Create a dead hedge
Dead hedges are a great way of using up dry cut material that won’t compost down quickly. They provide fantastic natural habitats for insects such as woodlice to live and feed in as well as areas for birds to forage for insects, and frogs, toads, and newts to hide in overwinter. They can also be great natural nesting areas for hedgehogs. Made up of a mixture of deadwood, leaves, and twigs, a dead hedge can be as large or small as you like. Generally, they are a linear feature, but can be stand-alone, creating an attractive garden division or placed against a fence or wall. A dead hedge can be a nice way to demarcate a wilder part of the garden.
How to create one?
You’ll need some upright posts (this could be made from some of the cut material you need to stash in the hedge!) These should be placed evenly in a line or curve 1, 2, or 3 ft apart, depending on the length of the material you have available to lay between them. Simply then place the dead hedge material between the posts, which hold it together, and layer this with a mix of twigs branches. Gaps filled with leaves could be created along the bottom to provide perfect habitat for hedgehogs to hibernate or nest in.
Plant native shrubs
Native shrubs, which in a wild context would create a woodland understory, or ‘scrub’ layer, are a key part of a wildlife garden. Shrubs provide an important 3D habitat for many species, creating cover for birds to nest, roost, and forage in. Using plants native to the country you are in is an important part of creating a wildlife-friendly garden, as our local wildlife is adapted to live, feed, and breed alongside these plants. This means they support a huge amount more wildlife than a non-native shrub might.
This is not to say including non-native shrubs and plants in the garden is ‘bad’. We welcome a mix of plants into our nature-friendly garden. But it’s important to note, as well as the more obvious nectar and pollen provided by our flowers, many native plants' leaves and stems provide a vital source of food for different insects, especially our caterpillars, that will go onto become moths and butterflies. Non-native or naturalised plants can be great for pollinators, but their leaves are not always edible so it’s only one part of the plant that is providing an important resource for nature. Mixing your planting with plenty of native species is therefore an important part of a wilder garden.
What shrub to choose?
Including at least one tree and several shrubs would be ideal in any garden, but this is not always possible due to size and aspect. Where it’s not possible to have a tree, a native shrub will provide many similar benefits to wildlife, with the added bonus of being easy to prune - they could even be grown in a pot or large container.
Is a hedge a shrub? Many plants we use in a hedge are suitable as shrubs if planted in groups or stand alone. A native hedge provides many of the same benefits as a shrub and creates a similar habitat to scrub in the wild.
What shrub to choose? It’s best to look at what is growing well and wild in your local area, this will help you assess what will cope well on your local soil type and with your local climate. In Kent most gardens would benefit from shrubs such as hawthorn, Guelder rose, hazel and field maple.
Create/tend a wildlife-friendly window box
Many of us want to support wildlife and enjoy seeing it close up near our homes. This can be hard when we don’t always have a lot of our own outdoor space. However, even a small windowsill can be a haven for wildlife, and a window box with wonderful plants for pollinators can be an important pitstop.
What to consider when planning a window box?
Safety first! Consider the height above ground of the window - if this is a ground floor low down window and fairly wide, maybe you won’t need to secure the box. However, if there is any risk of it falling off (or being blown off by strong winds), then it’s important to secure the window box in place.
What is your aspect? Much like when planning where to place a houseplant, you need to consider which way the window faces, how much daylight it receives, is there a large tree or building casting shadow and so on. This will determine the type of planting you will want. Sunny spots will attract pollinators and could have a range of planting with native and non-native flowering plants. A shady spot or north facing may be better to support shade-tolerant and larval food plants rather than having a focus on pollinators.
Soil and water – filling your window box, you want to choose soil that will retain moisture, this could be a mix of compost, top soil, and vermiculite (a mineral which holds water well and can be mixed with compost). Consider how often you can water your window box and choose plants that will survive your watering regime. Even succulents could provide a nice habitat for spiders and other insects and will survive droughts.
For sunny spots try a mini-meadow of native flowers. Starting from a packet can be the cheapest way to go, and there are plenty of native wildflower mixes to choose from which would give a nice summer display and provide that important pitstop for travelling pollinators.
Remove invasive/non-native plants from the garden
Invasive species tend to be non-native with no natural predators, which means they can proliferate and take over. However, in some instances even our native plants, with the right conditions, can take over a space, and if we don’t have the ecological balance, then we may have to get involved and manage for a balance of plants and habitats.
Removing or keeping in check any really invasive, non-native species is a first important step, as these don’t tend to provide as much food for our native wildlife and can prevent other plants from thriving. Especially damaging invasive species include Japanese knotweed, which needs professional removal. Invasive species can also come in aquatic form, and have huge negative impacts on local water ecosystems. Removing non-native pond plants can make way for a wider range of native pond plants to thrive and also reduce any risk of these non-native plants spreading out from your garden. Non-native pond plants to look out for and remove include Canadian pondweed.
Accidentally introducing invasive plants into your garden
When buying new plants or introducing anything given from a friend or neighbour, it’s important to check if they are potentially invasive. Asking the plant nursery, shop, or stall if the plant spreads very quickly could be an indication it might become invasive.
Managing native but more invasive plants
Some of our native plants, where the conditions allow, can dominate a garden if left unchecked. Although in a very wild setting you might let the plants battle it out, it may be necessary to manage some species to allow a wider range of plants to thrive. Nettles can spread quickly but also provide a vital source of food for peacock butterfly caterpillars. Therefore, consider removing some nettles each year from the garden but not all, leaving patches for the butterfly caterpillars. Ivy can also spread but is an incredible source of nectar for bees and butterflies in autumn and a rich source of berries for birds in winter. Therefore, again consider controlling any ivy if it’s necessary, but not eliminating it completely as it is such a wonderful resource for so much wildlife!
Embrace wildlife in a landscape garden plan
When designing your garden or looking to modify it, think about all the wonderful things it can provide for you, your family, any pets, and local wildlife. You don’t have to separate areas dedicated for wildlife from those you might enjoy. A sunny seating area could be perfect for solitary bee hotels; a planted border could provide nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for birds and flowers suitable for pollinators. Incorporating space for water in a garden helps a huge range of wildlife, whether that’s a pond at ground level or pond pots, which although won’t benefit as wide a range of species, can still support birds to drink and bathe and lots of aquatic insects such as dragonflies to breed.
Get inspired by your local area, and the surrounding countryside, and consider where everyday features could be enhanced for you and for wildlife. A fence could be a native hedge instead. Or have ivy and honeysuckle grown over it. A lawn could be a meadow or partially mown so a more diverse range of grasses can grow in it. Changing topography (levels) in a garden can also create more niches and different microclimates to suit different plants.