Save the Bees - How to create a wildlife-friendly garden! 🌷

One of my first blogs addressed the ban of plastic straws, and how to actually save the environment - so I thought I'd go more in-depth on the topic, and talk about... 🐝🐝🐝!

Bees are key for the sustenance of our ecosystem: pollination is needed for plants to reproduce, and so many species are dependent on bees for survival.

But bees, like many other common garden species, are becoming endangered - and we all know what will happen when bees die out... ahem, Bee Movie.

So, here's 4 ways to create a more nature-friendly garden!

Compost Heap

Having a compost heap is a win-win for your garden - it can provide a habitat for all kinds of insects, whilst also enriching your soil.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that garden trimmings and food scraps make up ~27% of all solid waste in the United States: composting keeps this waste out of landfills.

Composting also reduces the need for synthetic chemical fertilisers, and increases the yield of crops.

But, how on earth do you actually create a compost heap?

Easy! You can get an outdoor compost bin, or, if you have limited space, small composting containers are perfect.
Most fruit- or vegetable-based food scraps can be used to make compost, as well as eggshells, leftover pasta or rice, nuts and bread.

As well as food, you can throw in some grass cuttings, twigs and leaves, weeds and cardboard.

Just throw all these things into your compost pot, and the bacteria and microbes responsible for decomposition will do the hard work!

• When creating your compost heap, don't add meat or bones, or fatty foods (such as cheese and whole eggs). These will cause your pile to smell bad, and attract unwanted pests.

• Furthermore, using manure is advised against, especially if the compost will be used for growing vegetables.

Pond

Ponds will attract an array of exciting, waterborne wildlife, such as fish, tadpoles, toads and dragonflies - it's the perfect way for a richer ecosystem, and all in your back yard too!

As well as creating a habitat, a pond can add interest to a landscape, giving it a more pleasing visual aesthetic. The presence of water provides a more calming atmosphere; if you have children, learning about pond species and watching them grow can be educational as well as entertaining.

Creating space for a pond is simple: you can dig up a small section at the back of your garden, or buy a man-made tub for your amphibian wildlife.

And if you're thinking that a pond isn't fashionable enough for you, you can always decorate with rocks, flowers, lights, or even a mini waterfall! The possibilities are endless, both for your garden, and for the species that thrive within it!

Let it grow!

Weeds
Don't stress about weeds - let daisies, buttercups and foxgloves flourish, as they are some of the best plants for pollinating insects, and they keep your garden looking natural and colourful.
Bees love dandelions, so let them flower, and then cut them just before they turn into seed heads.

Hedges
Try to avoid cutting your hedges until winter, so that you don't disturb nesting birds or animals.

Flowers
Variety is the spice of life, and having lots of different types of flowers will attract species that you may not already have in your garden.

Lawn
If possible, don't mow your lawn too often during the summer, as long grass is really important for butterflies to lay eggs in.

Say no to Pesticides

Pesticides are extremely harmful to animals, so using them will damage your garden's ecosystem more than they'll help it.

Whilst researching for my blog, I found a link to an extremely informative blog post on why we should avoid pesticides;

http://www.honeyandroots.com/blog/2017/6/16/why-we-should-avoid-pesticides

To summarise, Ask-Henriksen says that pesticides can - and do - affect human health, as well as the health of soil and insects.

Organic food (crops grown without the use of pesticides or chemicals) has proven healthier than non-organic food, being higher in antioxidants and lower in toxic metals and pesticides.

So, throw away those pesky chemicals, and start a compost heap!

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I hope this post has inspired you to give the bees a helping hand - feel free to comment how you've changed your garden to make it a wildlife haven!

- R