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Nature Friendly Gardening

From building a bug hotel to creating a garden pond, here are some ideas for things you can do yourself to help wildlife.

Buy your bird food and accessories direct from Vine House Farm Bird Foods and help raise funds for Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust.

Simple things you can do to help wildlife

Download our report Reversing the Decline of Insects by Professor Dave Goulson, University of Sussex.

From building a bug hotel to creating a garden pond, there are lots of ways you can make room for nature. Whether you’ve got a windowsill, a small garden or a big piece of land – we’ve got loads of things you can do to make habitats for wildlife and reduce your environmental impact. See below for our list of things you can do to help make a Wilder Future – and if you haven’t already, please sign up to our Action For Insects campaign. When you sign up, we’ll provide you with a FREE downloadable guide to actions you can take to help insects thrive.

Please sign up to our pledge for peat free compost.

Find peat free compost garden centres and stockists near you.

Find more wildlife gardening advice here.

Wilder green spaces and verges

We are often asked for advice on how to make local verges and green spaces wilder, or able to support more biodiversity. The advice will depend on the scale of the site and ambition. Here are some things to consider.

How to grow a wild patch

It doesn’t matter what size your space is, there’s always room for wildflowers! Set aside an area of lawn, part of a border, or even a large container and watch the bees and butterflies buzz in.

How to build a pond

A wildlife pond is one of the single best features for attracting new wildlife to the garden.

How to create a container garden for wildlife

Introduce more wildlife features into a small space using pots and containers.

How to build a mini-pond

Even a small pond can be home to an interesting range of wildlife!

How to attract butterflies to your garden

Provide food for caterpillars and choose nectar-rich plants for butterflies and you’ll have a colourful, fluttering display in your garden for many months.

How to attract bumblebees to your garden

Bumble bees are important pollinating insects, but they are under threat. You can help them in your garden by planting bumble bee-friendly flowers.

How to make a bee hotel

Solitary bees are important pollinators and a gardener’s friend. Help them by building a bee hotel for your home or garden and watch them buzz happily about their business.

How to make a new build garden for wildlife

Use the blank canvas of your new build garden to make your new home a home for wildlife too!

How to make a hedgehog house

By providing safe places for hedgehogs to live, you’re much more likely to see these prickly creatures in your garden.

How to encourage newts or other amphibians to your garden

Ponds, compost heaps and log piles are all great for wildlife, and will help encourage newts, frogs and toads to make your garden their home.

A flying swift

A flying swift

Install a swift box

Swifts became added to the red list of conservation concern in 2021. You can help them by adding a swift box to your home or place of work.