Bradford Urban Wildlife Group
Bradford Urban Wildlife Group
recording, observing and protecting Bradford wildlife & habitats
Tips for wildlife gardening
‘Gardening with nature, for nature’ was the subject of a talk by Alistair Taylor – and that means more than just planting buddleia!
Alistair, formerly head of Landscape Architecture at the old Leeds Polytechnic, gave a fascinating talk outlining both his lifelong interest in nature and offering tips for sustainable gardening based on academic research.
He pointed to an RHS survey of gardeners’ attitudes to nature which found that many did try to garden for nature and wanted to do more. But Alistair commented that including a buddleia was probably the extent of it for many gardeners – even he had planted one!
He highlighted the findings of the BUGS (Biodiversity in Urban Gardens) research conducted in Sheffield, and also shared research from the University of Sussex which revealed that butterflies were more attracted to Lavandula x. intermedia lavender than to other types, such as English or French lavender.
Other points included:
- size of garden is less important than plant diversity – even a very small plot can be productive;
- let some grass grow;
- provide year-round nectar sources;
- aim to have a variety of plant heights, up to tree level;
- gardens do not need to look wild to be good for wildlife - there are probably enough nettles in your neighbour’s garden to serve butterflies;
- 99.99% of wildlife in the garden is invertebrate.
Brought up in Devon, Alistair had a primary school teacher who sparked his interest in nature thanks to a nature table – and prizes of a penny for the first of any species brought into class. In his talk, he pondered the disconnect between children and nature today, which he found a cause for concern.
Alistair outlined in brief his career studying and then teaching landscape architecture, coming to realise that in nature, very subtle changes to an environment can have a major impact.
For the future, Alistair pointed to an RHS study due to be published this year which has been looking at the impact on invertebrates of native against non-native planting. He also highlighted work at Reading University to develop grass-free lawns.