Creating an informal wildlife pond with shallow margins, lining it with a pond liner and adding a pebble beach will provide the ideal habitat for many displaced creatures.

We are all aware of the fact there is increasing demand on land for housing and industry as well as for agriculture. It is for this reason that gardens are becoming an important refuge for wildlife. Creatures who inhabit woodland, wetland and meadows are all under increasing threat. To help nature you can plan, plant and manage a garden especially for the benefit of wildlife. By attracting wildlife into your garden, you also create a peaceful and restful place for you to sit and listen to the sounds of nature (my daughter and I sat out doors one evening in silence and were amazed at how many different sounds we could here – the orchestra of nature!)

A successful wildlife garden is one which replicates the habitats found in nature. To mimic a small piece of woodland, plant a tree, native shrubs and ground cover such as wildflowers.

Make a pond to recreate a wetland habitat and surround it with native plants. Extend this into your garden by adding bat boxes, hedgehog feeding stations, bug boxes, nectar rich plants for bees and butterflies such as Buddleia and lavenders. Refer to an earlier blog entry ‘ Add pond to make garden wildlife friendly’.

An important tip when creating a pond in a wildlife habitat garden is to ensure that at least one side of the pond has a gently sloping edge so that wildlife can enter and exit the water with ease. It is also advisable to cover the edging of the pond liner to protect it from possible damage by birds beaks or claws of a visiting badger or fox. Love your habitat garden!