What’s new?
2 October 2009
Wild about gardening!
To celebrate the launch of new wildlife gardening website http://www.wildaboutgardens.org.uk the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and The Wildlife Trusts are offering 20 copies of the RHS Wildlife Garden book as a free prize draw for people who sign up to the website’s monthly newsletter.
The two leading charities have produced an up-to-date website, packed with information on how to create habitats attracting insects, mammals, reptiles and birds.
Whatever type of garden people have, whether it’s traditional mixed flower borders, a small gravel frontage or patio pots or window boxes on a balcony, suggestions on the website help gardeners find plants to appeal to a plethora of wildlife.
Alan Titchmarsh, MBE, VMH, and RHS vice president says: “Gardeners have always had a special relationship with wildlife, whether it’s understanding the importance of pollination or experiencing the personal pleasure it gives. Who doesn’t enjoy watching a robin waiting for worms when you are digging over the soil or a bright blue dragonfly hovering over your pond? Children are fascinated by animals and insects, so it’s a great way of sparking their interest in gardening and the world around them.”
Even if gardeners have only a couple of hours a week to spend in the garden, there are suggestions on what can be done each month. For instance in September, bird feeders and tables need to be cleaned in preparation for the return of birds as the temperature drops. For a weekend there are larger projects such as building a pond or making a compost café.
Stephanie Hilborne, chief executive for The Wildlife Trusts, said: “From hedgehogs to hawkmoths, stag beetles to slow worms, so many species can benefit from a wildlife-friendly garden. There is so much pleasure to be had from watching a blue-tit family move into a nest box you have erected, or simply sitting in your garden in the sunshine listening to the hum of bees feeding on your nectar-rich plants.
“Wildlife gardens are an essential part of what can make the UK ‘A Living Landscape’ for us all to enjoy. This website will help people understand what they can do, whatever their green patch might consist of, to make sure wildlife thrives, now and well into the future.”
-Ends-
For more information contact:
- Nicole Russell - RHS Press Office nicolerussell@rhs.org.uk or 020 7821 3670
- Tanya Perdikou The Wildlife Trusts’ media & campaign officer tperdikou@wildlifetrusts.org /07887 754657 or
- Anna Guthrie media & PR manager aguthrie@wildlifetrusts.org / 07887 754659.
Notes to the Editor:
RHS Wildlife Gardening by Martyn Cox
Priced: £9.99 Available from all good bookshops and www.dk.com
The free prize draw for the 20 books will be available to people who sign up to the website’s newsletter between 23 September 2009 and the 23 October 2009.
About the RHS
The RHS believes that gardening improves the quality of life and that everyone should have access to great garden experiences. As a charity we help to bring gardening into people’s lives and support gardeners of all levels and abilities; whether they are expert horticulturists or children who are planting seeds for the very first time.
RHS membership is for anyone with an interest in gardening. Support the RHS and secure a healthy future for gardening. For more information call: 0845 130 4646, or visit www.rhs.org.uk
The Wildlife Trusts (TWT) www.wildlifetrusts.orgThere are 47 Wildlife Trusts across the whole of the UK, the Isle of Man and Alderney. We are working for an environment rich in wildlife for everyone. With 791,000 members, we are the largest UK voluntary organisation dedicated to conserving the full range of the UK’s habitats and species, whether they be in the countryside, in cities or at sea. 135,000 of our members belong to our junior branch, Wildlife Watch. We manage 2,256 nature reserves covering more than 90,000 hectares; we stand up for wildlife; we inspire people about the natural world and we foster sustainable living.
RHS Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262