The best plants for bees and pollinators
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Set up a ‘nectar café’ by planting flowers for pollinating insects like bees and butterflies
In spring, birds begin to choose the best places to build nests and raise their young. If you’re lucky, one of these spots may well be in a tree, hedge or bush in your garden. As they set-up home, it’s best to try to disturb them as little as possible, and even give them a helping hand along the way!
Top tips for helping nesting birds:
- Plant a mix of native trees, hedges and large shrubs in your garden to provide shelter and safe perches for birds.
- Avoid disturbing any critters you have in your garden by trimming your hedges and shrubs in autumn and not spring.
- Prepare your garden for migratory birds in spring by setting a bird-feeding station, complete with a bowl of water. Different types of food and perches or hangers will attract different species: find out more about how to feed the birds in your garden.
- Try to keep cats and dogs away from nesting birds. If possible, provide tall trees or hard-to-reach bushes for birds to safely settle in.
Suggested plants:
- Blackthorn - Prunus spinosa
- Common Beech - Fagus sylvatica
- Common Hawthorn - Crataegus monogyna
- Crab Apple - Malus sylvestris
- Field Maple - Acer campestre
- Guelder Rose - Viburnum opulus
- Hazel - Corylus avellana
- Holly - Ilex aquifolium
- Ivy - Hedera helix
- Rowan - Sorbus aucuparia
- Silver Birch - Betula pendula
- Spindle - Euonymus europaeus
More ways you can help wildlife
How to clean nestboxes and bird feeders
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Nestboxes can harbour parasites so it is good practice to take them down at the end of the season and give them a clean. Likewise it is important to keep bird feeders clean to stop the spread of diseases.
Recycle and reuse
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Recycle, upcycle - and make do and mend! Production of household waste needs to decrease by 33% by 2037 to reach emissions targets. So get out that needle and thread!
Do a litter pick or beach clean!
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Be a wildlife saviour and do a litter pick or beach clean!
How to make a hedge for wildlife
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Hedges provide important shelter and protection for wildlife, particularly nesting birds and hibernating insects.
How to build a swift box
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Swifts like to leave their nests by dropping into the air from the entrance. This is why they often choose to set up camp in the eaves of buildings. If you have a wall that's at least five metres tall, with a clear flyway in front, then installing a swift…