March 2021
Gardens can be diverse havens for wildlife. I sometimes cringe a little when I watch garden makeover programmes that completely and expensively, blitz what is already there. Similarly, when I walk past some local gardens and see them as sterile concrete or tarmac surfaces.
Added together, the gardens of England must make up thousands of hectares. However, each one is probably only about 100 square metres on average. That is, about 10 x 10 metres. There are over 27 million households in England. The majority of houses will have some kind of garden. 1 in 8 households have no garden, the remaining 7 in 8 do. Each one of those can provide some kind of home for nature. In order to do something to counter climate change, it is only necessary to grow green plants. The greater the area covered the better. If there are 7 metres between a building and the garden perimeter, consider planting a hedge punctuated with a tree rather than having a fence (which will eventually decay anyway). A tree in the garden will guarantee birds. Grow cabbages, potatoes, spinach or other vegetable or fruit if you wish to produce food. Plant a native evergreen shrub such as box Buxus sempervirens, which will make oxygen and fix carbon all year round. The darker the leaves, the more photosynthesis your plant will do. Whatever you plant, prefer plants native to the country you live in.
Making ponds is also excellent as they are homes for frogs, newts water beetles and much more. Natural ponds are usually temporary as they silt up in time. New ponds will soon be colonised by water creatures, but please do not put fish in them as they eat the water creatures seeking a home, especially tadpoles. Limit restoring ponds to August.
I find it is best to manage the garden slowly. Work gradually with what exists already and let the garden evolve with time and inspiration. Culture a wild area where plants and animals colonise naturally. Pave with bricks (as bricks allow drainage) a suitably sized, sunny area to sit with a small table and chairs to take refreshments and watch nature. Create your own garden of Eden, feed the birds, compost green waste. Watch how the biodiversity of your patch increases. It is so rewarding!