There are few greater joys than relaxing in your garden as flowers grow, birds sing, and animals forage all around you. It’s a back-to-nature feeling that’s often missing in modern life, and one that can greatly lift your mood and help you to relax.
As an animal lover with a garden, it’s essential that you make it animal friendly, both for your pets and for the local wildlife. In this guide, we’ll look at some of the accessories, furniture, and design ideas that can help you to do just that, ensuring you’re ready to spend those bright spring mornings and balmy summer nights among nature.
A Nature Pond
A pond isn’t just a great feature for your garden. It will also attract wildlife, giving them a place to drink, live, and cool down. A little water can make all of the difference to the local wildlife, and could be the thing that invites insects, birds, and amphibians into your outdoor space.
You can build your own pond and create a meeting place for all nearby critters. Just make sure you allow the aquatic plants to thrive, as they will provide them with the shelter that they need during those searing-hot summer days.
Plant Some Trees
It can take years and even decades for a tree to fully mature, and most people aren’t prepared to wait that long. Life moves quickly, and there are never any guarantees, so homeowners convince themselves that they won’t be around to see the tree reach its potential. And if they won’t be there to see it mature, what’s the point?
But even if you eventually move away, that tree will remain. You will be leaving a little bit of yourself behind, and it will provide home and shelter to all kinds of birds and insects. What’s more, you never know when life will slow down and force you to stay, and if that happens, you’ll get to watch that small seedling grow into a mighty tree.
Make sure you know what you’re planting and if it’s a large tree, don’t plant it too close to the house. You don’t want the roots to interfere with the foundations of the house and you definitely don’t want it to topple onto your roof during a storm.
Fruit trees are good options and will give you a harvest of fruit once or twice a year. Other trees will grow thicker branches and provide a larger covering.
Birdhouses
Birds build nests in trees. They spend a lot of time gathering the necessary resources, building the nest, and then starting their families, only for humans to come along and chop those trees down. The result is that they are often in desperate need of safe places to build and take shelter.
It’s why so many birds take up residence in gutters and roofs.
By building or buying a birdhouse, you will encourage them away from those gutters and toward a safer and more protected space. Birdhouses are just wooden boxes that are hung high on fences or trees. They have the depth and stability needed to protect the little chicks, along with a hole for the birds to enter, and a hook for them to hang.
That’s really all there is to it.
However, you will need to make sure that it’s well-built and properly secured, lest it break apart or fall during a storm.
If you don’t have the carpentry skills to make your own birdhouse, you can buy them from places like Home Depot. They have birdhouses of all shapes and sizes, and they begin at around $15.
Bird Feeders
Bird feeders, just like birdhouses, will encourage more wildlife into your garden, but not all of it will be welcome.
Bird feeders often attract just as many squirrels as they do birds. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with feeding the squirrels—they need food as well. But there are specific feeders designed for that purpose. They are not the cleanest of eaters and have a habit of destroying bird feeders and leaving a scattering of seeds and nuts in their wake.
If there is a constant supply of food on your lawn or patio, you could attract mice and rats, and you probably don’t want those little guys in or near your home.
Look for squirrel-proof bird feeders. They typically have cages around them that birds can access but squirrels can’t.
Bird Watering Holes
Don’t have space, money, or skills to build a big pond? A little watering hole should suffice. Birds will use it to drink and clean themselves, and you could save a few of their little lives in the process.
A watering hole is basically just a raised platform with water. Ideally, it should be running water so that it remains fresh and clean, but a little bowl will suffice if that’s not an option.
Just remember to refill it every now and then during those long, hot, and dry periods when there isn’t enough rainfall to fill the bowl naturally.
Feed The Bees
You’ve probably heard that the bees are dying and that their decline could trigger the end of life as we know it. It’s a bit of an exaggeration, and the truth is that bee populations are carefully managed, but they are still dying at a much greater rate than they should, and we also rely on their skills as pollinators.
Without the bees, agricultural and wild ecosystems would suffer. You can’t fix this issue with a few seeds, but you can do your bit to encourage bee populations to grow and flourish.
Plant seeds, grow flowers, and if you have the time and don’t mind flying insects, consider keeping your own bees.
You can build or buy hives to encourage the little guys inside, before giving them plenty of flowers to feed on.
Create a Place for Your Pets
It’s not just the wildlife that you need to think about. You should also create a space that is welcoming and fun for your own pets, and if those pets are dogs and cats, it can be hard to strike the right balance.
Dogs will chase squirrels; cats will kill birds. They won’t live harmoniously just because you tell them to!
There are a few things that you can do to promote that harmony, though.
If you let your cat outside, make sure it has a bell on its collar. That way, it can’t sneak up on the birds and rodents. Some cats learn to move in a way that doesn’t activate the bell, but most aren’t that committed, and the bell will provide enough warning for unsuspecting birds.
It also helps to keep birdhouses well out of reach of those little paws, which means not placing them on fences or walls that cats can walk across.
If you have a dog, always monitor them when you are outside.
Patios are great places to build aviaries to keep pet parrots and other birds. You can also use them to store hutches for rabbits. However, where the latter is concerned, you’ll need to ensure the cages are not in direct sunlight during intense summers and have lots of protection during the winter.
Lots of rabbits die due to inadequate shelter. They are also more exposed to cats if their cages are outdoors.
Create Holes and Gaps for Wildlife
If you have a fence wrapped around the boundaries of your garden, you’ll only attract the most adventurous and agile of wildlife, including squirrels, birds, and the occasional rodent. But if you cut gaps in the bottom of the fence, you’ll encourage more animals without jeopardizing the security of your home.
You’ll encourage rodents, amphibians, and other cute little critters. Just make sure that the hole is small and near to the ground. If it’s big enough for the neighbor’s cat or dog, then you’ve gone too far. At that point, there’s no point in having a fence at all!
Small animals will find a way to squeeze through. They may even dig part of the way, so don’t worry about the gap being too small.
Keep it Messy!
Humans love neatly manicured lawns, trimmed bushes, and weeded flower beds, but the same can’t be said for wildlife. They will be more likely to pay your garden a visit if the grass is long, the seed heads are uncut, and your garden is wild.
There’s a limit to what you should allow, of course. You don’t want your garden turning into a forest, attracting the ire of your neighbors in the process. But it helps to keep things a little messy every now and then, especially during the fall and winter months.
Create Hideaways and Paths
When your garden is allowed to grow—and assuming it’s big enough—you can start building hideaways and paths. You can turn those long grass, messy flower beds, and overgrown hedges into your own little haven.
Get creative, place a few chairs or benches in the best spot, and you’ll be able to enjoy the beauty of your garden all year round.