6 Ways To Increase Biodiversity In Your Garden

First of all, what exactly is biodiversity?

Basically, it’s the variety of life on earth, and how this variety boosts the productivity of ecosystems (as every living being has a vital role to play in the world). We heavily rely on the delicate balance of relationships between species to keep the planet healthy and thriving. 

Considering biodiversity is highly complex, incorporating it into your garden might sound like an arduous task - but it doesn’t have to be. Simply owning a garden opens you up to this amazing opportunity to create a haven for living creatures. You owe it to yourself to make your garden a beautiful space to escape to and be with nature. Not only can it be somewhere for you to unwind but a source of food and shelter for living things as well. 

If you would like to attract pollinators like bees and butterflies, research into the types of flowers that will do so. For example, research suggests that bees prefer purple coloured flowers because they can see that colour most clearly; with that in mind, fill your garden with lavender, cornflowers, and alliums if you’d like to see lots of bees!

To maximise the potential of your garden, favour plants that bloom over a long period, and can, therefore, provide pollen and nectar for longer. Another good tactic to support wildlife is to plant a variety of flowers that bloom in different seasons. There are surprisingly plenty of flowers that bloom in winter, for example, heather, pansies, and cyclamen.

Increasing biodiversity can be as simple as just leaving your garden be. If you favour order and tidiness, then dedicate a small area to wildlife by creating a pile of sticks, dirt, dead wood, leaves, and any other natural materials. Allow nature to take over by letting weeds flourish, and grass grow tall to provide refuge for small mammals. Dead wood left in a shady area of your garden is perfect for fungi and insects (make sure that the wood is untreated). 

Ponds can be fascinating hubs of life and are great for teaching children about small creatures, plants, and algae. In an ideal world, we would all be fortunate enough to dig ponds into our gardens; however, a small container buried in the ground will do just fine if you are short for space. Giving back to the earth is all about doing the best you can with what you have.

When creating your pond, make sure to have a sloping edge for creatures to get out with ease. And if you would like to attract birds, incorporate running water into your pond, too. Introducing water lilies and other plants will prevent the water from going stagnant; this is an important maintenance task because stagnant water will encourage mosquito larvae, making it unsuitable for other wildlife.

Pesticides do a great job at killing pests, but they’re also lethal to beneficial insects, like pollinators. In fact, pesticides are even toxic to humans, and many of them have been banned. So it’s best not to use them at all!

With a little bit of research, organic gardening can be easy. If your garden has a pest problem, there are several methods to get rid of them without using chemicals, for example, spraying neem oil or soapy water.

Strong garden biodiversity will attract insects that eat garden pests, so as long as you have plenty of variety going on you shouldn’t have to worry too much about pest control!

Native plants are much easier to look after because they have adapted to the climate and soil they naturally grow in. These plants also benefit native species more so than non-native plants. Another big plus of creating a quintessentially British garden is that you are likely to have less trouble with pests! 

To get you started, a few of Britain’s native plant species include Primrose, Snake’s Head Fritillary, and Forget-me-not.

Once you have created an appealing space for wildlife, you can encourage them to stay longer by offering them a home. If you’re good with DIY then feel free to make your own birdhouse or bug/bee hotel, but they’re also available in garden centres and some supermarkets. Of course, making your own is quite rewarding and the more sustainable option as you can build them by using natural, recycled materials.

As long as you provide a home in a relatively quiet spot of your garden for wildlife, there’s a high chance that it will be put to good use.