Wilder Gardening
Be part of Team Wilder, bringing about the change nature needs together.
Glorious summer blooms
Want to prolong this boom time for pollinating insects? Start by deadheading spent blooms in your garden! This encourages plants to produce more flowers (and therefore more nectar), although as autumn approaches, it is important to balance ongoing flowering with allowing some seed to set. Seeds and seedheads will provide food and shelter for wildlife over winter and give rise to next year’s volunteer seedlings, i.e. plants that the gardener doesn’t need to purchase or propagate!
Early summer is also the time to cut back early-flowering perennials to encourage a second flush of flowers at the end of the season. Finally, now that the risk of late frosts has passed, it’s the right moment to plant out half-hardy and tender annuals. Many of these non-native species will continue flowering into early autumn.
As always, here are the best tips for making your space wildlife friendly:
Encourage garden birds and provide shelter,
Let a patch of lawn grow long,
Make a wildlife pond,
Plant a flowering tree or berry-bearing shrub,
Sow a pot or border with nectar-rich annuals,
Plant a mixed native hedge.
Is it okay to feed our feathered friends? In light of a new evidence review from the RSPB, Tom Hibbert explains the best way to keep birds visiting your garden safe. Read the blog >
Photo: Penny Dixie
Garden projects, big and small
We have a whole range of fantastic gardening project ideas for you to get stuck into - both big and small.
Image: Mark Hamblin/2020VISION
Small tortoiseshell (Aglaise urtica) feeding on garden flowers, UK
How wildlife friendly is your garden?
Wildlife Gardening Awards: In order to gain your award plaque, you need to demonstrate you are making an effort to welcome wildlife in different ways.
Image: Vaughn Matthews
Wilder Open Gardens
No matter what size of outdoor space, from tiny gardens and window boxes to large estates and everything in between, take part our wilder alternative to a coffee morning fundraiser, whilst spreading the word about gardening for wildlife.
Resources
Thank you for gardening for wildlife, every positive action you take makes a big difference. With your help, we can put nature into recovery, create more space for wildlife to thrive, and reduce the pressure on the environment. This has to be a joint effort. We all have different skills, knowledge, and experience to offer. And we’ve got resources and advice to help get you started...
Team Wilder
Celebrate wildlife gardening and use your garden to take action to help support nature. Many of our common garden visitors – including hedgehogs, house sparrows and starlings – are increasingly under threat. But together we can make a difference. Find out how our green spaces can provide for wildlife.
Wilder Allotment Awards: Although allotments are mainly used for growing food, by adding in wildlife friendly plants you can create a mini-ecosystem that’s good for you and good for wildlife. Demonstrate you are making an effort to welcome wildlife in different ways and practicing environmentally friendly actions and apply for your plaque today!
Related news and blogs
Feeding garden birds safely
Is it okay to feed our feathered friends? In light of a new evidence review from the RSPB, Tom Hibbert explains the best way to keep…
Allotment Diaries: Seeds, soil and first sprouts
The allotment has become a welcome break from the pace of everyday life. It’s somewhere we can move more slowly, work with our hands,…
New, exciting initiative launches to help spread the word about wildlife-friendly gardening
Somerset Wildlife Trust announces a new alternative to a ‘coffee morning fundraiser’ that encourages nature lovers to share their top…
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