Top Tips for a Wildlife-Friendly Garden – New homeowners in Northamptonshire are being encouraged to give nature a home in their new garden this autumn following the launch of a partnership between five-star housebuilder Barratt Homes and the RSPB.
Barratt Homes Northampton has teamed up with the conservation charity to give its customers five top tips on how they can keep their garden wildlife friendly to encourage them to do their bit for nature.
Do your little bit to help preserve Britain’s wildlife. These cool tips and tricks on what to do as the seasons change have been designed to fit around a small budget and a time frame of less than two hours.
Open up your very own bird café
A fantastic way for new homeowners to invite wildlife into their garden is by opening up a bird café to attract all kinds of colourful-feathered friends. You can do this easily by investing in a bird feeder or a roofed bird table and getting a mixture of seeds, fruits, nuts and oats to put in them. Different types of birds prefer different types of food, so if you’re looking to have variety in your garden, be sure to pick up an assortment of bird food. Other than topping up the bird feed when it’s empty and making sure you clean your feeders often, you can sit back, relax and enjoy your very own wildlife show in the comfort of your garden.
Make a butterfly banquet from your leftovers
Autumn butterflies like red admirals, painted ladies and comma butterflies require sugary treats every so often this season so homeowners can help them feast by putting mushy bananas in a sheltered chest high place in their garden for them to enjoy. This top tip requires little effort and is perfect for homeowners looking to add an extra splash of colour to their new garden. As the mashed up banana ferments, the stunning butterflies should pay you a visit and whilst they are enjoying their treat they can stay in your garden for hours on end.
Create a safe hideaway by building a wildlife hotel
A safe hideaway for bugs and creepy crawlies to live in is an all year round treasure for the garden. Build a stable structure out of a couple of old wooden pallets. Using plant pots, straw, old roof tiles, sticks and logs, you can provide many different holes, spaces, tunnels and cosy beds for all types of wildlife to climb into to keep them safe.
Create a hedgehog highway and connect with your neighbours
By creating a hedgehog highway and making a safe ‘corridor’ in your fence for the little critters to move through, it’s a great way to connect with your neighbours and give nature a home at the same time. The hole in the fence will help to protect the hedgehogs, which walk up to a mile a night, from other animals and help them find the perfect spot to hibernate.
When moving home everyone is busy, no one has a lot of time to spend in the garden but it is important to remember that the wildlife around us also need homes and these top tips are really fun and easy ways for everyone to get involved with that.
Adrian Thomas, the RSPB’s wildlife gardening expert, said: “There is a greater recognition these days that Britain’s gardens can be a haven for wildlife – all it takes is a bit of know-how. Given that wildlife is struggling, it is such a rewarding thing to do, and can bring us all huge pleasure, too.”
Lilly Light