How to Create a Wildlife-friendly Garden in Winter
Browse these wildlife garden design ideas to help you create a home for bugs, birds and bees
Looking for ideas on attracting wildlife to your garden? Here, three experts share their knowledge on how to create a winter garden that will allow wildlife to survive and thrive.
Expert advice from: Jamie Wyver, spokesperson for the RSPB; Andrew Hellman, garden manager at RHS Garden Hyde Hall; Darryl Cox, senior science & policy officer at Bumblebee Conservation Trust
More in this series: How to Create a Wildlife-friendly Garden in Spring | How to Create a Wildlife-friendly Garden in Summer l How to Create a Wildlife-friendly Garden in Autumn
Expert advice from: Jamie Wyver, spokesperson for the RSPB; Andrew Hellman, garden manager at RHS Garden Hyde Hall; Darryl Cox, senior science & policy officer at Bumblebee Conservation Trust
More in this series: How to Create a Wildlife-friendly Garden in Spring | How to Create a Wildlife-friendly Garden in Summer l How to Create a Wildlife-friendly Garden in Autumn
Plan your garden for next year
The quiet winter months are the best time for taking stock and planning your garden for next year. Why not consider adding in some more bee-friendly plants.
“There’s not much bee activity over winter,” Darryl Cox says, “so this is a good time to plan your bee-friendly garden for next year.”
“Now’s the best time to plant trees and shrubs for the coming year,” Jamie adds, “providing places for wildlife to shelter, nest and feed. Alder buckthorn, hawthorn, holly and rowan are all excellent choices.”
Considering hiring a garden designer? Find out all you need to know first.
The quiet winter months are the best time for taking stock and planning your garden for next year. Why not consider adding in some more bee-friendly plants.
“There’s not much bee activity over winter,” Darryl Cox says, “so this is a good time to plan your bee-friendly garden for next year.”
“Now’s the best time to plant trees and shrubs for the coming year,” Jamie adds, “providing places for wildlife to shelter, nest and feed. Alder buckthorn, hawthorn, holly and rowan are all excellent choices.”
Considering hiring a garden designer? Find out all you need to know first.
Plant winter-flowering shrubs
“We may think of winter as a time when the garden is put to bed, but there’s a surprising number of shrubs that flower right through the season,” Andrew says. “These provide a great source of nectar for some of the few insects that are still active.
“Plants such as daphne, Christmas box (Sarcococca) and winter-flowering honeysuckles are loaded with flowers through the winter,” he says. “As well as helping out the wildlife, these plants have the added bonus that they’re very fragrant and they flower for a long time.”
“We may think of winter as a time when the garden is put to bed, but there’s a surprising number of shrubs that flower right through the season,” Andrew says. “These provide a great source of nectar for some of the few insects that are still active.
“Plants such as daphne, Christmas box (Sarcococca) and winter-flowering honeysuckles are loaded with flowers through the winter,” he says. “As well as helping out the wildlife, these plants have the added bonus that they’re very fragrant and they flower for a long time.”
Make a new-build home more inviting
“The UK’s population of swifts has been falling dramatically in recent years,” Jamie says, “and we know that one of the reasons for this is the loss of nesting sites.”
Many renovation projects are planned during the quiet winter months, so “if you’re thinking about a new build or major refresh to your property next year, do consider adding a swift brick – a cleverly designed nest box that sits neatly inside the wall,” he says. “Alternatively, there are external swift boxes available.
“Swifts are the best tenants you can have,” he adds. “They’re only here for 12 weeks, leave no mess, and eat up lots of the biting insects that might bother you in summer.”
If you haven’t found your renovation team yet, check out the Houzz Professionals Directory for local firms.
“The UK’s population of swifts has been falling dramatically in recent years,” Jamie says, “and we know that one of the reasons for this is the loss of nesting sites.”
Many renovation projects are planned during the quiet winter months, so “if you’re thinking about a new build or major refresh to your property next year, do consider adding a swift brick – a cleverly designed nest box that sits neatly inside the wall,” he says. “Alternatively, there are external swift boxes available.
“Swifts are the best tenants you can have,” he adds. “They’re only here for 12 weeks, leave no mess, and eat up lots of the biting insects that might bother you in summer.”
If you haven’t found your renovation team yet, check out the Houzz Professionals Directory for local firms.
Plant late sources of food for birds
“While most fruit is gone by the end of autumn, we’ve planted several crab apple trees in the Hyde Hall Winter Garden that will hold onto their fruit well into winter,” Andrew says.
“Malus ‘Adirondack’ and Malus ‘Comtesse de Paris’ can still hold fruit into the New Year and provide a late source of food for birds.”
“While most fruit is gone by the end of autumn, we’ve planted several crab apple trees in the Hyde Hall Winter Garden that will hold onto their fruit well into winter,” Andrew says.
“Malus ‘Adirondack’ and Malus ‘Comtesse de Paris’ can still hold fruit into the New Year and provide a late source of food for birds.”
Feed birds frequently
As well as natural sources of fruit, “birds will benefit from any extra food you can provide,” Jamie says. So make sure you put out food for them on a regular basis throughout the winter. “You’ll get to see them close up, too, as they fly in to feast on fat, mealworms and seeds.”
Winter is also the perfect time to take stock and contribute to a spot of citizen science. The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch takes place over the last weekend of January, and is an easy and rewarding activity for the whole family to get involved in.
“Settle down with a cuppa for an hour and count the birds that visit,” Jamie says. “You’ll be helping the RSPB see how our birdlife is faring across the country.”
As well as natural sources of fruit, “birds will benefit from any extra food you can provide,” Jamie says. So make sure you put out food for them on a regular basis throughout the winter. “You’ll get to see them close up, too, as they fly in to feast on fat, mealworms and seeds.”
Winter is also the perfect time to take stock and contribute to a spot of citizen science. The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch takes place over the last weekend of January, and is an easy and rewarding activity for the whole family to get involved in.
“Settle down with a cuppa for an hour and count the birds that visit,” Jamie says. “You’ll be helping the RSPB see how our birdlife is faring across the country.”
Leave grasses and seedheads intact as shelter…
“Sedums, phlomis and grasses all hold onto their seedheads well into winter,” Andrew says. “Traditionally, these would have been cut back in autumn, but the elegant structures make them ideal for our Winter Garden [at Hyde Hall], as well as a great source of winter food for wildlife.
“The stems and foliage also offer a cosy place for insects to overwinter,” he adds, “and many of these stems can remain in place until April, giving insects time to wake up.”
“Sedums, phlomis and grasses all hold onto their seedheads well into winter,” Andrew says. “Traditionally, these would have been cut back in autumn, but the elegant structures make them ideal for our Winter Garden [at Hyde Hall], as well as a great source of winter food for wildlife.
“The stems and foliage also offer a cosy place for insects to overwinter,” he adds, “and many of these stems can remain in place until April, giving insects time to wake up.”
…or make a neat bug hotel
“If a tidy garden is your thing [and you don’t want to leave grasses and seedheads intact], you can get a similar effect by making a bug hotel,” Andrew says.
“We create them with a stack of discarded pallets,” he adds, “but you could use a wooden wine box or something bespoke to hold a selection of materials that create these nooks and crannies. A handful of leaves, a bundle of sticks or a stack of pots would all work – the more variety the better to attract a range of insects.”
Find bug hotels and bird feeders in the Houzz Shop.
“If a tidy garden is your thing [and you don’t want to leave grasses and seedheads intact], you can get a similar effect by making a bug hotel,” Andrew says.
“We create them with a stack of discarded pallets,” he adds, “but you could use a wooden wine box or something bespoke to hold a selection of materials that create these nooks and crannies. A handful of leaves, a bundle of sticks or a stack of pots would all work – the more variety the better to attract a range of insects.”
Find bug hotels and bird feeders in the Houzz Shop.
Keep water supplies unfrozen
“As well as food, birds will need access to clean, unfrozen water, too,” Jamie says. So keep an eye on bird baths and water dishes in the cold weather and break any ice as soon as it forms.
“As well as food, birds will need access to clean, unfrozen water, too,” Jamie says. So keep an eye on bird baths and water dishes in the cold weather and break any ice as soon as it forms.
Don’t disturb the bees
While you’re putting in the work to create a cosy space for insects to overwinter, make sure you don’t accidentally disturb their sleeping quarters.
“If you’re digging in the garden, be careful not to disturb a hibernating bumblebee queen,” Darryl says. “If you do, gently cover her back up with some loose soil so she can sleep in until spring.”
Tell us…
What do you do to look after wildlife in winter? Let us know in the Comments section.
While you’re putting in the work to create a cosy space for insects to overwinter, make sure you don’t accidentally disturb their sleeping quarters.
“If you’re digging in the garden, be careful not to disturb a hibernating bumblebee queen,” Darryl says. “If you do, gently cover her back up with some loose soil so she can sleep in until spring.”
Tell us…
What do you do to look after wildlife in winter? Let us know in the Comments section.
“In the winter, we clean out our bird boxes [at Hyde Hall]”, Andrew Hellman says. “This is an important task to do, as a dirty nest box isn’t as inviting to our feathered friends and can harbour pests and diseases that won’t do them any good.
“They won’t be nesting in the winter, so remove any nesting material and unhatched eggs and give the box a good brush out. Boiling water poured in will help kill off any lurking mites,” he says.
“It’s also an opportunity to put up any new boxes for next year,” Jamie Wyver suggests. Although they won’t be used for nesting right now, he says, “they may still get some use in winter, as birds look for somewhere warm and cosy to rest.”