need a range of habitats to nest in. A bee bank is perfect for some of our mining bee species, who need bare ground and warm soils to create their nest chambers.
A bee bank therefore provides a vital resource for nesting and breeding solitary mining bees!
Check out this comprehensive guide from Buglife to find out more.
How to make a bee hotel
Where would you get a bee bank in nature?
In the wild, bee banks would naturally form in various different places, like a river's edge where the bank has eroded, or where livestock have created a sunny dust bath.
In the Blean Woods, through the groundbreaking wilding project, bison are creating dust baths in woodland clearings, perfect for solitary mining bees to occupy. You can find out more about the positive impact that bison can have as ecosystem engineers through our pioneering Wilder Blean project below.
Wilder Blean Initiative
Create a toad abode
Toads are fantastic gardener's friends, eating a variety of insects - including slugs and snails. They will make a home in many wildlife friendly gardens, especially those with ponds and damper areas.
Many toads benefit from damp sheltered areas to rest and a toad house is an easy feature to add to your garden. Natural toad homes will be formed from log piles, dead hedges, and rock piles. However, you could also create a sheltered nook from an old terracotta pot. This could be buried half into the soil on its side, creating an arch entrance. Alternatively you could knock a hole in the side of the pot, or use a pot that’s already damaged. Ideally the toad entrance needs to be about 10cm wide by 7cm tall.
More detail on creating the ideal toad abode can be found here.
Don’t forget a toad needs a friendly gardening environment to make its home in, so no pesticide use, and a diversity of habitats - such as damper shady areas, a wildlife pond, and plenty of native plants supporting lots of insects.
Build a blue tit box
Blue tits are one of our most successful garden birds, and a species that has bucked the trend in declines, benefiting (disproportionately compared to many other species) from garden bird feeders. They are an important part of the wider ecosystem, especially important for our trees, or for any keen food growers. In spring, blue tits time their breeding to coincide with the first flush of leaves and feed their young on thousands of newly hatching caterpillars. As well as protecting our trees by reducing the caterpillar populations, they can be a useful tool in saving our veg from caterpillar attacks!
But to provide this service, the blue tit needs somewhere to nest. As a rather adaptable species, blue tits have taken readily to birds boxes. Creating a blue tit bird box is a great way to support this thriving species and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
Positioning the box is important, as it’s important the baby birds don’t get too hot, or are not going to be easily predated on by cats when they first emerge. The box should also be reasonably sheltered from wind and rain, and 2-4m off the ground. This could be fixed to a wall, tree, or post.
Where would they nest in the 'wild'?
In nature, a blue tit would find a hollow in a tree, but with fewer ancient trees, especially in our urban areas. An artificial nest site can provide a good alternative.
How to build a bird boxShop multi-species Birdhouse
Create/install an appropritate owl box
Owls are mostly associated with more rural areas. Because breeding owls will need nearby access to lots of great hunting grounds, we would recommend only those gardens adjacent to farmland, or parks with significant conservation areas, to consider putting a box up. Owl boxes come in different sizes to support different species, those that will use boxes in some suburban settings in Kent include barn owls, tawny owls and little owls.
The tawny owl is associated with woodland habitats, but in the right circumstances could breed in a sheltered well wooded suburban garden. They are reliant on cavities for nesting, and an artificial box can provide a good alternative where trees with natural holes are not present.
Boxes should be positioned away from the prevailing wind, 8m or so above ground.
Barn owls are associated with nature-friendly farmland and nature reserves with open habitat, were there are plenty of voles to feed on. They will use nest boxes, positioned inside or adjacent to building, as long as there is appropriate habitat nearby.
More information on boxes for barn owls can be found here.
Blog: Discover the secrets of owls
Little owls
Little owl nestboxes can be placed 2-5m above ground. They prefer more open habitats to tawny owls, feeding around smallholdings, old orchards, and wood pasture. The box could be positioned on an orchard tree or within a hedgerow, but is less likely to be occupied if positioned in a woodland.
Reuse and re-purpose old materials to help wildlife
Turn everyday items into homes and habitats for nature
Helping wildlife doesn't have to mean buying new. With a little creativity, you can transform used or unwanted materials into shelters, feeders, or planting spaces - saving money, reducing waste, and supporting your local ecosystem all at once.
Build simple wildlife habitats from used materials
- Bird feeders: Use old plastic bottles, teacups, or wooden scraps to create seed feeders. Add string and hang from trees or fences.
- Bug hotels: Stack old bricks, broken terracotta pots, bamboo canes, and dry leaves in a wooden crate or box to make a cosy insect haven.
- Hedgehog homes: Reuse wood offcuts, disused storage boxes, or bricks to make shelters. Ensure there's an entrance hole around 13cm square.
- Mini ponds: Turn cracked washing-up bowls or old sinks into ponds by adding rainwater, stones, and native aquatic plants.
- Planters: Reuse old buckets, wellies, or tins to grow pollinator-friendly flowers, just add drainage holes and peat-free compost.
Get creative as a family
- Make a nature craft table at home or school, using leftover fabric, cardboard tubes, or bottle tops for art and habitat projects.
- Host a weekend upcycle challenge: See who can make the best bug hotel or bird feeder using only things from the recycling bin.
Why it matters
Every year, tons of materials end up in landfill that could have had a second life helping wildlife. Reusing and repurposing:
- Reduces waste and carbon emissions
- Provides essential shelter and food for garden wildlife like hedgehogs, bees, frogs, and birds
- Encourages kids and adults alike to connect with nature, problem-solve, and use resources more thoughtfully.
Even small creations can make a big difference, especially when they’re placed in gardens, balconies, schoolyards or shared green spaces.
Nature thrives on creativity
You don’t need a big budget or big garden to help the environment — just a bit of imagination and care. Every reused item is a win for wildlife and a step towards a more circular, sustainable way of living.
Make a garden log pile
Log piles are essential habitat for many species. Stag beetle larvae need 2-5 years of rotting wood to munch through before reaching maturity. Hedghogs can feed on insects, including slugs and snails found around log piles, but can also use them as safe shelters to hibernate within.
Many insects thrive and rely on deadwood habitat, as well as an array of fungi, mosses, and lichen. This makes it an essential feature for any wildlife friendly garden.
To find out how to make your own log pile see here.