Hedgehogs, newts, toads and some birds like to eat slugs and snails, ladybirds and green lacewings eat aphids, and ground beetles, damsel bugs and braconid wasps prey on caterpillars. This is the best way to control pests in your garden without the need for chemicals.

A pond in its very early stages which our team created in Bishopston.

A pond in a garden is an absolute winner for wildlife. Water offers an essential drinking and bathing place for birds and mammals, and by growing a range of plants around the edge of the pond, they will draw in an even greater diversity of wildlife. And a pond doesn’t have to be large, you could use a halved wooden wine barrel, a wide shallow bowl, old metal planters, or perhaps offer a bird bath or small flowing water feature if a pond isn’t possible.

Half a wine barrel sunk into the ground to create a mini pond.