Alton In Bloom

AVLAN – Checklist for a Wildlife Friendly Garden

Engage in wildlife friendly gardening – maybe by planting extra pollinators, creating a habitat for a hedgehog, frog or other visitor, or installing a bird or bat box.

Use the blank canvas of your garden to make a home for wildlife. With a bit of encouragement your garden can become a popular destination for a wide range of visitors. Although it may take some time for the plants, shrubs and trees to get established, you can start from scratch and plan exactly what you would like to put in.

Tips from www.wildlifetrusts.org on how to plan your wildlife-friendly garden

• Provide shelter: Start by providing shelter, resting and nesting areas with a couple of silver birches and/or a selection of native shrubs, like holly or guelder rose. This will add height to your landscape and also provide much-needed shade for you in summer.
• Use all the available space: Your garden is a three-dimensional space, so try to make use of all the available surfaces, including walls, fences and roofs. The most wildlife-friendly gardens are those full of plants, with little or no ground showing at all! Even your patio can be enhanced with containers of nectar-rich plants that will attract butterflies and bees.
• Make a meadow: Your garden may well have a lawn which, if mown too frequently, will not support much wildlife. Consider replacing it completely in favour of more planting, and/or a pond. If you want to keep a grassed area, plant a small wildflower meadow that will play host to a multitude of butterflies, bees and other insects.
• Dig a pond: However small your patch, there is always room for a pond. Even a small sink or tub pond, with a few aquatic plants, can make a great wildlife habitat. Ponds of all shapes and sizes benefit different communities of wildlife – water-loving insects dive beneath the surface, birds prey on amphibians, and small mammals come to drink.
• Use wildlife-friendly pest control: The tender new shoots of your establishing plants might delight the local community of slugs and snails, but don’t be tempted to use pellets containing potentially harmful chemicals – there are plenty of alternative ways of controlling them, such as creating barriers or companion planting. Try to accept that they are an inevitable presence, however, as they do provide a delicious meal for frogs, toads, hedgehogs and birds.
• Provide vertical planting: Fix wires and trellis on any appropriate vertical surface to support wildlife-friendly climbing plants, such as honeysuckle, jasmine and wisteria. Ivy and Virginia creeper can gallop up a wall or fence unaided and offer an excellent habitat and food source for many creatures.
• Go native: Choose plants that are native to your area – a walk around the local countryside will provide inspiration.
• Provide food and nesting sites: Provide feeding stations, water, and nest boxes to help birds and animals while your plants are establishing.

Give incredible edibles a try; anything from planting fruit canes, growing veggies in tubs or creating a raised bed or allotment plot in your garden.  Nothing beats the taste of fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs grown in your own garden – or the satisfaction and enjoyment you can get from doing it. Not sure what to grow or where to start? Take a look at the RHS website for some great the tips and advice – www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own

How to Build a Bug Hotel

A bug hotel (or insect hotel) is a shelter for insects like ladybirds, bees, and beetles. It helps boost biodiversity in your garden.

What You’ll Need

• Wooden box, pallet, or stacked bricks
• Hollow stems (bamboo, reeds)
• Dry leaves, straw, or grass
• Pinecones
• Bark and small logs (drill holes for bees)
• Twigs and sticks
• Bricks with holes or old tiles

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Build the frame
Use a wooden box, crate, or stack pallets to create compartments.

2. Add different materials
Fill each section with different natural items, such as:

• Hollow tubes → solitary bees
• Pinecones & bark → beetles and spiders
• Straw & leaves → ladybirds

3. Make it stable
Ensure everything is packed tightly so it won’t fall out in wind or rain.

4. Position your bug hotel

• Place it in a sunny, sheltered spot
• Keep it off the ground (on bricks or against a wall)
• Ideally face south or southeast

5. Leave it undisturbed
Bugs will move in naturally—avoid moving it once set up.

Tips

• Use only dry, natural materials (no treated wood or chemicals)
• Replace materials yearly if they become mouldy
• Build near plants and flowers to attract insects

Woodland Trust Guide

You can find a detailed guide here:

Click here to find out how to make a Bug Hotel