One of our biggest passions here at DJA Plants is wildlife and this is probably what has led us to grow plants. Our native wildlife doesn’t need our help, it needs us to help to protect and encourage the natural environment all around us so that it can get on with what it does best and that is survival.
I have always been fascinated by animals and like many people put a lot of focus and emphasis on how we can save and protect our native, birds, bees, mammals and amphibians. However the simple truth is that they don’t need us to anything more difficult than stop polluting, reduce and reuse what we already have and to generally care for the environment (plants) that surround us and them. Domestic Gardens make up some of the largest expanses of green space in the UK and if we simply make them inviting the wildlife, it will come and it will thrive. When we moved in to our current home 5 years ago it was a square patch of grass with a few overgrown shrubs and paving stones all around. There was a little wildlife here and there but the garden was mostly devoid of life and movement. Over the years we dug out wide boarders and filled them full of flowering shrubs and beneficial plants such as Mahonia, Cornus, Verbena, Echium and Ivy. I wanted full borders with large and colourful herbaceous plants such as Alliums, Primrose, Echinacea, Rudbeckia, Foxglove, Cosmos and so many more. This type of planting does come with some pitfalls for the wildlife, because it mostly dies back in the winter, so I make up for this by trying to ensure that there is always something in flower, plenty of evergreen shrubs and leaving dried stalks of the herbaceous plants up until well into spring. Now all year round our garden is abound with life buzzing, hopping and chirping away and although it is a busy and bustling space it is one of the most relaxing places I can be in.
If you want to delve deeper how to create a wildlife friendly garden why not get a copy of our Gardening for Wildlife Guide
or
send us a message and have a chat with us about how we can help you to make your garden a more inviting space for nature.
