There’s plenty of advice in books and online about wildlife-friendly gardening, and much of this applies equally well to community gardens and public spaces. It’s sometimes confusing as experts don’t always agree. However, they do agree that gardening for wildlife, whether in public or private spaces should be fun and experimental – just have a go and don’t worry about making mistakes. You’re almost certainly doing a lot more good than harm. In public spaces, you’ll need to give some consideration to health and safety of the public and volunteers; how to let people know what you’re doing via signage and communication, and if possible find easy and fun activities that everyone can enjoy taking part in.

The following ideas are reproduced with kind permission of Seaford Action For Nature and Greenhavens Network, as well as from a workshop run by Dan Ori, GIA Director, in May 2024 as part of the Growing Communities Toolkit Project. You’ll find more links on the further help and resources page.

Before you start, think about your site. We hope you’ll find something here whether your spot is big, small, sunny, shady, paved, grass or a mixture of everything!

Is your spot in a sunny aspect, mown grass or lawn? You could choose 1, 3 or 6

1: Create a mini meadow or a flowering lawn

One of the simplest way to increase biodiversity is to allow grass to grow. Find out about mini meadows on our page here. If this isn’t possible, simply cutting grass less often allows lowing growing flowers such as daisies, clover and violas to flourish.

2: A log pile or bug hotel

A great way to involve children and the local community. Tree surgeons will usually be happy to donate logs for free (just check the trees weren’t cut down due to disease). Almost anything will work and bugs really aren’t fussy where they live. If you’re lucky, frogs, newts or even slow worms might move in as well. For some ideas to get started take a look at the Greenhaven’s guide here.

3: Pollinator-friendly flowers

Whether you have a large border or just a pot, colourful flowers are loved by insects as well as people. However, you do need a spot that gets at least half a day of sun as neither the flowers nor the insects will cope well with shade. Avoid bedding plants and choose single flowered varieties. If you can include some native or near-native plants, their leaves and stems will provide additional habitats for insects. Shrubs can be easily overlooked when we think of plants for pollinators, but many shrubs are excellent for bees and other pollinators. Planting shrubs that flower at different or overlapping periods is the best approach. We’ll have more plant guides with tested recommendations for our area coming soon.

4: Bird feeders and bird baths

Making bird feeders is a good way to get people involved and is a good children’s activity. Siting of feeders and bird baths is important – birds like to be able to perch in nearby trees or shrubs and flit back and forth. Feeders and baths also need to be safe from local cats. People worry about bird feeders attracting pests such as mice or rats: only adding a small amount of feed at a time, and mixing in chilli powder can help. (Chilli affects mammals but not birds!) For public spaces and community gardens you do need to be there regularly enough to change the food and water, and clean them regularly to avoid disease. So if this isn’t possible it’s better to stick to planting shrubs, plants or trees which provide food for birds via seeds and berries.

5: Bird boxes

Many of the natural tree and cliff holes needed by birds to nest in have been lost. When putting up a bird box in a public area consider health and safety both in terms of the people putting up the box (your insurance might not cover someone climbing up a ladder) and also the safety of anyone walking or standing below the bird box. However, some birds, such as robins, like their bird boxes quite close to the ground, which might make this easier! Different birds like different sizes of holes, and the siting of the box is also important. If you’re in Seaford or Lewes, Save Seaford’s Swifts or Lewes Swift Supporters might be able to give you advice on installing swift boxes. The RSPB website and BTO website are the best place to start for information about building and siting next boxes.

5: A pond or mini pond

One of the best things you can do to help wildlife is add some water, and building a pond is an exciting project! However, ponds in public spaces come with a lot of health and safety requirements. A wildlife pond also needs thought and planning to get right, as well as regular maintenance. For a new group, a mini pond or even a hoverfly lagoon might be easier to start with. We hope to add some examples of successful community group ponds to learn from as part of the Toolkit project. Greenhavens Network website has a good page on alternatives to ponds here.

6: A hedgehog habitat

Sadly, hedgehogs are an increasingly rare sight. If you are aware of hedgehogs in your area, here are some ideas to help them.

7: A compost heap

Not only useful – but a favourite living space for many beneficial bugs. If you’re lucky, your compost heap might provide a hibernation spot for slow worms.

8:

Climbers and wall shrubs provide shelter and food for birds, butterflies and bees. Where space is at a premium, climbing plants can increase habitats vertically.