Spring is now well underway in Essex, we are seeing the trees turn green and flowers bloom once again. With this explosion of colour, our ears have also started to pick up the buzzing of little wings and songs of birds.  

We want to encourage our wildlife friends to thrive across Essex, including in our gardens. This national garden week, we want to encourage everyone to keep wildlife in mind when working in their gardens.

Make a butterfly and bee bath  

Pollination is thirsty work, and as it gets hotter, bees and butterflies appreciate a break from their important job. A shallow dish with different shaped stones and just enough water in it makes the perfect place for them to cool off. 

Using different shapes and sized stones is important as it help bees and butterflies perch safely on the stones so they can dip in when they need to. Bees and butterflies don’t do well when they get wet, so this is why it’s important that the water isn’t too deep.  

Change the water every 2-3 days so that they have a fresh supply, just rinse the dish with water and refill, no need to get the dish soap involved.  

Plant pollinator and bug friendly, native flowers 

Flowers native to Britain gives the best support to invertebrates and pollinators. We recommend trying to plant species native, or near native (meaning from the northern hemisphere) to best support a wide variety of tiny wildlife. This is backed up by research done by the RHS. This tiny wildlife will support birds and mammals that will also call your garden home.  

The most environmentally friendly way to plant is to grow your flowers from seeds if you can. We recommend these to get you started: 

• Common mallow 

• Primrose

• Birds-foot trefoil  

• Red valerian

Plant at different heights 

Growing plants which will reach different heights is a great way of encouraging wildlife to come and explore. Taller flowers and flowering trees will be great for our flying friends. Whereas low, bushy plants make great hiding places for small mammals and climbing spots for caterpillars.  

Make or buy a bug hotel 

Bug hotels are a fantastic way to support solitary bees, lacewings, spiders and ladybirds. They are also a safe space for insects to hibernate over the winter.  

We sell amazing bug hotels in our nature discovery centres at a range of different sizes and prices, so there is something for everyone. Or you could make one yourself, using hollow stems, pinecones and some wood – we have a blog with simple to follow instructions for making your own bug or bee hotel here.  

Have patience 

It takes a long time for a garden to become established enough for wildlife to flourish. There are lots of things you can do to help get it started, but it might be a year or two before you have an abundance of wildlife hovering over your perennials. Your garden is an ever-evolving landscape, and as long as you have made an effort to give wildlife an open invitation to your space – they will come along at their own pace. 

We just went through a few ideas in this blog to celebrate national garden week, our website is full of more ideas to help you make your garden more friendly to our local wildlife.