Create an eco – friendly garden

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An eco and wildlife friendly garden is all about working with nature, not against it. It’s important to choose the right type of landscaping materials and plants to create a low maintenance garden that will encourage native wildlife such as birds, beneficial insects and small mammals.

Design and Landscape

  • Natural materials
  • Flowering plants to encourage pollinators
  • Use recycled materials – reclaimed sleepers to create borders and raised beds. Tin baths and buckets as planters (make sure you drill drainage holes before planting).
  • Areas to attract wildlife e.g. rockeries, log piles, hedgehog boxes, “bug hotels”, water features, bird boxes, compost area.
  • Gravel gardens (a great option for a low maintenance garden)
  • Create a gravel garden for drainage
  • Use drought tolerant plants
  • Plant trees to reduce CO2 emissions
  • Have a system to collect rain water in place

Which plants to use?

  • Use drought tolerant plants
  • Plants to attract pollinators and wildlife – choose berry producing plants and trees such as Hawthorn. Plants with ‘open faces’ and bright blooms for bees.
  • Plant Trees – a single tree (up to the age of 40yrs old) can absorb 21kg of carbon emissions.
  • Use hedging to create screening as this will provide shelter for birds and nesting sites.
  • Don’t forget about spring flowering plants – these also provide a good source of nectar.
Rosemary
Late and long flowering Verbena bonariensis
Flowing Stipa grass – great for a sensory experience, sound & touch

Attract more bees

  • Replace some of your lawn with flowering plants (British wildflowers would be best).
  • Observe the plants that bees particularly enjoy in your garden and in the local area.
  • Clumps of bee-friendly plants, planted in sunny positions are more attractive to bees than scattered or shady spots.
  • Large shrubs and trees are a vital food source as well. According to the National Garden Scheme five established winter/early spring flowering trees supply a similar amount of pollen and nectar as an acre of meadow.

Things to avoid

  • Peat compost – digging up peat bogs causes devastation for natural landscapes and native wildlife. We stock peat free multi-purpose compost <shop now>
  • Artificial materials

Create a meadow style, wild garden

For larger projects, our Creative Landscape design and build team can help you create a low maintenance gravel garden.

Contact us by email or call to discuss on Tel: 0118 934 1500