How to Rewild your Garden | Tiger Sheds

Published: 29/05/2023

A wooden bird feeder box hanging from a tree branch

It can be very rewarding to watch your garden naturally become more beautiful.

Rewilding a garden may seem like a huge task but there are some small yet significant changes that anyone with outdoor space can make to turn their garden into a mini nature reserve.

Rewilding involves restoring and resetting natural landscapes which sees benefits such as the reversing of species extinction, reducing CO2 and more. *

According to official research from Rewilding Britain, four in five UK adults support rewilding but with only 1% of the country currently in an official stage of rewilding, Brits are struggling to know to make impactful changes to their green spaces.

Here are some top Tiger Tips so you can get involved with rewilding, from installing a green roof to building a log pile…

Add a Living Roof

By adding a living roof to a garden building is a great way to begin your rewilding journey and is a particularly smart idea for those with less garden space. Living roofs are partially or covered completely with plant and vegetation. Not only do they provide a habitat for birds and insects, but they will also help with water-run off and rain management from a practical point of view too.

Check out this article to see what the home office of the future looks like – complete with living roof and living walls.

A log cabin with grass on the roof, living roof

Tiger Tip - Always ensure that an existing shed is strong enough to hold the soil, plants and so on. A good quality timber is always recommended as well as applying a waterproof membrane.

Start a Log Pile

Fallen branches, dead trunks and piles of leaves host a vast amount of biodiverse life. To replicate this environment in your own garden, create a log pile in a quiet corner. To hold the structure together, build in dark and confined spaces of a garden. In this compact and thriving ecosystem, an array of bugs and insects will begin to live, feed, hide and hibernate.

Tiger Tip - Add in any other bits you find lying around the garden when tidying up like pinecones, twigs and moss.

Plant a Mini Meadow

For those with greener space, why not create your very own mini meadow by taking a break from mowing your lawn, or at the very least a small area of it? Letting grass grow longer is beneficial for bees and other pollinators as it encourages the growth of nectar-rich plants such as clover.

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https://www.tigersheds.com/product/tiger-corner-summerhouse/

Pick a small sunny section and sow native wildflower seeds that will create the most beautiful display of sweet-smelling, bright flowers that the bees will love!

Go easy on the weeding too. You can allow a selected range of weeds to grow in your garden such as deadnettle and teasle. This will provide the wildlife with extra nectar, pollen and seedheads.

A bee on a teasle flower

Tiger Tip - Raised beds can be helpful too when sectioning off wild areas of a garden.

Feed the Birds

Another easy option for rewilding is to add bird feeders. Using a variety of bird feeders is important to attract as many different species of our feathered friends as possible. Having birds in the garden will also help to maintain insect populations and therefore reduce damage to plants.

Tiger Tip - Combine a range of hanging feeders, that can be placed on trees or structures like a shed or log cabin, with tray and platform feeders to cater to different species and their feeding needs.

Let the Wildlife Roam Freely

Letting wildlife move around easily from garden to garden is important for maintaining local biodiversity. Hedgehog highways are important, and these mammals need to be able to safely travel to forage for food and find mates. Creating holes and pathways through fences to neighbouring gardens or spaces is a simple way to make like easier for these animals.

A hedgehog standing in the grass and leaves

Tiger Tip - Start a discussion with your neighbours about what you can all do to support wildlife. Open the borders of your garden to make passageways for animals, and share the burden of supplying them with food, shelter, and habitats to help protect our endangered species. Hedges are far more wildlife-friendly than fences when it comes to defining garden boundaries.

Create a Bug Hotel

Bug hotels and piles of sticks make the perfect home for spiders, insects, and small mammals alike! Create an eye-catching shelter to give your garden life a cosy home to enjoy.

A picture containing a bug hotel in log plie with pinecones