Wildlife gardening

There are a variety of things that can be done to encourage wildlife into your garden. These can range from the creation of a wildlife pond to something as simple as providing an upturned flowerpot to provide a home for frogs and toads. Provision of food, water and shelter will all help the increase the desirability of your garden for wildlife and there are a number of websites and books that give helpful advice as to how this can be done.

Organic gardening practices are inevitably more wildlife friendly since chemical inputs can be harmful to things other than those you wish to target. Furthermore herbicides and pesticides can eradicate species that are a food source for the wildlife that you want to see in your garden.

If you do not have a garden there is still plenty that can be done through the use of plant tubs in yards and even window boxes. There is also the option of taking on an allotment and managing this in a manner that is beneficial to wildlife. Plymouth City Council has a number of allotment sites throughout the city that are available at very little cost.

There are numerous websites giving information and advice on gardening practices that will encourage wildlife into your garden and also many dealing with organic gardening. Below are some good initial ones to take a look at.

Devon Wildlife Trust provide a number of fact sheets on their ‘turn your garden into a wildlife haven’ page.

The BBC website has a gardening section which includes an organic gardening page that gives wildlife gardening advice.

Organic UK is a website that gives advice and support to UK organic gardeners.

Books on wildlife gardening

Again there are lots of books on this subject. Below are just a couple that may be of interest to start with.

How to make a wildlife garden

• Author: Chris Baines
• Paperback: 192 pages (October 19, 2000)
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd
• ISBN: 0711217114

Your wildlife pond

• Author: Peter Sibley
• Paperback: A5, 48 pages, 46 illustrations in black and white and colour
• ISBN: 1 85116 808 7
• Publisher: SGC Books, 1994

Other useful books and publications can be obtained from the BTCV from their online shop.

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