Garden Office Blog

Bringing More Wildlife to Your Garden

Bringing More Wildlife to Your Garden

By Andrew Tweddle on 23rd November, 2011

In a recent article, we spoke about ways to attract new types of bird into your garden. While birds are the most common form of wildlife you will see in your garden, there are of course many other kinds to spot. Depending on the resources in your garden, you could also possibly see butterflies, bumblebees, amphibians, squirrels and more. Here are some useful ideas to help entice a variety of wildlife into your garden:

Butterflies

Butterflies go hand in hand with Britain in the spring, and it’s always great to see all the different varieties and colours. The easiest and best way to attract butterflies is to place nectar-rich plants, such as lavender or chrysanthemums, in your garden. Make sure you keep the plants in the sun, as butterflies like warmth, and the more types of nectar plant in your garden, the greater variety of butterflies you are likely to see. If you want to see butterflies in your garden as early as possible, make sure you have a thick hedge or patch of ivy in your garden, as some butterflies will use these spots to hibernate over the winter.

Bumblebees

If butterflies are the sign that spring has arrived, then bumblebees let us know when it is summer. Plus, bumblebee numbers are on the decline, so making your garden a bee-friendly place can help slow the decline. The easiest way to bring bumblebees to your garden is to provide plenty of nectar plants, such as foxglove, honeysuckle and lavender. Try to avoid using any pesticides or chemicals that could cause harm to the bumblebees.

Amphibians

Frogs, toads and newts are something that we see occasionally in British gardens, but there are ways to improve the chances of seeing them, as well as providing them with a safe habitat. The most obvious way to achieve this is using a pond or water feature. The ideal water feature should be between two and three feet deep and be placed in an area that gets plenty of sunlight.

Squirrels

Grey squirrels are a common sight in the UK, while red squirrels are now very rare, but there are a few easy ways to create a garden that is suitable for both types. Squirrels can be seen at practically any time of the year and feed on acorns, bulbs, roots, fungi and nuts. Peanuts are particularly good for attracting squirrels, and placing a squirrel feeder in a part of your garden you can see from your window should help you to catch a glimpse of them.

While there is no guarantee that taking these steps will allow you to see all of these different types of wildlife, you will very likely see a few of them, and it is easy to spend the best part of a day just watching them in your garden. A Decorated Shed garden office is the perfect place to watch this wildlife from. If you’re watching during the summer, you can easily open the doors of your garden office and let the sunshine in. On the other hand, if you’re spending time in it in the heart of winter, you will still be perfectly comfortable, thanks to Decorated Shed’s fantastic insulation system.


Category:  Environment

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