Eco-friendly Gardening Without The Weedkiller

I Nthe UK, our collective private gardens cover an area of land that is bigger than all of the country’s nature reserves combined. That’s a huge area, and means our gardens have great potential to provide vital space for wildlife.

But how do we garden with the environment in mind?

The good news is that it is not as hard or expensive as you think to be an ecofriendly gardener.

One of the easiest ways to be eco-friendly – which I am sure many of you will rejoice at – is to not be too harsh on the weeds that pop up in your garden.

The dandelions pushing up on your path or lawn are rich in pollen and nectar, and a good source of food for butterflies, bees and other pollinating insects.

Dandelions are particularly beneficial to early pollinators coming out of hibernation, including solitary bees, honey bees and hoverflies.

Meanwhile, nettles are especially beneficial to a host of insects, including caterpillars and moths.

Aphids also love them, and in turn, birds eat the aphids attracted to nettles.

Brambles are beneficial to wildlife. The flowers provide nectar for butterflies, wasps and bumblebees, whilst the berries are gobbled by birds, and the leaves are eaten by caterpillars.

All in all, weeds offer a veritable banquet for wildlife.

It’s also important to remember that many commercially available plants have been bred in such a way that they provide very little pollen or nectar for insects.

This makes weeds just as valuable to wildlife – if not more valuable – than any other plants in your garden.

So do your bit for the environment by laying that spade down and putting your feet up!

Even if you are a proud gardener, leaving a small area of your garden to weed over can help the environment.

You may want to consider a physical barrier between the weeds and your weedfree zones.

Deadheading the flower heads before they go to seed will also help to keep your weeds confined to one area. ■