Wildlife

• Continuous flowering through the shoulder seasons
• Reliable shallow water in dry spells
• Undisturbed shelter and overwintering cover

A shallow dish with stones for perching, refreshed weekly, supports insects, birds and small mammals. Keep it in light shade during heatwaves.

Identify a problem before treating it. Most garden insects are harmless or beneficial. For pest and disease questions, follow your national plant health authority rather than routine spraying.

• Log and leaf pile. A shaded pile of logs and leaves supports invertebrates and amphibians.
• Dense native hedge. Hedges outperform fences for nesting, shelter and movement corridors.
• Create a hedgehog or small-mammal gap. A 13 cm gap at fence level links gardens where such species occur locally.
• Nest boxes facing away from afternoon sun. Overheating is a growing cause of nest failure.
• Bare soil patch for ground-nesting bees. Leave a small sunny area of undisturbed bare earth.
• Long grass area. Let a patch grow through the season for larvae and cover.

• Winter-flowering nectar. Include at least one plant flowering in your coldest months.
• Leave seedheads standing. Delay cutting back perennials until late winter for seed and shelter.
• Berrying shrub layer. Add a fruiting shrub for autumn and winter bird food.
• Shallow water all year. Keep a pebble-filled dish topped up; refresh weekly in warm weather.
• Stop routine pesticide use. Identify the problem first; most garden insects are harmless or beneficial.
• Avoid peat and reduce fertiliser. Lower inputs favour the fungal and invertebrate life plants depend on.