Wildlife in your garden
Your garden is probably the best place to see wildlife in the borough
Gardens are a carefully laid out collection of ‘domesticated’ plants which is often essential for birds, butterflies, amphibians and many other types of wildlife.
We believe gardens could be developed better to benefit all types of wildlife.
Wildlife gardening brings an extra dimension of beauty to any space and helps us and our children discover the world of wildlife that surrounds us.
Whether you own your garden or share a communal one, there are many things you can do to make your garden better for wildlife species and plants.
Make sure you:
- improve flower borders for butterflies
- add trees and shrubs to help blue tits, sparrows and other songbirds
- feed birds
- produce a ‘mini-meadow’ meadow where flowers are actually encouraged
- let some grass long for grasshoppers and other insects
- make a pond for dragonflies and frogs
- ‘Green’ the walls and fences
- avoid excess paving or decking
Please note: if your planning to erect a pergola over one meter high in your garden, you will require planning permission.
Your front garden - save it, don't pave it!
In recent years there has been a tendency to pave over front gardens to provide off-road parking spaces to create low maintenance minimalist front gardens.
Removing the soft-landscaping of lawns and flower beds and replacing them with block paving and concrete could make a street look bleak and unwelcoming.
Front gardens can make your home attractive, provide valuable wildlife habitat and even help reduce the risks of flooding.
Download our 'your front garden - save it, don't pave it' leaflet, which provides information and advice on how you can improve your front garden to encourage biodiversity.
