Backyard Wildlife How to Attract Bees, Butterflies, Insects, Birds, Frogs and Animals into Your Garden

About this book

Backyard Wildlife includes practical instructions for designing and planting beautiful gardens that welcome wildlife, through step-by-step instructions with explanations of how wildlife will benefit. It covers all kinds of ideas for feeding and sheltering wildlife, such as bird feeders, log piles, toad houses, bee nesting boxes, butterfly roosting houses, bird boxes, habitat stacks and hibernation sites. It features annotated planting plans for country gardens, urban spaces, courtyards and wild gardens, as well as beautiful borders specially designed to attract bees, butterflies and birds.

Backyard Wildlife features projects as seen in Michael Lavelle's medal-winning wildlife garden at the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show 2007. Award-winning garden writers Christine and Michael Lavelle give expert advice on how to help native insects, birds and animals, with the aim of creating a wildlife habitat in your backyard. They explain how the process of welcoming wildlife is not only good for local species, but will also improve the health of your plants. There are clear and easy-to-follow instructions on a range of techniques, with advice on planning and garden design to show how you can share your outdoor space with wildlife.

All the major habitats are covered, with ideas for the best types of plants to encourage wildlife. There are also instructions for how to make bird feeders, bee boxes, log piles, nesting boxes, hibernation sites and more. With its wealth of hands-on practical advice, 40 step-by-step projects and over 570 inspirational photographs, Backyard Wildlife is the ideal book for gardeners and wildlife enthusiasts everywhere.

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Biography

Christine Lavelle is a lecturer in horticulture and ecology at Writtle College, Chelmsford. She trained at the National Trust for Scotland's Threave School of Practical Gardening and the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. Christine was assistant head gardener at Levens Hall topiary gardens in Kendal.

Michael Lavelle has designed and constructed several exhibits at the Chelsea Flower Show, achieving gold medals in 1999, 2003 and 2005, and winning a silver medal for his specialist wildlife garden in 2007. He is currently a senior lecturer in landscape management at Writtle College, Chelmsford.