What simple things can I do to make my garden wildlife friendly?

[Watellz]

It's a medium sized garden.

No DC so can make it just for me and the wildlife.

Ideas please.

Yes, I’m moving to planting food for birds rather than just putting out bird food… planting a blackcurrant bush, have planted crabapple, wild Cherry, hawthorn, and thinking about teasles and some kind of seed to grow.

Salvia are really good for attracting bees and moths, Salvia Nemerosa varieties for the bees and the Gregii varieties have been attracting a lot of hummingbird moths.

The most popular plants in the garden, as far as the wildlife is concerned, are the 'weeds' and self seeders. Have a nice mix of wildflower and garden centre plants. When you visit the garden centre, see which plants the insects are attracted to.

If you plant teasels you too could be as obsessed as me and see how much water you can pour, carefully, into the 6ft plants. Current record is 300ml.

I have a tiny front garden but it now has lots of wildlife (lots of birds, squirrels, the odd fox, had blue tit's nest in a bird box this year too!) I have lots of bug hotels, and insect water bowls, a bird feeding station (which I regularly disinfect) lots of flowers and I don't mow the lawn very often, next thing is a very small pond. Oh and I planted a tree

Feeding birds bought Feeding can actually be not so good for other birds. The blue tits etc are more likely to survive the winter but they then push into other territory and edge out birds that don't enter gardens.

Water, even a dish with a few pebbles for insects to stand and drink on, is the top priority. Birds will need a tree or taller shrub to perch on. As previous posters have said, "weeds" are great. A lawn with daisies, violets, yarrow and clover will be much loved.

Small pond, lots of bee friendly plants, bird feeder.

Avoid using any chemicals in the garden and don’t be too tidy! Behind my shed I have old bits of wood and sticks that insects seem to love especially beetles.

I have a small garden in a new build estate and we get loads of birds, insects, bees, a toad in the pond and even a hedgehog!

Google earth always depresses me for things like this. I can see that gardens are in the minority in our street. Plastic "grass", paving slabs and barren areas of grass are just in the lead.

Every year in our flowerbed all we do is sprinkle a packet of wildflower seeds. They're beautiful and we have loads of bees. I'd like more birds but they don't seem to come even when I put feeders out

Echoing lots of what everyone else says - also:
plant night flowering plants like night scented phlox & evening primrose for moths
plant plants that are good for caterpillars too - it’s great to have flowers for butterflies etc, but you can’t have butterflies & moths without the host food plant of their caterpillars
Bee houses are good for leaf cutter bees & mason bees
Grow fruit trees & bushes to help feed wildlife

Yesterday there were two hummingbird hawk moths in the garden feeding on the lace cap hydrangea & echinops, we had a grass snake a few weeks ago; & pigeon & some wrens nesting in our honeysuckle.

Birds like shelter, so plant some trees and shrubs. Trees don’t have to be big, standard trees work too. I’ve got a very small garden and I’ve got a standard crab tree and standard cotoneaster that the birds love to eat from but also use as a perch to eye up the feeder.

they also eat grubs off the fuchsia and other shrubs.

we’ve a very small pond that the birds bath in and I leave out shallow dishes of water, just plant pot saucers, when it’s really hot. I’ve teasels and sunflowers. And leave the seed heads. It’s not too tidy.

I always look at the plants in the garden centre which are attracting bees there. Also the birds can't get enough of the fat balls I bought but they have become fussy and only like the premium ones 😊 about £6 a box for 40 from Home Bargains.

Don't tidy the dead leaves etc in flower beds until the spring. Over winter they give shelter to insects and seeds heads are a source of food for birds.
I have bits of log left to rot in various places like under/ behind shrubs to help insects. If you have insects and seeds other wildlife will follow.

Pond, any size. Native hedging.