Gardening Tips: Nothing makes a garden more beautiful than lots of wildlife. Whether it’s butterflies, birds, squirrels or hedgehogs, these five ideas will have your garden full of wildlife in no time at all!
1 . Put up bird boxes
Putting up bird boxes is an excellent way to attract birds into your garden. When you put your bird boxes up, make sure that they are in a sheltered place. It’s best to put up your boxes before the springtime, in time for the breeding season. Keep in mind, that only certain types of birds will use your bird boxes.You are likely to attract robins, bluetits or woodpeckers. Bird boxes aren’t just practical, you can get some beautiful designs to make your garden look lovely. If you’re feeling creative, why not try buying a plain wood box and painting it yourself?
2. Purchase bird feeders
Bird feeders are another great way to attract birds into your garden. You might find that bird feeders also attract squirrels. Some people prefer not to attract squirrels (because they eat all the food before the birds get a look in)! In this case, you can look for ‘squirrel proof’ feeders. The best kind of feeders are sturdy to survive the winter, and tight so that the bird seeds are kept dry. There are many different types of bird feeder including tray feeders, tube feeders and window feeders. To attract different birds, it’s a good idea to use several types of feeder. For some lovely bird boxes and feeders, try Little Peckers.
3. A garden pond
Building a pond in your garden allows you to keep fish, attract frogs and dragonflies too. Make sure that you use pond weed and water lilies, these plants can help pondlife to develop and thrive. The last thing you want in your pond is algae, and algae needs sunlight to grow. The more water lilies that you grow on the surface, the less sunlight that the algae will get. You could also try growing some Japanese Water Iris, a beautiful white plant that looks great in a pond.
4. Plant flowers
To attract butterflies into your garden, it’s useful to plant Buddleja flowers. These beautiful purple flowers will have your garden brimming with butterflies in no time. Red Valerian is another flower which butterflies love, as is Verbena and Wild Marjoram. If you’re keen to attract bees into your garden, try planting some Bee Balm, Snapdragon or Echinacea. As bees collect pollen, they will carry it around your different flowers. This means that bees can help more plants and flowers to grow.
5. Feed the hedgehogs and badgers
You can attract badgers and hedgehogs into your garden by leaving out the right food. Badgers like food like root vegetables, seeds and nuts. Hedgehog feed is available to purchase from gardening stores or pet shops. It’s also a great idea to buy a hedgehog house, this way the hedgehogs can hibernate in your backyard! If you leave food out and it doesn't get eaten, remove this food so that you don’t attract unwelcome pests!
'This is a collaborative post and the author's views do not necessarily reflect those of our blog. We may receive monetary compensation for our endorsement and or recommendations'.
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