Islington is one of the most built-up boroughs in London but 25% of our landscape is made up of private gardens. Together, these spaces play an important role in supporting wildlife in the city.
How to help
- Select the right plants by choosing plants that have nectar for insects or berries for birds. The Royal Horticultural Society's 'plants for pollinators' list is very helpful for knowing which flowers are best for insects.
- Grow trees, shrubs or hedges and avoid cutting back trees and hedges in your garden during nesting season. Planting shrubs will also give birds somewhere to hide from predators.
- Put out bird feeders – you can feed birds all year round and enjoy seeing them visit your garden or balcony.
- Put up a bird box or a bat box.
- Create a wildlife pond – ponds are quick to attract all sorts of wildlife and, as they are rapidly disappearing in the countryside, they are one of the best things you can do in your garden.
- Don’t be too tidy – having a wildlife-friendly garden doesn’t mean that you have to let all the weeds grow! But leaving seed heads on your plants for the birds to eat or putting a small pile of dead wood in a corner all helps wildlife.
- Avoid slug pellets – birds and other animals can become ill when they eat slugs and snails poisoned by traditional slug pellets. Look for wildlife-friendly options.
- Avoid buying peat – using peat depletes precious habitats in the wild and releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. There are many alternative peat-free products to choose from.
There are also many people living in Islington that don’t have a garden, and if this applies to you, you can still do your bit for wildlife by planting a window box or putting up a bird box.
More information
There are lots of online resources where you can find more detailed advice and help:
