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Cheap and cheerful ways to attract wildlife to your garden this summer

Encourage wildlife into your garden for next to nothing

SAVE MONEY on a wildlife-friendly garden

Affordable bee-friendly plants There are plenty of plants that attract bees to your garden, and you don’t need to break the bank to fill up your flowerbeds. ‘For a super effective, low cost and maintenance free “bee nectar filling station,” I’d opt for either catmint or perennial wallflowers,’ recommends Sean McMenemy, Director at Ark Wildlife. ‘They can be planted in pots or directly in the ground, and they’ll flower continuously from spring until autumn for many years.’

Make your own compost Reduce your wastage and garden spending by using your own compost, as Adam Johannes, known as The Compost Guy, advises. ‘Pop uncooked food chopped into small pieces into a kitchen caddy so it decomposes quicker. You can even add plastic-free tea bags and coffee grounds.’ Pick up an Addis 2.5-litre kitchen caddy with removeable inner bucket for £10 from Dunelm.

Put out fresh clean water Birds need clean water for drinking and bathing. Not only will this help them stay hydrated but it also keeps their feathers in good condition, too. Keep a dish of clean tap water out all year round or for something better suited to your garden design, install a bird bath.

Add a bug hotel Provide shelter to bees, bugs and butterflies visiting your garden with a bug hotel. Affordable to buy or even make yourself at home with the kids using pieces of wood, you’ll be giving these important critters a warm welcome.