Industrialised farming practices, erosion of hedges and the nation’s obsession for neat and tidy gardens is placing more than 600 individual species in Britain at risk.

 

Creating a wildlife garden will encourage native wildlife to flourish, giving you a rich biodiversity of natural plants,insects and animals in your own back yard.

 

Greening Greater Manchester helpful hints to create a wildlife garden:

  • Choose plants that are attractive to native wildlife like berry-bearing plants, holly and honeysuckle
  • Allow a range of plants to seed to provide winter food for seed-eating birds
  • Be tolerant of weeds as some of them are native plants
  • Source organic solutions to slug pellets and pesticides
  • Create ‘untidy’ corners to provide overwintering sites for insects
  • Compost your garden and kitchen waste to make organic compost for the garden
  • Install a water butt to collect rainwater, which is better for plants and saves resources in times of drought

To find out more about wildlife gardening in your area contact:

The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside
Telephone 01772 324 129

Red Rose Forest
Telephone 0161 872 1660

Landlife
Telephone 0151 737 1819

National Wildflower Centre
Telephone 0151 738 1913

Plantlife
Telephone 01722 342 730
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Flixton Park Wildlife Corridor, Urmston

The Wildflower Corridor derived from an entry in the ‘Greenspace Challenge’, Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council’s Parks and Countryside Service initiative to encourage young people to value their local parks and green spaces, and involve them in environmental management and improvement work.

 

“The Council wants to foster young people’s sense of ownership and respect for their outdoor environment. The primary schools in Trafford can play a vital role in ensuring we make a positive difference,” said Gary Devine, from Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council’s Parks and Countryside Services.

 

“The ‘Challenge’ has proved to be very popular with the pupils and we received many exciting and thoughtful entries, including designs for low-level mazes, park features and poems about the local environment.”

 

“The best entry from St Michael’s Primary School in Flixton was the Wildflower Corridor. Although the design did not win the Challenge overall, pupils from the class expressed their desire to see the feature be brought to life. The feature will not only enhance the look of the area, it also aims to encourage birds and wildlife.”

 

Gary added: “To put the design into practice, Red Rose Forest was contracted with regard to managing the project after they successfully applied for funding through GGM.”

 

“Everyone is really looking forward to Spring when the wildflower seeds and saplings we planted last year will come into bloom, and then we can all enjoy the new look Flixton Park.”