How you can help nature in your own back garden
We are passionate about animals – not just the ones in our homes, but the wild visitors that fill our gardens, parks and hedgerows too!
This Garden Wildlife Week, we’re celebrating the creatures that call our green spaces home and helping you to support them and getting the kids involved too!
Keep reading for wildlife tips, fun ideas and a FREE 5 minute bird feeder craft that you can download!!
Feeding, Sheltering & Spotting Wild Birds
From chirpy sparrows to majestic robins and cheeky starlings, wild birds bring music and movement to our gardens.
How to Help:
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Feeders & Food: Offer a mix of seeds, fat balls, suet cakes, and mealworms. Different feeders (tray, hanging, caged) help accommodate different species.
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Water: Birds need clean, fresh water for drinking and bathing.
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Shelter: Plant hedges or install bird boxes for nesting and protection.
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Avoid Pesticides: Many chemicals harm the insects birds rely on.
Smith’s Tip: Place feeders near bushes or trees to give birds a safe escape route from predators!
🚫 Don’t use rat poison or pesticides – they harm all wildlife.
🚫 Don’t feed birds salty or sugary human food like bread.
🚫 Don’t forget water! Food is great, but hydration is vital for all species.
🚫 Don’t prune or clear during nesting season (March–August).
Hedgehogs: Britain’s favourite garden guest
Hedgehog bumbers have sadly declined, but your garden can become a safe haven for them.
How to Help:
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Food: Special hedgehog food is best. You can also use meaty wet cat food (non-fish) and fresh water — never milk.
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Access: A small 13cm hole in your garden fence creates a “hedgehog highway.”
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Shelter: Leave a wild corner with logs, leaves, or install a hedgehog house.
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Avoid Slug Pellets: These are toxic to hedgehogs.
Bugs & Mini-Beasts
They may be small, but bugs like ladybirds, bees, beetles, and woodlice are essential to a healthy eco system.
How to Help:
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Bug Hotels: Provide a safe space with wood, straw, bamboo and leaves.
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Don’t Over-Tidy: Leave some leaf litter and old wood in a shaded corner.
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Plant Pollinator-Friendly Flowers: Wildflowers, lavender, and foxgloves attract bees and butterflies.
Get Kids Involved: Free 5-Minute Bird Feeder Craft
Garden Wildlife Week is a great time to get creative with kids and teach them about nature!
a quick, fun, and eco-friendly craft using things you already have at home.
Let your little ones get messy, crafty, and excited about caring for their feathered friends. Once they’re done, hang it up and start bird-spotting together!
Visit Smith’s for Wildlife Supplies
During Garden Wildlife Week, pop into Smith’s Pets to see our front-of-store wildlife display, featuring:
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A huge range of bird feeders, seeds, suet treats
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Hedgehog food, houses & care info
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Bug hotels, bee homes, squirrel-safe feeders
Let’s make our gardens a haven for all creatures — great and small.