According to the Office of National Statistics, seven in eight UK homes have a garden or shared access to one. The Horticultural Trade Association claim that the combined size of UK gardens is equivalent to Somerset in its entirety! What is more, a 2021 YouGov for HTA study found almost half (49%) of UK gardeners use their outdoor space to feed, watch or encourage wildlife.

Despite these impressive statistics, many species of bird, butterfly and other insects have fallen dramatically in recent decades. The RSPB’s resident Wildlife Gardening expert, Adrian Thomas, states that numbers of once-common birds such as the house sparrow have halved in the last four decades. Similarly, more than 25 species of urban butterfly have seen their numbers decline by almost 70%.

The State of Nature 2019 report found that 41% of UK wildlife species had declined since 1970; butterflies have decreased by 16% since 1976, whilst moths also declined by 25% since 1970. In short, the report concluded that decades of habitat loss, building development and ‘persecution’ has run down UK biodiversity. 

With this in mind, it is important to make the outdoor space you might have with your property- whether that’s a window box, balcony or garden – appealing for wildlife. Although outdoor projects can be daunting for the novice gardener, there are simple, relatively inexpensive steps beginners can take to help UK wildlife thrive.

Window Box

If your property has little to no outdoor space, you’d be forgiven for thinking there is little you can do to attract wildlife to your property. However, a simple window box can appeal to a variety of insects, particularly pollinators.

Tower Habitats encourages sustainability through the use of wooden window boxes, as opposed to those made from clay, metal or plastic. Whilst the latter are more durable, wood can be easily recycled; what’s more, it has greater flexibility which will not hinder plant roots.

Window boxes are readily available to buy from garden centres, some larger DIY stores and online. They come in a range of sizes, styles and materials to suit your property and taste; cost varies depending on these factors, so shop around to find what fits your property and budget.

Whichever window box you go for, ensure it has holes for drainage; these can be drilled if necessary. You will also need to line the box either with a plastic sheet or bag that’s lying around, or a coconut fibre liner (available in various sizes, upwards of around £5). The liner will act as a barrier between the compost and the box and prevent the latter deteriorating. You will need to cut holes in your liner to allow drainage, and it is useful to also put a layer of gravel or pebbles at the bottom to enhance drainage and keep the compost in.

After filling the box with compost, ideally add a controlled-release plant food to ensure your plants have sufficient nutrients throughout the season. Various brands are available, and a box of 25-35 tablets costs around £5, or granules in 250g/500g/750g/1kg boxes or bags are also available (these usually work out around £2.50 per 250g).

Finally, the box will need to be secured to the sill, usually with metal brackets (costing around £6-£10 from online stores or from DIY stores).

Flowers and Herbs

One of the best ways to encourage biodiversity is by growing flowers. These provide nectar for pollinators like bees and butterflies, plentiful leaves for caterpillars to eat, and the foliage provides an ideal nest space for insects; birds will also be tempted by nearby insect activity. Tower Habitats say an assortment of annual and perennial seeds should be sewn. Bear in mind the sun/shade situation of your window box in planning which seeds to sew or what to plant out.  Space is at a premium here- so pack in as many flowers as possible to provide a variety of nectar and foliage cover for wildlife.

As a general guide, geraniums, crocus, white thrift, poppies, cornflowers, corn marigold, forget-me-not and ox-eye daisy will all look beautiful and boost biodiversity. Edible flowers such as nasturtiums and pansies will also serve you well when it comes to decorating salads and cakes. Packets of seeds cost around £1.50-£2 from supermarkets, garden centres or online stores.

For a kitchen-garden (or kitchen-window box, in this case), herbs are also dual-purpose: providing an appealing aroma for insect visitors and seasonings for your kitchen creations. Green Side Up recommends flowering herbs such as lavender, oregano and sage; plants cost upwards of £5 from garden centres, but some herbs (parsley, basil, mint) are very easy to grow from seed (packets of which cost around £1.50-£2).

Balconies

A balcony provides even greater opportunities for wildlife gardening. In addition to the above, consider if you can make use of the space available on exterior walls by planting climbers and putting up a bird box.  As with window boxes, consider using controlled-release plant foods to enrich the soil of balcony plants over the course of the season.

Potted Plants

Altitude and wind are the main issues with choosing plants for your balcony, as well as the weight of the plants themselves and containers. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) suggests creating a natural windbreaker formed of hardy plants that are adapted to withstand winds; these then shelter plants that are less tolerant of wind and sun which are positioned further into the balcony. According to RHS,  popular ‘windbreaker’ plants include Pinus mugo and Viburnum tinus. It is advised to plant in either Spring or Autumn, to allow plants to settle in before they face winter conditions.

Climbers

Climbers such as Ivy prefers full shade, whilst passionflower and clematis prefer sun (the latter needs to have its base in the shade, ideally). Honeysuckle is often favoured due to the heady aroma many species emit at dusk; these prefer sun but can endure some shade.  Hops are a favourite food of caterpillars and comma butterfly according to RSPB’s Wildlife Gardening expert, and they make an interesting addition to a balcony wall.

Do your research to determine what you can grow and what supports, if any, you’ll need. Some climbers will take to an exterior wall themselves; others will need a trellis. Online DIY stores stock narrow trellises for upwards of £16: ideal for balconies with minimal wall space. Passionflower, clematis and hops will certainly need a trellis to wind around, whilst ivy will do fine on its own.

Bird Box

A bird box is ideally placed in a high-up spot and out of direct sunlight (facing North/East). Balconies located on first floor apartments or above provide an ideal location as they are safely away from ground predators.

There are a huge variety of bird boxes to buy in stores and online. Some have natural look, others are designed to attract specific species (in this case, Robins), whilst some others are quite basic but can be converted into open-fronted boxes if you wanted to attract blackbirds and robins at some point. Depending on what birds you would like to appeal to and how you want your birdbox to fit in with your property, expect to spend between £5-£15/20; remember to check whether you need to buy fixings or whether these are included.

Gardens

If you have a garden, inexpensive additions can provide ideal infrastructure to attract hedgehogs, birds, bees, butterflies and other insects. 

Create a small meadow

In larger gardens, a wildflower meadow might be a possibility, but this requires considerable time and labour to prepare the ground. See this guide from RSPB if you feel you can take this on; the results would certainly be worth it, with studies claiming 97% of the UK’s wildflower meadows have been lost over the last 70 years. These meadows provide much needed food for UK insect wildlife, including pollinators.

By far the cheapest and easiest step to take when gardening for wildlife, the beginner or short-of-time-gardener can simply ease off cutting a section of their lawn. Once flowers have appeared, you can mow paths through the long grass for access (or neatness) if need be. This is a nice compromise between a full-blown, long-grass meadow, and a patch of garden where insect wildlife can thrive with little maintenance.  If you don’t do things by halves, take part in Plantlife’s annual No Mow May challenge and let the whole lawn grow over the course of May, and perhaps consider extending the no-mow season for a small section of the lawn.

Attracting birds

Placing a bird feeder and bath in your garden will certainly encourage feathered friends to visit.

Bird baths range in price from the inexpensive (around £10) to the ornate and highly decorative (upwards of £150). What you need will depend on your budget and how you want your garden to look. Bird baths can be raised or on the ground, as birds naturally wash and drink from puddles; if it is on the ground, RSPB advises that it is positioned near plants that will offer cover in the form of prickly/thorny plants, so birds can bathe without feeling threatened by cats lurking nearby. It also needs to be gently sloping.

Similarly, bird feeders range in price from £5 to upwards of £40, depending on the size and complexity of the design. Choose a feeder that is off the ground, either hanging or attached to a shed or post, to encourage birds to rest there when safely away from ground predators. Feeders that stick on to windows are also available- ideal for apartments and properties with no outdoor space.

Hedgehog Holes

Fences are an obvious barrier for wildlife such as hedgehogs. According to Wildlife Trusts, hedgehogs cover up to 2km per night searching for food and nesting sites, as well as mates. Creating a ‘hedgehog highway’ or ‘hedgehog hole’- a small hole in the bottom of a fence or a channel dug underneath– makes it easier for these animals to move between gardens and encourages them to visit yours. Be aware that if you do not own the fence or boundary, you will need to work with your neighbours/owners of the fence to create a hedgehog hole!

‘Bug Hotels’

Essentially, a bug hotel is a structure made of a variety of materials, some natural and some man-made, arranged in such a way so that lots of tiny, dark holes are available for insects to thrive. Hay and straw, dried leaves, dried wood, stones, unused bricks, cracked tiles and logs are the perfect materials for a bug hotel. For the beginner or those short on time, there are many available to buy starting from as little as £7 but ranging to hundreds of pounds for larger, more complex designs.

Wildlife Trust has compiled a succinct guide to building a ‘bug mansion’ from wooden pallets and other materials you may have to hand or can reclaim. If space and time aren’t an issue, then this is a fantastic option. However, even a small ‘off-the-shelf’ hotel can boost biodiversity in your garden.

If you are making improvements to your home, you may find some of these services useful: