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Feed feathered friends -

Encourage birds into you garden by giving them food. Purchase a bird table or a feeder and entice feathered friends with tasty snacks. Remember to keep tabletops and feeders clean to prevent the spread of disease.

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Bird food -

Seeds such as nyjer seeds are rich in fat and adored by finches. House sparrows love sunflower seeds. Mealworms are a treat in spring when parents are busy looking for insects to feed their young. Breadcrumbs work wonders as a quick snack.

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Walk on the wild side -

Love hedgehogs? These cute, spiny mammals are usually nocturnal and like nothing better than to explore their surroundings after dark. But first they need to find a way in to the garden.

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Create a hedgehog run -

You can help these friendly but threatened hogs by creating a nature corridor: a gap in the fence or wall that hedgehogs and other wildlife can squeeze through. 

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Do-it-yourself beehive -

Help solitary bees find a home. These guys make their nests on their own, in tunnels of dead wood or hard soil. This is where they lay their eggs.

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Bed and breakfast for bees -

You can easily build a bee B&B. Take a large plastic bottle, chop the end off, and fill with bamboo cane. Five-star luxury! Alternatively, drill several deep holes in a log and watch what happens. Property is all about location, location, location, so make sure you "build" on a sunny patch!

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Cultivate a wilderness area -

It’s all too easy to mow the lawn and trim back flowers after they’ve died. But resist the temptation. Small mammals love a walk on the wild side.

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Let it grow -

Let parts of your lawn grow, and leave dead flowers to go to seed. Birds such as goldfinches will appreciate the extra bounty, and here’s the thing: seed heads look so much more attractive than bare earth!

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House and home -

If you’re serious about turning your garden into a wildlife-friendly zone, then a nest box is a must.

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Nest box -

Depending on the size of the garden, consider putting up two or three boxes, attached to trees. No garden? No problem! You can easily attach a nest box to the wall of your house. The higher off the ground, the better.

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Homes for hogs -

Dense undergrowth and varying lengths of grass encourage hedgehogs to nest.

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Food supply -

Your friendly neighborhood hog will settle in quickly if there are plenty of slugs, snails, and bugs to feast on.

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Pond life -

Ever thought of creating a pond in your garden? Quite apart from providing fish with a welcome sanctuary, a small pond can attract frogs, newts, and dragonflies. Indeed, a pond gives all sorts of wildlife a place to drink and bathe.

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Create a pond -

Creating a garden pond doesn’t have to be an expensive, custom-built effort. Sink an old washing up bowl or even a discarded bathtub into the ground and you have the makings of a fantastic outdoor water feature.

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Make frogs and toads feel welcome -

Frogs love water, but they also require moist, shady conditions and a cool atmosphere to keep their skin in optimum condition. Toads, too, appreciate damp, sheltered hangouts.

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Go underground -

Why not create a toad abode by digging a narrow hole in the ground and furnishing it with a mix of soil, rubble, leaves, and twigs? Make it at least 30 cm (12 in) deep so that the amphibious homeowners can create an underground maze.

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Look after the creepy-crawlies -

Bugs and creepy-crawlies are essential green keepers, and perform important roles in your garden. Don’t get rid of them. Instead, encourage their presence by building a luxury bug hotel.

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Build a bug hotel -

Wooden pallets, old bricks, broken masonry, twigs, straw, and hay can all be used to construct a property that insects can check into. Top it off with old roof tiles to keep it dry.

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Creative borders -

Garden walls and fences needn’t be drab and boring to look at. Use climbing plants such as ivy and honeysuckle, for example, to brighten up their appearance.

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Fill up with foliage -

Enhancing borders with plenty of foliage also provides food and shelter for a wealth of wildlife.

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Get growing -

Embroidering your garden with a tree or a bush that produces fruit, berries, or blossom provides a rich source of nourishment for insects and birds.

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Added protection -

Trees and shrubs also provide cover for small animals, and protect numerous species from the elements.

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Flower power -

Choose flower species that will take you through early spring to late autumn. This way your garden will be carpeted with colorful blossoms almost year round. But that's not all...

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Pollen and nectar -

Flowers not only enhance a garden's aesthetic appeal: they are an important source of pollen and nectar for bees and butterflies too.

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Composting is cool -

Don't throw away those fruit and vegetable peelings. Uncooked kitchen scraps make ideal compost, and attract a host of different wildlife.

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Waste not, want not -

Deposit everything in a garden compost container to hold it all while it decays.

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Go batty -

It's not only birds that appreciate somewhere safe to sleep and raise a family. Bats too like to hang out in a ready-made shelter.

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Build a bat box -

Bat boxes should be erected near a sheltered position such as under the eves of a house, or on the trunk of a large tree, preferably away from bright lights.

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Create a log pile -

A pile of dead wood in a shady area makes a wonderful habitat for all sorts of small mammals, amphibians, and insects.

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Natural wood only -

Remember to only use non-painted and non-stained wood. A natural surface is also likely to encourage the growth of fungi.

See also: Beautiful wildlife driven to extinction

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