The sun is peaking out from behind the clouds and spring is just around the corner. If you’ve already got the gardening bug, you might be thinking about what you’d like to achieve over the coming months.

If one of your plans is to create a more eco-friendly space for animals to thrive, then today’s guide is for you. We’ll give you actionable tips that will enable you to create a lush garden for critters and creatures, while providing a sanctuary for the whole family to enjoy - and all as eco-friendly as possible.

Step One: Banish Pesticides in Favour of Natural Methods

Having pests munch away at your prize lettuces can be more than a little disheartening after you’ve spent weeks sewing and tending to your plants. When the old ‘beer in an empty jar’ trick doesn’t work to rid gardeners of their slug problem, many people decide to use pesticides to ensure the job is done. Sadly these nasties night inadvertently kill off the ‘good’ insects too (bees, ladybirds, etc) plus there’s no telling what long-term effects these chemicals might have on us and our environment.

PETA (the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) offer tips for gardeners who don’t want their plants to be eaten by insects, but are also against using chemicals to harm little critters. They suggest using the following natural methods to deter problem pests:

• Plant chives, marigolds, basil and mint to avoid aphids/plant lice.
• Place aluminum foil at the base of plants to ‘scare away’ aphids
• Paprika, cloves, dried peppermint leaves, coffee grinds and cinnamon sticks will all deter ants
• Ants will not cross a line made from cream of tartar
• Slugs dislike mint, lemon balm and human hair. Collect excess hair from brushes and place in gardens, near plants.
• Slugs also dislike sage and parsley - so plant these liberally as a deterrent.

Step Two: Provide Some Food for The Local Wildlife

Turn your garden into an all you can eat buffet for birds, butterflies, squirrels and other wildlife. Here are some quick tips from the National Wildlife Federation:

• Fill up bird feeders with seed year-round, not just in winter.

• Before planting exotic, fancy flowers remember that native trees and shrubs provide much of the foliage, nectar, pollen, berries, seeds and nuts than many species of wildlife need to survive and thrive. Native plants typically require very little maintenance. They play a key role in the local ecosystem and usually attract lots of wildlife.

Don’t forget about the butterflies too:
• Make or buy a butterfly feeder to ensure you attract dozens of pretty, fluttery butterflies to your garden.

• The Butterfly Conservation website recommends that you plant your garden with suitable nectar plants, but put them in sunny, sheltered spots. Even small gardens can attract butterflies!

Step Three: Install A Pond

Create a focal-piece, quiet sanctuary and wildlife magnet in your garden by installing a pond. Aside from attracting a range of different flora and fauna, ponds create a tranquil hideaway for the whole family to enjoy: pull up a bench in the summer and read a book by the trickling water, or escape away from it all with a cup of tea at the end of the day. Ponds have plenty of educational benefits for children too: print coloring sheets and activity packs from the Internet for a free, fun afternoon of critter spotting. Plus it’s educational too – bonus!

Remember: where there are children AND there’s water, there’s a risk. Do your due diligence before installing any water features to ensure your children are safe. More information can be found at The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

The Royal Horticultural Society offers the following tips for building a pond in your garden:

• Gardens of any size can home water features and ponds. Small bodies of water will attract frogs, toads and newts, while large ponds may home waterfowl such as mallard ducks or moorhens.

• Water may attract grass snakes and grey herons, both of which feed on pond wildlife.

• If you have a patio or courtyard, install a container water feature.

• If you’re worried about small children, install a bubble fountain or birdbaths to attract birds.

• If you have a large garden, you may wish to build a cascading stream with planting pockets and drop pools. These are likely to become rich in biodiversity.

• The RHS also offer a number of structural considerations you should make before building a pond. You can read those by clicking here.

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This article was penned by Carly, a freelance writer (and wildlife, nature and animal enthusiast) living in Yorkshire. Carly enjoys walking with her two dogs in the countryside and photography.

The article was written on behalf of Swallow Aquatics, a company that supplies items required for building ponds (such as liners, pumps and filters.)

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Photo credits:

Bird at feeder © Vicki’s Nature, used under a creative commons license.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vickisnature/2911251565/

Butterfly © Giuss95, used under a creative commons license. http://www.flickr.com/photos/8892435@N07/4923319637/