A warm welcome to our new website and first blog. We aim to inform and entertain you with real life, valuable information and tips you can use in your garden.
Our first subject is the importance of wildlife not just for our gardens but for our planet in general. We are currently going through the 6th Mass Extinction event and bio-diversity loss is a major issue for the health of our beautiful planet. There are 500 land animal species we will sadly loose in the next 2 decades but this article is all about insects and the animals that visit our gardens to feed on them.
I might have started this blog post all doom and gloom but us gardeners can play a significant role on alleviating the effects of bio-diversity loss and look into our future with a more positive eye.
There are 22 million private gardens in the United Kingdom and countless more community led public spaces. The combined area they cover is estimated to be around 15 million acres! Together they comprise a eco-system that it is managed by ordinary people and it is a network that holds the key to the future health of countless species of invertebrates and wild birds, bats and small mammals.
Gardening for wildlife can be formal or informal. You don't have to change the style of your garden if you like clean lines and modern, formal design. You can dedicate a small area in your garden or a corner and plant insect friendly species. They will thank you for it and the animals that feed on them will thank you even more!
Just adding a few insect friendly species in a mixed border can be enough for you to play your part. The below link contains a comprehensive list of insect friendly plants, created by the RHS, and it is a solid start towards your wildlife friendly haven :
Another thing you can do to help shelter those insects that might want to lay their eggs or hibernate in a safe place is to introduce a bug hotel. There are countless designs to choose for online or in the shops and are suitable for every style of garden there is out there. Or you can have some real fun and create one yourself!
Here is a link from the woodland trust on how to do so :
It is very easy to feel helpless and depressed about the state of our planet these days but realising that we can all make a difference without having to wait from politicians or legislation to put things right is very empowering.
We hope that this article gives you the desire to research about this serious subject more and welcome you into an army of eco conscious gardeners that are already making a real difference!
