Although you might have heard a fair bit about wildlife gardening and thought that you needed a messy garden, this simply isn't true. Sure, it helps to have messy garden with piles of leaves, sticks and compost, however you don't have to if you don't want to. You can try and find a balance.It's better to try something than to not try at all. There are plenty of ideas and tips, you just need to find them and determine how you can incorporate them into your garden plans.
Bird Baths - First of all, birds love to have access to clean fresh water. A lot of people will put food out for birds but often they will forget about the importance of water. Birds need access to a good supply of water every day, no matter whether it's in the summer or in the winter. Therefore a nice bird bath will be an idea ornamental addition to your garden and it's also great for the birds.
Have a look at the types of bird bath on the market and you will see that there's something to suit all tastes. Solar powered bird bath fountains can even be bought which are great for keeping the water fresh and stops it from stagnating.
In the winter make sure that the water doesn't freeze up. Some people claim that adding a ball to the water stops it from freezing up completely. Whatever you don't add chemicals to the water such as anti-freeze. It might be good for your car but it's very much poisonous to birds and other animals.
Ponds - A pond is also a great addition to a garden because it's great for birds and also frogs, toads, butterflies and a huge range of insects. Of course, if you have kids then you will need to make sure you have safety in mind because children can easily drown in a pond.
Bird Boxes - Bird boxes are also items that can be functional and ornamental at the same time. They can be beautifully designed and you might even commission a local crafter to build you one. Bear in mind that the different birds have different needs when it comes to bird boxes so do your research on what birds you want to attract. For instance, sparrows like to nest in groups so you should either build a large nesting box for a number of pairs to nest in. Or you can group individual boxes together.
Ornamental Plants - Plants of course are much needed in a garden of any kind. Wildlife absolutely loves plants for different reasons. Butterflies love the nectar they get from the flowers and the birds love to eat the berries and fruit. So when choosing your plants, try to buy a variety of them so that you can offer the wildlife a variety.
Rotting Wood - As mentioned before, many people think that wildlife gardens need to be messy. They say that if you have tree stumps in the garden you should leave them because they will rot down. Insect love rotting wood and the birds love to eat the insects. This is the major problem with removing tree stumps from your garden.
However if you leave the stumps where they are you might find it difficult to plant new trees. If you take the stumps away you might want to compensate for this in other ways. You can get logs and then grow mushrooms on them. There are some very ornamental muchrooms that you can grow such as Indian Oyster. They are also suitable for eating which will be great if you want to impress friends.
