Gardening For Wildlife & Wellbeing
Gardening for wildlife and improving wellbeing go hand in hand – when you implement wildlife-friendly gardening practices that help to protect nature; you will inevitably reap the rewards and improve your wellbeing – the benefits of wildlife-friendly gardening for both wildlife & wellbeing are undeniable. Gardening for wildlife requires using skills and values such as kindness, generosity, compassion, curiosity, responsibility, creativeness, gratitude, adaptability, perseverance and patience and all of these virtues will be beneficial for your wellbeing. By implementing wildlife-friendly gardening practices you will not only be protecting nature; you will also be protecting yourself by nourishing your body, mind & soul.
Organically Grown
Growing food and plants organically without using pesticides is not only beneficial for our own health; it’s also vital for a healthy garden ecosystem. Insects and bugs are eaten by lots of different wildlife, so using pesticides will have a negative impact on the health of many animals not just insects and this will be detrimental for the whole garden ecosystem.
Wildflowers & Native Wild Plants
Native wildflowers, including those we call weeds, are hugely beneficial for insects. Many plants we like to get rid of such as dandelions, buttercups & clovers are essential sources of nectar and food for pollinators and other insects. Many are also edible, medicinal and beautifully pleasing to look at too. Taking time to study and really look closely at the beauty of flowers brings our attention to the present moment which can be soothing and calming.
Composting
A compost heap makes a fantastic home for insects and bugs and if you’re lucky slow worms too ! Dead and decaying material from your garden can be recycled into valuable compost to re-use in your garden. It’s also a great place to relocate any slugs and snails from other parts of your garden. Digging over a compost heap in the fresh air is also incredibly invigorating and rewarding !
Log Piles & Bug Hotels
Log piles, bug hotels and dead wood provide the perfect home, hibernation spot and breeding space for bugs & insects such as beetles. As well as providing them with food. Having lots of insects and bugs in your garden is great for other animals such as birds, hedgehogs and frogs who feed on them too. Building a bug hotel is also a great way of being creative outdoors.
Herb Beds
Herb beds are fantastic for both us & wildlife ! They can provide us with nutritious food, teas & medicine. They’re really beneficial for pollinators, a food source for insects & other wildlife and they provide shelter too. Thyme and Oregano flowers are particularly loved by bees and butterflies.
Wild Areas
Leaving some areas of your garden a little wild and messy is really beneficial for all wildlife. Dead hedges, leaf piles and long grass are all great hiding places for wildlife. Watching these new or regular visitors explore your garden can be magical and awe-inspiring bringing about a feeling of contentment, gratitude and connection to the earth.
Native Hedges & Feeders
Feeders & nest boxes, native hedging, shrubs and tress are all vital for birds. They provide shelter, nesting sites and food. Hawthorn, Elder, Holly, Blackthorn, Hazel and Beech are particularly good; providing berries and nuts for birds and other wildlife during Autumn and Winter time. Attracting more birds to your garden can be really beneficial for your wellbeing. Studies have shown that listening to birdsong can reduce stress. There is no music more beautiful than the dawn chorus during the month of May.
Ponds
A pond is a fantastic habitat to have in your garden and benefits a huge variety of wildlife from frogs, newts and dragonflies to hedgehogs, birds and foxes. It can provide food, water, shelter, hibernation and a breeding place. Listening to the sound of running water and watching wildlife enjoy your pond can be really peaceful and relaxing too.
Planting for Pollinators
There are so many beautiful flowering plants. Where possible choose ones that provide nectar for pollinators and a food source for their larvae; these plants will attract bees, butterflies, moths and other pollinators to your garden and the more plants that are pollinated the more flowers, fruits & vegetables you’ll have. I find that in the height of Summer when the garden is full of flowers and buzzing with life; watching pollinators flit from one flower to another is both uplifting and calming .