One of the ‘must have’ requirements for our new house was a garden.
The house we have put an offer in on has a lovely sized garden, so our fingers are crossed! Right now I am full of plans of what we can do with all that lovely space. First thing first is a safe place for Poppy to play, then perhaps a terrace for summer G&T’s for us!
We know we’ll share our garden with lots of creatures so I might take these tips from the Internet Gardener, Andy Baxter, and build a bespoke Bee house!
“The garden is often overlooked when it comes to craft activities. However, there’s loads of simple garden projects to get involved in, and now is the perfect time to start getting creative outdoors before the Spring season begins. This guide looks at how to get started with bird and bee houses, which are important to attract as they are both desirable pollinators.”
1. Building a bird box
You need to start by building or sourcing a simple box in the garden that will encourage birds and bees to nest. You can buy these pre-made or you can make your own. It doesn’t need to be enormous or elaborate, it can be very rustic or makeshift. Try upcycling old pieces of wood or containers that are no longer in use.
2. Adding plants and material
After you’ve got a container, add plants, various wood and material to create holes and nesting opportunities. Providing little hideaways within the larger container itself means the birds and bees will be more likely to settle.
3. Nesting holes
Leaving small piles of nesting material around the garden is also useful to encourage bees. Look for small holes and gaps in trees and hedges, and fill with biodegradable waste such as excess twigs and foliage.
4. Bird feeders
Create home made a bird feeder from seeds and a simple fat such as lard. You can usually find relatively inexpensive bird seed mix in pet or homeware shops. Mis the fat and seeds together to make a ball. If you hang these near the bird containers, it’ll encourage birds to return to the spot and eventually will take up nest within the birdhouse.
Additional tips
Tree bumblebees have a particular fondness for birdhouses with small holes, an easy craft includes adding bamboo to birdhouses to encourage bees to stay.
Karlie Simmonds Karlie has worked in Digital Media for over 10 years, she is passionate about health and wellbeing and lives in Edinburgh with her partner, children, and Pug, Poppy.
