Many gardeners ponder the wisdom of laying mulch on their flowerbeds, or do not fully understand the reasons for doing it, or the many benefits of doing so. Here is a quick summary of the reasons why you should do it, and how to do it. The best kind of mulches to use are…

Log piles in gardens make fantastic additions that will support a wide range of wildlife, moss, fungi, insects and other invertebrates. Here is a quick summary of exactly how to create your log pile. You may have seen famous garden designers such as Nigel Dunnett include stretches of log walls to create both decorative impact as well as a home for biodiversity.

To make a homemade insect hotel, old pallets are a perfect choice. Ideally, have several old pallets, and find a shady, damp spot of your garden. Create an even flat base in the earth, and start building the hotel one storey (pallet!) at a time. Each pallet should be filled with the as many logs, twigs and old bit of wood as you can find; these make a great haven for wood-boring beetles and their larvae.

Planting a tree is reasonably straightforward, depening upon the size of the tree, but there are some really important things to get right. The most important thing, and most common error, is getting the planting depth correct. The next most common reason for trees that struggle or die, is a lack of watering in the days, weeks, months and initial years after planting. Correct staking is important too, and remembering to adjust stakes in the early years and then remove them after three years.

Here is a setp-by-step way to make a bird feeder using an old pine cone or half of an empty coconut shell. The recipe is taken from the RHS Wildlife Gardening book by Kate Bradbury, which I can heartily recommend. As a garden designer with a real passion for bringing wildlife into my own garden in Glasgow, as well as the gardens I design and create for clients, I am passionate about spreading the word when it comes to biodiversity-friendly wildlife gardens.

Laying a lawn requires methodical preparation, and if done correctly will reward you for years to come. Lawns must be laid on 6” (15cm) of good quality, cultivated and lightly compacted top soil. Most established gardens will have perfectly adequate soil quality - though bear in mind that this may very well not be the case on new build properties. When bringing in topsoil, always buy screened and sterilised topsoil that complies with BS3882.