Most of us in Marlow are lucky enough to have gardens, and it can be surprisingly easy to make these spaces a haven for wildlife. Our local group Wild Marlow can offer lots of advice, but here are our favourite tips to help birds, animals and insects in your outdoor space, including even your windowsill if you don’t have a garden.
- Embrace messiness. even if you keep most of your garden neat and tidy, a nature corner can make a big difference to wildlife
- Put in wildlife-friendly flowers, shrubs and trees. There’s lots of guidance available on species that are great for bees, butterflies and birds
- Let the grass grow. Mowing less frequently will encourage small flowers like daisies to bloom, producing nectar for insects
- Build an insect hotel. Leave piles of rocks, twigs and rotting wood in your garden. These will create shelter for all sorts of important insects, such as beetles and spiders
- Provide a source of water! A pond is a real boost for wildlife. It doesn’t have to be huge. You can just bury a bucket.
- Make your own compost. In addition to enriching your soil this can provide habitat for species like slow worms
- Leave a gap in your fence. Hedgehogs and frogs (of which there are lots in Marlow!) will thank you for enabling them to move between gardens without having to cross road
- Plant a tree or two if you have space. Trees create valuable habitat vertically as well as horizontally, including potential nesting sites and food for birds. This winter you can even get hold of a new tree for free via Releaf Marlow’s Free Family Trees scheme
