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- Herausgeber: Creative Homeowner
- Kategorie: Lebensstil
- Serie: Specialist Guide
- Sprache: Englisch
One of the special joys of having outdoor space is the wildlife it attracts—and this Specialist volume helps gardeners turn their little plot of land into an animal-friendly haven. Concise and easy to use, It gives expert advice on planning and planting to create an ideal environment for birds, butterflies, reptiles, and mammals—a place where these wild creatures will find everything they need to survive and thrive. There's pond-building guidance, instructions for assembling and siting nesting boxes and feeders, ideas for both town and country gardens, and advice on making the area pet- and child-safe.
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Seitenzahl: 156
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016
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Contents
Author’s foreword
GETTING STARTED
What is a wildlife garden?
First steps
A town garden
A country garden
Wildflowers and other plants
Cats and dogs
Children
WATER GARDENS AND PONDLIFE
About water gardens
Water-garden design
Building a wildlife pond
Building a bog garden
Choosing water-garden plants
Fish
Amphibians
Dragonflies
Other pondlife
Water birds
BIRDS
About birds
Planning and planting the garden
Boxes, tables, baths and hides
Common garden birds
Pigeons and doves
Less common garden birds
Swifts, martins and swallows
The tit family
Finches
MAMMALS AND REPTILES
About mammals and reptiles
Planning and planting the garden
Providing food
Small mammals
Hedgehogs and badgers
Lizards and snakes
Other wild animals
INSECTS AND OTHER SMALL CREATURES
About insects and other small creatures
Planning and planting the garden
Butterflies and moths
Bees and wasps
Slugs and snails
Beetles, bugs and creepy-crawlies
Worms
Glossary
Index
UK Edition
Copyright © 2009, 2016 text AG&G Books
The right of A & G Bridgewater to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Copyright © 2009, 2016 illustrations and photographs IMM Lifestyle Books
Copyright © 2009, 2016 IMM Lifestyle Books
This book may not be reproduced, either in part or in its entirety, in any form, by any means, without written permission from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts for purposes of radio, television, or published review. All rights, including the right of translation, are reserved. Note: Be sure to familiarize yourself with manufacturer’s instructions for tools, equipment, and materials before beginning a project. Although all possible measures have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the material presented, neither the author nor the publisher is liable in case of misinterpretation of directions, misapplication, or typographical error.
Creative Homeowner® is a registered trademark of New Design Originals Corporation.
Designed and created for IMM Lifestyle Books by AG&G Books. Copyright © 2004 “Specialist” AG&G Books
Design: Glyn Bridgewater; Illustrations: Dawn Brend, Gill Bridgewater, Coral Mula, and Ann Winterbotham; Editor: Alison Copland; Photographs: see page 80
Current Printing (last digit)
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in Singapore
Home Gardener’s Wildlife Gardens: Designing, building, planting, developing and maintaining a wildlife garden is published by Creative Homeowner under license with IMM Lifestyle Books.
eISBN: 978-1-60765-271-7
Creative Homeowner®, www.creativehomeowner.com, is distributed exclusively in the United Kingdom by Grantham Book Service, Trent Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 7XQ.
Author’s foreword
A look through many of the gardening books published since about the 1930s will show you that gardeners have long been encouraged to poison their so-called ‘pests’. The thinking was that if you do not like weeds or wasps, for example, then ‘zap’ them with chemicals. Fine, you might think – who cares about wasps? Here we come to the heart of it. If we poison, say, wasps, then we are poisoning all of the creatures that feed on them, and in some way skewing the populations of creatures that the wasps feed on. So here we are, after 60 glorious years of chemical warfare, in a situation where the whole interconnected wildlife wheel is faltering and out of kilter.
So what can we do about it? One thing you cannot easily do is look to the internet for advice, because the moment you do a search on almost any garden wildlife creature some chemical company will pop up to sell you their pest-killing products. The good news is that we can start to repair this desperate state of affairs by turning our gardens into wildlife havens. Of course, it will not all be easy, because the moment you stop spraying you will very soon be overrun with bugs. On the other hand, when other creatures get wind of the fact that you have an abundance of just the right bugs, they will come over for a feed, thus re-establishing equilibrium. How do we achieve this? The answer is beautifully simple. Together with your whole family, you can completely give up on chemicals, turn the lawn into a meadow, leave the deadheading of flowers to the birds, abandon the piles of dead leaves to the beetles and bugs, build a hide in the overgrown grass, go wild with planting and pond-building, and just relax and observe nature.
Measurements
Both metric and imperial measurements are given in this book – for example, 1.8 m (6 ft).
SEASONS
Throughout this book, advice is given about seasonal tasks. Because of global and even regional variations in climate and temperature, the four main seasons have been used, with each subdivided into ‘early’, ‘mid-’ and ‘late’ – for example, early spring, mid-spring and late spring. These 12 divisions of the year can be applied to the appropriate calendar months in your local area, if you find this helps.
About the authors
Alan and Gill Bridgewater have gained an international reputation as producers of highly successful gardening and DIY books on a range of subjects, including garden design, ponds and patios, stone and brickwork, decks and decking, and household woodworking. They have also contributed to several international magazines. They live in Rye, East Sussex.
What is a wildlife garden?
Why is wildlife so important?
A wildlife garden is a place where we – meaning all living organisms – can meet and come together for the common good. Nature is about balance, like a wheel, and if we get the balance right then everything else will follow. At its most basic level, a wildlife garden is a poison-free environment, an eco-sanctuary for plants, birds, mammals, reptiles, insects and many other creatures to live together in harmony the natural way.
Water and pondlife
Water is central to the creation of a successful wildlife garden. All manner of creatures live in the water, birds and small mammals come to feed on the creatures in the water, larger animals come to feed on the smaller animals – and so on, round and round. Water is a primary need.
Include as much water as possible – in tubs, water butts, big muddy-edged ponds, and areas of bog garden fringing the pond. These will all attract wildlife.
Birds
Birds are a vital cog in the eco-sanctuary wildlife garden wheel. Certainly, they might nibble away at some of your precious crops, but they look beautiful and will feed on creatures such as aphids and insects.
Don’t fret if you see pigeons feeding on your peas, tits feasting on flowers and buds, or rooks eating baby birds. Just focus on the fact that every creature has its natural place.
Mammals, reptiles and fish
You might not like rats, snakes or squirrels, but it is important that your wildlife garden is open to all creatures. Mice will eat snails and slugs, rats will eat mice, snakes will eat rats, large birds will come in and eat snakes – they all have their place in the food chain.
If you are really concerned about snakes or rats, it is best to leave them alone and see how they figure in the overall scheme of things.
Plants
Gardeners normally select specific plants because they look, smell and taste good. For a wildlife garden, you need to introduce plants that will attract creatures as well as being ornamental or beneficial. For example, if you enjoy birds, then you must lure them into your garden by growing plants that both give you pleasure and provide the birds with food in the form of berries, nuts, seeds or flowers.
Butterflies, bees and bugs
It has been said that butterflies, bees and a vast range of ‘bugs’ are the prime movers of our eco-systems, and that without them our gardens would come to a standstill. You might not like aphids (also known as greenfly and blackfly), but when you see ants systematically ‘farming’ aphids, and small birds eating aphids, you will begin to see that even the much-hated aphid has its place in the greater scheme of things.
First steps
How can I attract wildlife to my garden?
Once you have established a basic layout – a pond, a variety of shrubs, ground cover, grasses, trees (if space allows), and a selection of nesting boxes – to attract a broad range of wildlife, you need to decide what you specifically want to attract, and shape up the garden accordingly. For example, if you particularly like hedgehogs, find out what they need in the way of shelter and food, and make sure your garden can supply those needs.
Frogs do not need water all year round, but a pond will attract them in the breeding season and they will then probably stay.
There is nothing nicer than a garden full of butterflies on a sunny day. Plants such as buddleia are like magnets for them.
Bees and other insects will pollinate your flowers as well as providing food for birds and other creatures, so encourage them.
Wild meadows, especially if they are low-lying, provide a year-round habitat for a broad range of creatures. Bramble patches also make safe, impenetrable homes for birds, mice, rabbits and larger mammals such as badgers and foxes.
Water gardens are an absolute haven for many types of wildlife, from sparkling damselflies to graceful birds and amphibians.
POSITIVE PLANNING
Positive neglect
An easy option is just to let a part of your garden run wild and go back to nature. Such an area will soon become overrun with the ‘unwanted’ plants that are common to your area – such as nettles, docks and wild grasses – but they will also become a haven for wildlife. These wild corners also become ‘jungles’ for your children to play in – great places to build camps and hideaways, and to see nature close up.
Entrance to wild garden
Creating wildlife food chains
Nuts
Berries
Seeds
The wonderful thing about a wildlife garden is the fact that everything you plant will start off a food chain. Squirrels, mice and birds will feed on nuts and seeds; harvest mice particularly like berries; rabbits eat grasses and nuts. Therefore, once you have planted species that produce nuts, berries and seeds, and once the year-round growing, flowering and fruiting cycle associated with these plants is established, these areas will become home to insects, worms, slugs and snails, and these will in turn attract the larger creatures, including badgers, foxes and moles. You might not particularly want gnats, slugs and bugs, but these difficult-to-like creatures will in turn attract snakes, badgers and birds – all the creatures that most of us want in our wildlife gardens.
Wild water gardens
A small ‘natural’ pond – it need be no more than a little hole in the ground filled with water – will soon become a haven for all manner of insects, aquatic plants, frogs, toads and newts. This type of pond will soon become a back-to-nature playground for the whole family to enjoy. You can either introduce plants and fish or sit back and let native wildlife take over. If you introduce fish, however, they will eat other pondlife (see page 26).
A small, natural pond quickly attracts wildlife
Log piles
In times past, when there were large areas of forest and woodland, there were huge supplies of tree stumps and decaying wood that gave a home to wildlife. Some beetles lay their eggs in rotten wood, there are grubs that eat wood, there are wasps that nest in decaying wood, slugs and snails that live under old logs, and vast numbers of worms, ants, centipedes, beetles and bugs that need to live in, on, under or near decaying wood. To recreate this habitat, pile up some logs and let them slowly decay.
HEDGES
A garden hedge is a great option for wildlife. A good, solid, traditional mixed hedge of hawthorn, box and dog rose makes the perfect sheltered place for wildlife to thrive. Birds will nest and eat the berries and bugs, hedgehogs and mice will live and feed in its shelter, snakes, lizards, frogs and toads will be encouraged by its cover and by the food source, butterflies will shelter and feed in its cover, and so on.
Hawthorn, Dog Rose and Box
HEDGING GUIDE
• Buxus sempervirens (Box) – Plant 1.5 m (5 ft) apart in autumn.
• Crataegus monogyna (Hawthorn) – Plant 45 cm (18 in) apart in autumn.
• Hedera spp. (Ivy) – Just let it grow in with the hedge; it is good for butterflies, birds, mice and ants.
• Ilex spp. (Holly) – Plant 60 cm (2 ft) apart in late summer or early autumn to provide nesting sites.
• Ligustrum spp. (Privet) – Plant 30 cm (1 ft) apart at any time of year to provide good cover for small birds.
• Rosa canina (Dog Rose) – Grow as part of a mixed hedge.
A town garden
Is my town garden too small?
A small town garden might not be a good haven for large animals, but it will attract everything from mice, moles, frogs and toads through to dozens of different types of birds and thousands of minute insects and grubs. It is often said that ‘small is beautiful’, and many of the tiny creatures that you will find in your garden lead fascinating and mysterious lives that, as yet, we know very little about. Who knows what might be lurking at the bottom of your garden?
KEY FEATURES OF A TOWN WILDLIFE GARDEN
A small balcony garden packed with flowering plants will provide a haven for all manner of birds and insects.
You can maximize your garden’s wildlife potential by filling every nook and corner with plants and structures.
The more berry- and seed-bearing plants you include, the more creatures will come into the garden for food. Try to leave small piles of debris to give home to insects.
Even the smallest water feature will provide a home for wild creatures.
WATER FEATURES
Dry, barren gardens work for some creatures in some areas of the world, but if you really want to increase your wildlife options (the diversity of the creatures) then you need water – a sump or a half-barrel filled with water, for example, or a pond. While a little natural-looking wild pond hidden away in a well-planted corner is likely to be the best option, even the smallest of water features will do. If you have doubts about this, just fill a bucket with water and leave it in the garden for a couple of weeks. By then it will be alive with minute insects and larvae, and if you keep looking long enough you will spot all manner of larger creatures coming in for a drink and a feast.
PLANTS FOR FOOD
Wildlife gardens are, from the animals’ and insects’ point of view, primarily about shelter and food. The more shelter and food you provide, the more creatures will come in. Start by planting species that will provide birds with food in the winter. The cycle goes something like this: you plant a good range of berry- and seed-bearing plants (ones that are common in your area), the birds come in to feed, leaves and pips fall, mice and other small mammals feed on the debris, smaller insects and worms feed on the waste, and so on.
DESIGNS
Design for a town orchard meadow garden
You might only have a long narrow garden with a few trees, a formal pond at one end, and a neatly tailored central lawn, but it does not have to be like that. This long, narrow town garden draws inspiration from the traditional orchard meadow. The important ingredients here are the fruit trees, the long grass with meadow flowers to the side, a bark-covered area for sitting, large logs, and a small natural-looking pond surrounded by irises. Mow paths through the grass and plant the pond with native or other species.
Design for a traditional cottage garden
Build the basic features into the design – the well or pond, the lawn, the vegetable area and so on – and then cram in as many plants as possible. The vegetable beds may look a bit scruffy and there may be weeds at the back of the borders, but just think how the plant debris is going to bring in insects, worms, bugs, beetles and birds.
HINTS AND TIPS
• You could reduce the mown lawn to a minimum, so as to maximize the size of the more fruitful borders.
• Leave a space behind the trees that is big enough for a good-sized compost heap.
• Remember that wild creatures need good cover so that they can move freely from one area to another.
• Even the smallest of ponds will support wildlife; for example, we have a sump pond about 1 m (3½ ft) square that is full of newts.
• Leave a layer of debris – cabbage leaves, fallen fruit, hedge clippings – in one corner of the garden to encourage small creatures to take up residence.
• Put up a feeding table, and one or two nesting boxes.
• Allow fallen fruit to rot down where it falls.
• Leave small untidy areas so that creatures can safely exist without being disturbed.
• Even the smallest water feature will give a home to a variety of wild creatures.
A country garden
What can I expect to see?
As you might guess, a garden located in the countryside will attract a greater range of wildlife than one in the middle of a town. The type of creatures you are likely to see, however, will depend upon the precise location of your rural retreat. In addition to the locally common species of birds, insects and mammals, you might be lucky enough to encounter more ‘exotic’ animals such as snakes, foxes, deer and wildcats.
HEDGES
A good solid mixed hedge is essential, planted with as many different species as possible (see page 5). A hedge of this character will provide a whole range of creatures with shelter and food. Ideally, the hedge needs to ring and/or intersect your property and link to your neighbours, so that creatures have a corridor, a sort of unbroken belt that allows them to move safely from one area to another – from meadows to woodland, woodland to wetlands, and so on.
