Want the green and the good in your garden—our eco-garden design ideas will turn your front or back space into an oasis of calm tranquility…
Plant insect-friendly shrubs and flowers
Want bees and butterflies in your garden? Look for bee and butterfly friendly plants. Butterfly attracting plants include brassicas, holly and ivy, sorrel, wild grasses and, best of all, buddleia. For bees, oregano and lavender score highly as favorites. You can also plant single dahlias, foxgloves and honeysuckle.
Try some bamboo poles
Bamboo makes a great addition to any garden. And it’s eco-friendly thanks to its fast growth and durability. Use the poles for fencing, or for creating garden paths and planters. You can also use cut-offs from the poles to create an insect hotel, as set out below.
Add a bird bath and feeders
Eco-garden design ideas include attracting birds to your space. Anyone who has a bird feeder in their garden will tell you how rewarding it is to watch the birds as they fly in to feed. Fat balls, sunflower seeds and bird seed are relatively inexpensive. You can feed the birds peanuts too—but not in the spring, as they can choke baby birds.
Build an insect hotel
One of the best eco-garden design ideas is an insect hotel. Recent news has revealed that insect numbers are falling—and this not good news. Insects play a vital part in our eco-system. Bees, for example pollinate plants so we can eat.
An insect hotel can encourage bumble bees ladybirds, wood lice and more, and you use up random bits of garden rubbish too. Here are detailed instruction on how to make your own here.
Plant native fruit trees and bushes
Native means the trees have grown in the US for thousands of years and they help native birds and insects survive. Why not try blueberries and cherries (and grow your own food at the same time), Queen Anne’s lace, lavender, snapdragon and Yuapon Holly?
Consider a pond
If you create a small pond where water gathers naturally, you can provide a home for frogs and toads, and other wildlife.
Buy garden furniture made from sustainable wood
This means the wood that has been used comes from sustainable woods and forests, such as bamboo, maple, mango and cane.
