Act for wildlife

✔ Make your garden a carbon sink 

Some actions can help your garden tackle the climate crisis more than others. The best ways to capture carbon in your garden to help tackle the climate crisis are to compost, plant trees and shrubs, cover your soil over and don't have bare borders, try no dig gardening and avoiding buying plants that are grown in peat from garden centres and nurseries. 

Find the BBC's full guide to carbon capture in your garden.

🌷 Plant native species

Native plants are the best for supporting wildlife. They have co-evolved with the local wildlife meaning they provide the best types of food and habitat. When planting up your window box or garden border, try to choose plants that are appropriate for your local climate, and consider adding a mix of flowers, shrubs, and trees to provide a diverse range of habitats. Find out how to go native with your planting.

🥜 Provide food for your local wildlife

Adding bird feeders, bird baths, and insect hotels to your garden, balcony or windowsill helps provide a source of food and water for local wildlife. You can also plant specific species that attract certain types of wildlife, such as lavender and sunflowers for bees. Wildflowers provide the best kind of food for visiting wildlife and are really easy to grow.

🌊 Create a water source for wildlife

Creating a pond or wildlife water station in your space is really important and one of the best things you can do to help your local wildlife thrive. They can be a real lifeline in our hot, dry summers. If you live in a city, garden ponds and water stations are especially important for wildlife.

They are also a great way to attract a wide range of wildlife, from frogs and newts to dragonflies and damselflies and thirsty bees and butterflies into your green spaces. 

You can create a water station in your window boxes amongst your flowers so pollinators can stop off for a well earned drink on their travels. All you need to do is get a small ramekin or pot and fill with small stones (so they have somewhere to land and drink from) and top it up with water! 

Wildlife water stations are really easy to make. All you need is a shallow dish / pan that you can fill with gravel or small stones and top up with water!

• Here are some more ideas on how to provide water for wildlife.
• If you have the space, you can create a wildlife pond in a range of sizes, from a small container like a washing up bowl to a large natural pond. Here is a step by step guide on how to make a wildlife pond in your garden.

🏠 Provide lodgings for your wild visitors 

🐣 Installing nest boxes is a great way to provide safe nesting sites and refuge for visiting birds. You can purchase or build your own nest boxes and place them in a range of locations, such as trees or walls. Providing a range of bird feeders and bird baths also helps attract birds to your garden.
🦋 Butterflies and moths are essential pollinators and are attracted to a range of plants. Creating a butterfly and moth house is a great way to provide a safe place for them to hibernate and breed. These can be made from natural materials such as wood and bark and can be placed in a sheltered location. Having a feeding station is a great way to help tried butterflies in the summer heat. See how easy it is to make a feeding station out of a jam jar!
🐝 Bees are essential pollinators and are in need of our help to keep thriving. Creating a bee house is a great way to provide a home for solitary bees. Bee houses can be made from a range of materials, such as wood and bamboo, and can be placed in a sheltered location.
🐸 Frogs and toads are amazing for naturally controlling pests like slugs and snails. Creating a pond is an excellent way to provide a habitat for them. Make sure to include a range of plants and shelter (such as broken pots etc) around the pond to provide hiding places for them.
🦔 Hedgehogs are an important part of our local ecosystem, and they need a safe place to hibernate and breed. Building a hedgehog house is easy and can be made from a range of materials, including wood, bricks, or even an upturned plastic storage box.

🌱 Go organic 

Reducing the use of chemicals in your garden can have a big impact on local wildlife. Consider using natural pest control methods, such as companion planting or introducing biological controls like nematodes, rather than pesticides.

Have a look at this complete companion planting guide to see how you can reduce pests naturally in your green spaces.

Mulching is a great way to reduce the need for weed control measures and is great for improving your soil structure too. Homemade garden compost is one of the best ways to mulch your gardens. Have a look at our composting pages to learn more.

🌷 Go peat free 

Peat is an amazing natural habitat, it forms over thousands of years, capturing lots of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere! In the past peat has been dug up and used as compost, which destroys rare habitats and releases large amounts of carbon, contributing to climate change.

In 2024 peat compost will be banned for sale at garden centres but peat still sneaks its way into other garden products as many nurseries still use peat to grow plants. Look for peat free nurseries and ask at your garden centre for peat free plants to garden more sustainably. If you can't find a peat free nursery try growing your own seeds in home made compost! 

To find out more visit... 

• https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220610-how-to-turn-your-garden-into-a-carbon-sink
• https://www.wildaboutgardens.org.uk/  
• https://www.rhs.org.uk/wildlife 
• https://friendsoftheearth.uk/nature/6-ways-help-wildlife-when-you-dont-have-garden 
• https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions