Breathe Life Into Your Garden

A pleasure to watch and key for a healthy environment, wildlife in our gardens is as important as the plants. Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust gives six easy ways to make yours more wildlife friendly this year.

AFTER a long winter now is the season your garden will start to spring back to life, so it’s a great time to start thinking about how you can make your green space more wildlife friendly. Whether your garden is big or small, here are ways to make it a haven for Hertfordshire wildlife. Think of it as your own rainforest.

WILD HOMES

There are plenty of ways to provide a home for wildlife in your garden. Bird boxes can be bought or made in lots of sizes and styles depending on which birds you are trying to attract. Put one up in a safe place away from shrubs and bushes and to make it hard for predators to access and away from any bird table so there is no conflict with larger birds. Do not let it face direct sun or wind and angle it so water cannot run in. A natural colour will also help it blend in and be harder to spot by predators.

Don’t forget our flying mammals need a home too – bat boxes can encourage bats into areas where there are few roosting sites, and like bird boxes come in many different forms depending on species.