Down to Earth: Make your garden a haven for wildlife
“Make wildlife at home in your world and your world will feel more like home.” So writes Cambridge garden designer Robert Barker
My wife and I have always shared an interest in wildlife so our children are used to being dragged around nature reserves, which you would think would translate into them both being deeply interested in nature, but the truth is they had shown very little signs of interest until randomly this year.
My son, who is 8 years old, in particular has turned into a keen birdwatcher and has even posted onto our fridge a list of new birds he has seen this year (a birding 2024 ‘hit list’). In an attempt to encourage this interest, we have upped our game with new bird feeders to go along with the already wildlife-friendly rear garden and wildflower meadow in the front garden - after all, where else can you get so close to nature other than in our own garden spaces?
It never ceases to amaze me that no matter your location, from suburbia to even an urban concrete jungle, wildlife will come and pay a visit if encouraged. Before I embarked on studying garden design and horticulture, I worked as a concierge in a very luxurious building in Kensington.
My wife and I lived in a small flat on the roof as part of my wage, which was wonderful at the start. In my late 20s, my wife and I had an amazing time living a city life, but as the years went by, I soon longed for open spaces, rivers and greenery.
Out of sheer desperation to be connected to nature, I bought lots of terracotta pots and filled them with lavender, ornamental grasses and nepetas and set them out on the roof. Within moments a solitary bee arrived and I breathed out a sigh of relief.
Once I learnt to pay closer attention to wildlife I started seeing all sorts of things. To this day I still remember the sight of a jay arriving on the roof (clearly lost as the opportunity to gather or store acorns on a felt roof are rather rare). At the time it looked like the most beautiful and exotic wild bird.
With our Kensington days well and truly behind us, each evening my son now sits by the window in our Cambridgeshire home and lets out an excited gasp at the sight of every blue tit, starling or black bird that visits our garden.
In his eyes, nature is still full of wonder; if only we all saw it that way. Make wildlife at home in your world and your world will feel more like home. If you build it, they most definitely will come.
* See robertbarkerdesign.com for more.
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Robert Barker