Research |
Popular Topics |
Popular Plants |
Research Projects |
Horticultural Database |
Wildlife in your garden
With a diverse combination of plants, gardens can provide a rich habitat for wildlife and biodiversity. No matter what your garden is used for, it's an important place for all types of wildlife; and a well maintained garden is just as valid as an overgrown wilderness.
Close observation and a good appreciation of the value of garden spaces for wildlife can make a real difference in the biodiversity in all our gardens.
Your garden as an ecosystem
Follow our six-part series on the garden as an ecosystem as published in The Garden , the RHS magazine. Ken Thompson's series investigates the garden ecosystem in detail looking at:
Introduction - why your garden is an important ecosystem
The soil - hugely important but largely overlooked
The plants - how what you grow sets the tone of your garden ecosystem
The pollinators and plant eaters - animals that suck and chew our plants
The predators - insects and spiders to encourage in your garden
How people affect biodiversity - the rise in wildlife gardening
Plants for wildlife
Plants for birds
There are many garden plants that provide food for birds. Much of this food becomes available in the late summer or autumn when birds need to build up their fat reserves for the coming winter.
Read more
Plants for bees
Bees visit flowers to collect nectar and pollen. Both are sources of food and energy and are needed in large quantities.
Read more
Plants for butterflies
Adult butterflies visit a wide range of flowers to obtain nectar, but also collect other sweet substances, such as the juices of over-ripe fruits.
Read more
Wildlife calendar and advice
Check out our specific wildlife gardening advice and month-by-month calendar.
View the calendar and advice page
Other resources
Gardens and biodiversity leaflet (available as an Adobe Acrobat pdf document (466KB)
RHS Conservation and Environment leaflets
Gardening in a changing climate microsite
Gardens: Heaven or Hell for Wildlife? 2002 conference proceedings
Gardening for the future - Biodiversity and the gardener by Simon Thornton-Wood
RHS Biodiversity Display