How your garden can help wildlife this winter

With the colder months just around the corner, find out what you can do in your garden to help wildlife. With some garden inspiration from our past Shows, you’re sure to have plenty of ideas for your plot. 

We’d like to thanks our friends at BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine for help with the useful tips and advice below!

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Habitat piles

Use logs, twigs, pots, leaves and other garden debris to create a habitat pile for wildlife looking for somewhere to bed down for the winter. Choose somewhere out of the way that will be undisturbed. Dry areas make great places for insects and mammals, while damp areas will attract amphibians.

BBC Gardeners' World Live (15th - 17th June 2022)
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Time to put away the bee hotel

If you put up a bee hotel in the spring or summer, make sure to take it down in the winter months and pop it in a shed or dry place, to avoid damp conditions which could put any bees nesting inside at risk of fungal infections. Don’t bring your bee hotel into the house as the warmth may wake up your nesting bees early! You can put the bee hotel back up in March when the weather is warmer.

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Beautiful Border
To anchor a Wild World
Through the eyes of a child with Autism
Angie Tolley The Barefoot Gardener Uk

Mulch, mulch, mulch!

Here at BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, we love a Beautiful Border. Make sure to mulch your borders – collect leaves each autumn to use as mulch the following year. This replicates the natural cycles of a woodland floor, increases worm activity in the soil, and provides shelter for centipedes and beetles. 

Help the birds

As well as stocking up bird feeders with fat balls, peanuts, seeds and more, you could also try making your own helpful nesting supply. Using a bird feeder, stuff nesting wool, cones, twigs, leaves, grass clippings, straw, moss and more. 

Garden Organics Small Space Big Ideas Garden
Designed by Emma ONeill and Chris Collins

Create your own water feature

Having a source of water in the garden is a great way to encourage all sorts of wildlife to your garden, throughout the year. You can find out how to create your own naturalistic pond here. Or, why not try creating a smaller water feature, using a large ceramic bowl or perhaps an upcycled basin to create a small area for wildlife to flourish, or for birds to bathe. 

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Feeling inspired? Explore the gallery below where we’ve put together a collection of wildlife friendly garden inspiration from our past Beautiful Borders and Show Gardens from the shows…

New year, new garden, new trends!

We’re through the garden gate into 2023, with a host of gardening trends blooming throughout the country. From house plants reaching dizzying heights of popularity, to the colour of the year ‘Viva Magenta’, read on for our full list of trends.

To get up close and personal with fresh garden inspiration, new plants, the latest gardening kit and more, join us in 2023.

Colour of the Year 2023

Hand-picked by Pantone, the colour of the year has been named as ‘Viva Magenta. 

Pantone describe the colour as ‘brave and fearless, and a pulsating colour whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration, writing a new narrative.’

Discover a world of colour and scent in the stunning Floral Marquee,  bursting with award-winning nurseries and display.

Sustainable gardening

Whilst your garden might seem to already be very green, it can always be greener!

Discover ways you can make gardening more sustainable, like upcycling common items to make stylish features. What was a pallet, hessian bags, bits of pipe, and tin cans, could become a planter, grow bags, water features, and wildlife habitats.

Be inspired by the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine editorial team as they’re joined by experts to give tips and advice.

Grow your own food

Looking to go from soil to supper this year? Get brilliant advice from the National Allotment Society at the event.

Peat-free gardening

Learn about the latest peat-free compost from exhibitors who can offer face-to-face advice.

Indoor gardening

Foliage doesn’t just belong outside – bring nature indoors and be inspired by the Houseplant Hub.

Mindful gardening

Beautiful Borders returns with this year’s theme ‘My Garden Escape’ to give you space savvy ideas.

Gardening on a budget

Discover different ways you can let your garden bloom under a tighter budget, with advice from expert gardeners.

Fermented foods

Visit the BBC Good Food Summer Show (with free entry with your ticket!) and discover the latest foodie trends.

Feeling inspired? Find out what else is happening at BBC Gardeners’ World Live this June!