Or Menu of Internet Guides
Guide to Gardening Resources on the Internet
Gardening for Wildlife
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Links are provided in good faith, but Burton Manor cannot be responsible for the content of external websites.)
- The Postcode plants database can help you select the best wildflowers for a wildlife friendly garden in your area.
"Our aim is to encourage gardeners and other horticulturalists to plant the native trees, shrubs and flowers which are local to their areas. The Postcode Plants Database generates lists of native plants and wildlife for any specified postal district in the UK." "Simply by typing in the first three or four characters of their postcodes, householders, schools, garden centres and councils can obtain tailor-made lists of local plants, many of which are both hospitable to wildlife and suitable for gardens within their postal districts"
N.B. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981, it is an offence intentionally to uproot any wild plant, protected or otherwise. The site provides information on Suppliers of British native-origin seeds and plants
The Postcode Plants Database is part of Nature Online at the Natural History Museumhttp://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/plants-fungi/postcode-plants/ - Postcode plants database
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/plants-fungi/postcode-plants/supplies.html - Suppliers of British native-origin seeds and plants - The A - Z of a Wildlife Garden from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, RSPB, has a wealth of information on attracting wildlife into your garden and covers insects and mammals as well as birds.
It covers:- Plants to attract wildlife
- Garden Habitats that are friendly to wildlife
- Wildlife you can expect to see in any given month
- The listing of Animals is fairly extensive and detailed and can act as a useful means of identifying wildlife in your garden, and elsewhere.
- There are also details of two free RSPB publications: "Birds in your Garden" and "Wildlife on your doorstep"
http://www.rspb.org.uk - Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, RSPB
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/ - A - Z of a Wildlife Garden
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/ - Gardening Advice - Nature in the Garden from Natural England (was English Nature, see note** at end of this entry)gives some useful tips on "nature-friendly gardening" and a number of free leaflets, e.g. 'Wildlife-friendly gardening - a general guide', 'Mammals in your garden' etc. all available by phone, or can be downloaded from the site in PDF format (to read PDF Files you may need the free Adobe Reader
(Link will open in new Browser window)
'Nature in the Garden' also includes a very useful tool: Gardening with wildlife in mind which "aims to help people choose plants likely to attract wildlife. It also shows what eats what in the garden." it is a "database showing the relationship between garden plants and creatures that depend on them." You can use this useful database in a number of ways using the navigation bar at the top of each page:- The 'Search' page which has 4 search boxes:
- You can search by name, or part of a name (common name or Latin) for plants, or for wildlife you wish to attract, using the 'Name' search box on the Search screen
- Using the drop-down menu in the 'Group' search box you can limit your search, or, by leaving the 'Name' box blank, you can search for members of a particular type of wildlife, e.g.bats, insect-eating birds etc.
- The third search box allows you to limit your search to 'Creatures' (wildlife), 'Plants' or both 'Creatures & Plants' - it must be used in combination with one or more of the other search boxes.
- The fourth search box, 'Region' can be used in combination with any of the others to limit the search results to plants and/or wildlife found in a particular region of England
- You can search by name, or part of a name (common name or Latin) for plants, or for wildlife you wish to attract, using the 'Name' search box on the Search screen
- Clicking on 'Creatures' in the top navigation bar produces an alphabetical list of all the creatures in the database. Click on any item in the list to see its detailed entry.
- In a similar way, clicking on 'Plants' produces an alphabetical list of all the plants in the database.
The detailed entry for each item includes common and latin name, at least one photograph, and a description. For plants this includes preferred growing conditions, and the 'creatures' it is likely to attract, e.g. as food or nesting material. Conversely, for 'creatures', the detailed entry includes information on the plants that will attract it.
Each detailed entry also gives the option 'Add to Pick List', allowing youto build up a listing of, e.g., plants you have, or wish to have, in your garden, and/or creatures you have seen, or wish to see in your garden.
- The 'Help' section gives more detail on how to use this valuable database.
The Gardening with wildlife in mind database is also available as a "CD Rom featuring 500 wildlife-friendly plants and 300 of the many "creatures" - from bees and butterflies to birds and small mammals - that they can attract to your garden. It costs £9.99 (add £1.50 for postage and packing) and is obtainable from: The Plant Press, 10 Market Street, Lewes, BN7 2NB. Tel 01273 476151 or email john@plantpress.com" The Plant Press is also home of the (free) online version of the database described above, and the free Plant Finder's Encyclopedia featured in the 'Plant Finder' section of this guide.
**Natural England was formed by "bringing together English Nature, the landscape, access and recreation elements of the Countryside Agency and the environmental land management functions of the Rural Development Service."http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ - Natural England
http://www.englishnature.org.uk/Nature_In_The_Garden/ - Nature in the Garden
http://www.plantpress.com/wildlife/home.php - Gardening with wildlife in mind
http://www.plantpress.com/plant-encyclopedia/ - Plant Finder's Encyclopedia - The 'Search' page which has 4 search boxes:
- Wildlife Gardening, from the Wild About Gardens website, "a joint project between The Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Horticultural Society, RHS, bringing together the worlds of gardening and nature conservation for the benefit of people and wildlife."
Includes general tips on wildlife gardening, recommended plants for necter, fruit and seeds, trees, shrubs and hedges, ponds etc.
There is also a section Do One Thing with ideas for small changes in a garden that can make a real difference to wildlife: "Research by Sheffield University has found that the key features are trees, dead wood, water, and a real variety of plant shapes and sizes." Advice on how to make a range of changes , e.g. putting in a pond, making compost, adding variety, building a 'bee hotel' etc. etc. can be found on the right hand side ofthe page
The Wild About Gardens site also provides Community pages, News and Events etc.http://www.wildaboutgardens.org/ - Wild About Gardens
http://www.wildaboutgardens.org/Gardening/ - Wildlife Gardening
http://www.wildaboutgardens.org/Gardening/DoOneThing/ - Do One Thing - The Organic Gardening section of BBC Gardening includes a guide to Wildlife Gardening and information on Plants for Bumblebees and attracting bees to your garden.
Elesewhere on the BBC Gardening site is a section on Autumn Wildlife Gardening, by "Wildlife gardening guru Chris Baines" which describes some of the wildlife you may find in an autumn garden and gives tips on how to help them survive the winter.http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/ - BBC Gardening
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/organic_index.shtml - Organic Gardening
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/organic_wildgardens1.shtml - Wildlife Gardening
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/organic_bees1.shtml - Plants for Bumblebees
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/today_in_your_garden/autumn_wildlife1.shtml - Autumn Wildlife Gardening - Flora Locale "Flora locale is a registered charity that encourages, across Britain and Ireland, the wise use of wild plants for planting schemes that have wildlife in mind."
Although much of this site seems to be aimed more at those involved in large scale projects, Can you Make Space for Wild Plants? includes information for gardeners and small community projects.
The site also gives a useful account of the issues behind the need for wildflower habitat conservation and restoration. Seeds of Destruction? considers the problems that can be caused with the use of non-native wild-flower seed.
There is a section on Suppliers "provided as a free service to those planning to sow or plant native flora. Some of the companies listed will supply plants or seed in quantities suitable for planting in gardens and many will provide an advisory service to help with the selection of suitable species or the planting, preparation and management of specific sites."
The extensive online Knowledge Zone may contain some items of interest to the gardener, but does seem to be aimed mostly at students of Biodiversity and those involved in large scale projects. Includes online Tutorials and an online libraryhttp://www.floralocale.org/ - Flora Locale
http://www.floralocale.org/content.asp?did=24047 - Can you Make Space for Wild Plants?
http://www.floralocale.org/v.asp?level2id=5906&depth=1&rootid=5906 - Issues
http://www.floralocale.org/content.asp?did=23788 - Seeds of Destruction?
http://www.floralocale.org/content.asp?did=23794 - Suppliers
http://www.floralocale.org/content.asp?did=23800 - Knowledge Zone - How to create a Wildflower Meadow from Landlife Wildflowers gives brief details and tips; there is also a Ready Reckoner to help you calculate the amount of seed mix required for a given area.
http://www.wildflower.org.uk/" TARGET="_blank">Landlife Wildflowers "grow and supply native wildflower seeds and plants in small and large quantities to anywhere in the UK mainland" - these can be purchased online, or at the National Wildflower Centre in Roby, Merseyside, open March to September with demonstration areas and some of Landlife's current project work.
It is part of environmental charity LandLife and uses its income to support work to bring people and wildlife closer together. Landlife has been working for over 25 years from its Liverpool base to develop creative solutions for people in their local environment using wildflowers.http://www.landlife.org.uk - Landlife (Environmental charity)
http://www.wildflower.org.uk/ - Landlife Wildflowers
http://www.wildflower.org.uk/howtodoit/wfhowtodoit.html - How to create a Wildflower Meadow
http://www.wildflower.org.uk/wfreadyreckoner.html - Seed mix Ready Reckoner
http://www.nwc.org.uk/ - National Wildflower Centre - The Wildlife Trusts - there are "are 47 local Wildlife Trusts across the UK, plus the Isle of Man and Alderney."
"We're the largest UK charity exclusively dedicated to conserving all our habitats and species, with a membership of more than 660,000 people including 108,000 junior members. We campaign for the protection of wildlife and invest in the future by helping people of all ages to gain a greater appreciation and understanding of wildlife. Collectively, we also manage more than 2,200 nature reserves spanning over 80,000 hectares. The Wildlife Trusts also lobby for better protection of the UK's natural heritage and are dedicated to protecting wildlife for the future."
"The Wildlife Trusts junior branch, Wildlife Watch, work together to protect wildlife in towns and the countryside."
The section on UK Wildlife gives a mix of information on wildlife species and the different environments that are important to them -these are listed in the green navigation bar beneath the 'UK wildlife' heading and brief introduction, as opposed to the main site navigation bar at the top of the screen (this pattern of navigation is used throughout most of the site. It includes:- UK Species are split into groups: mammals, birds, trees shrubs & hedges etc. which are listed in the green navigation bar. For each group there is an A - Z listing and more detail can be found by clicking on any species in the list - this usually includes an image, common and Latin names, a description and details of habitat and food for creatures with flowering period and distribution for plants; entries for some species may include more information.
The listings for Trees, Shrubs & Hedges and for Other Plants (wildflowers)are particularly extensive and can act as a useful means of identification. - marine & coastline environment
- Land & Agriculture
- Water & Wetlands &
- Urban Greenspace
http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/ - The Wildlife Trusts
http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/index.php?section=environment - UK Wildlife
http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/index.php?section=environment:species:tree - Trees, shrubs and hedges
http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/index.php?section=environment:species:plant - Wildflowers & other plants - UK Species are split into groups: mammals, birds, trees shrubs & hedges etc. which are listed in the green navigation bar. For each group there is an A - Z listing and more detail can be found by clicking on any species in the list - this usually includes an image, common and Latin names, a description and details of habitat and food for creatures with flowering period and distribution for plants; entries for some species may include more information.
- The Environment & Heritage Service for Northern Ireland website includes a number of Fact sheets on Wildlife Gardening, a brief description of each is given and the fact sheet itself can be downloaded in PDF Format. They are available in English, Irish and Ulster Scots languages.
http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/ - Environment & Heritage Service for Northern Ireland
http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/other-index/education/edu-resources/factsheets/fs-wildlifegardening.htm - Fact sheets on Wildlife Gardening - 92 Slug Resistant Plants sent in by a listener to BBC Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/gqt/ - Gardeners' Questiontime
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/gqt/slug_resistant_plants.shtml - 92 Slug Resistant Plants
- Chemical-free pest Control Control from the RSPB describes a wide range of alternative, non-toxic ways to deal with pests, including Non-toxic slug control.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/ - Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, RSPB
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/chemical_free/index.asp - Chemical-free pest control
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/index/slugs/index.asp - Non-toxic Slug Control - Wildlife Aid, "the home of Wildlife SOS, is an animal charity dedicated to wildife rescue and wild animal rescue." includes a Wildlife Gardening section.
There is also an Emergency section giving some information on what to do if you find an injured or orphaned animal or bird, also a number of FAQs covering badgers, bats, birds, deer, foxes and hedehogs.
There is also a 24 hour Helpline, 09061 800 132, (charged at 50p per minute). For email, location information etc see Contact Detailshttp://www.wildlifeaid.org.uk/ - Wildlife Aid
http://www.wildlifeaid.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=48&Itemid=79 - Wildlife Gardening
http://www.wildlifeaid.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=52&Itemid=29 - Emergency Information
http://www.wildlifeaid.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=3&id=27&Itemid=48 - FAQs - UK Safari "A Website for Anyone Interested in the Wildlife and Countryside of Britain"
A commercial site of unknown reliability - but fun!
The Animals & Nature section is divided into categories such as 'Amphibians, 'Bats', 'Beetles', ' Birds' etc.. Within each category the contents are represented by thumbnail photographs, clicking on these gives more detail, usually a larger photograph, Latin name, description, habitat etc.
Contributions of wildlife photographs (for anything not yet covered on the site) are invited on the About Us page. Includes brief Wildlife Photography tips, clips and competitions.
There is a free, regular newsletter available if you register, and subscribers then have access to the 'members only' area of the site.http://www.uksafari.com/ - UK Safari
Burton Manor runs a wide range of Lifelong Learning Courses, including Gardening Courses, throughout the year. See the Courses Menu at the top of this webpage for details.