Alan Titchmarsh has shared three tips to help gardeners protect wildlife such as robins and hedgehogs in their outdoor spaces. The professional gardener and television presenter advised stopping the use of chemical sprays, growing a wide range of plants, and not assuming only British native wildflowers are suitable.
Stop Using Sprays and Go Organic
In a video posted on Facebook by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), Titchmarsh said: “The first thing to do is to stop using sprays - start being organic. Don’t use pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, anything with the ‘cide’ on the end of it. Allow nature to take a hold and you will find a natural balance occurs.”
Grow a Wide Variety of Plants
His second tip was to grow a diverse range of plants rather than concentrating on one type in one area. “Mix things up on your veg patch, grow flowers for cutting in between your lettuces and your onions. Make sure you've got lots of different kinds of plants in your garden,” he explained.
Don't Rely Only on Native Wildflowers
Titchmarsh also dispelled the assumption that only British native wildflowers should be grown. He noted that his own garden includes both a wildflower meadow of British natives and flower borders with various plants providing pollen and nectar. “The biodiversity in the garden, the number of insect species in the garden, is greater than the number of insect species in the wildflower meadow. Worth remembering that,” he said.
UK gardens can serve as temporary homes for pollinators like bumblebees, honeybees, wasps, drone flies, ladybirds, and beetles, as well as hedgehogs, birds, and other creatures. Allowing grass to grow longer creates habitat for ground-nesting insects and retains moisture. Weeds like dandelions also provide food for emerging spring insects if not cut too early.
