RSPB Gardening for Wildlife: A Complete Guide to Nature-friendly Gardening(RSPB)

Winner of the Garden Media Guild New Talent Award 2010. Gardening for wildlife is hugely enjoyable. There is something uplifting about having butterflies in your flowerbeds, frogs in your water feature and birds in your bushes - and knowing that they're here because of you. But if you want a 'nice' garden too, don't worry! This new book busts the myths that wildlife gardens have to be 'wild', or that you can only garden for wildlife in a 'wildlife garden'. You can easily fit in wildlife gardening alongside everything else you want from your garden. The secret is understanding the 'home needs' of your guests. Tap into their needs and you can create a five-star hotel for birds, bees, butterflies and more. As well as looking at a host of different species, there are sections to help you create entire habitats, such as woodland and meadow gardens, and a catalogue of over 300 of the very best garden flowers, shrubs and trees for wildlife. So no matter how large or small your garden, whether it is formal or a family football pitch, there are all sorts of things you can do. If you love wildlife and want to encourage more, this inspirational book will help you sow the seeds and reap the rewards.

Table of Contents:
Gardening for Wildlife Why everyone should garden for wildlife Myth-busting So what is gardening for wildlife, then? How wildlife sees gardens Gardening for Wildlife at a glance The Right Home for the Right Species Gardening for Birds Gardening for Butterflies Gardening for Mammals Gardening for Reptiles & Amphibians Gardening for Bees Gardening for Dragonflies and Damselflies Gardening for Moths Gardening for Creepy-crawlies Gardening for Primitive plants and fungi Creating different habitats Making a woodland garden Making a scrubland garden Making a wildflower meadow garden Making a heathland garden Making a cornfield garden Making a wetland garden Making a hot-rot garden Gardening for wildlife in a big garden Gardening for wildlife in a small garden Gardening for wildlife in a balcony garden Low maintenance gardening for wildlife Gardening for wildlife in the function zone Gardening for wildlife in the leisure zone Gardening for wildlife in the production zone Gardening for wildlife in the aesthetic zone Gardening for the planet Top 400 Plants for Wildlife Gardening for Wildlife Calendar Measuring success Index

About the Author :
Adrian Thomas has had a lifelong fascination with nature and its conservation. He has worked for over eight years for the RSPB, where his job in the South-east region is to communicate the charity's vision through the media and interpret wildlife for visitors to RSPB reserves. His passion for gardening was kindled a decade ago when he got a plot he could call his own for the first time. He has been using this garden as a test bed for his ideas ever since. Adrian has won the Garden Media Guild New Talent Award for this book.

Review :
'An excellent companion to the RSPB's Handbook of Garden Wildlife, already published.' 'With 650 colour photos, it shows how wildlife gardening can fit any garden.' 'Wildlife can be lured to the tiniest gardens, a new book says this week...' 'Thomas writes with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humour...the writing style and layout of the book is above all practical, helpful and encouraging. Gardening for Wildlife is an excellent book that...manages to be informative and entertaining. It's possibly the most definitive work on the subject in recent years.' 'Written in a friendly tone, RSPB Gardening for Wildlife offers a huge amount of information. In this year of biodiversity, it will help you make the most of what you've got in your backyard.' '...stuffed with 650 colour photos and shows how wildlife gardening can fit any garden (and any gardener!)' '...a new book just out which proves that you don't have to have a wild garden to have a wildlife-friendly one' 'A tip-top book which goes far beyond being a useful list of plants and species. An excellent publication.' 'From the common ant through to weird and wonderful insects this book shows you more about the natural world in your garden.' 'Possibly the most definitive work on the subject in recent years.' 'Adrian Thomas's highly attractive book will inspire all those who pick it up to turn their gardens into wildlife sanctuaries' 'This is the definitive wildlife gardening book that will help you bring your garden alive.' 'An excellent book that brings together a lot of information in one place, challenges preconceived wisdom and manages to be informative and entertaining. It's possibly the most definitive work on the subject in recent years.' 'A practical and contemporary look at how to embrace the little pockets of wildlife that exist in every garden, this book teaches you how to create habitats for all manner of butterflies, bees and other creatures.' 'highly recommended reading' 'This inspiring and friendly new book take wildlife gardening to a new level.' 'Every so often a new book comes along that makes you sit up and think. Gardening for Wildlife is just such a book, breaking through the myths around the subject and telling us all we will ever need to know about how to combine wildlife with all other things a garden should be.' suites beginners and more experienced gardeners alike.