Book Review: Chris Baines. Companion to Wildlife Gardening. Frances Lincoln, 2023.

This is a completely updated version of a ground-breaking classic that was first published in 1985, when much gardening advice was about how to get rid of wildlife rather than encourage it.

Today, whether we tend our own garden, an allotment, a tiny balcony or a local community green space, we are increasingly aware of our duty of care towards wildlife.

This completely revised and updated edition draws on cutting-edge research and reports by the RHS, the RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts on issues such as herbicide use, the relative merits of native and non-native plants, and rewilding. The book is very well illustrated, and is divided into three parts, with a wealth of information that will be of interest both to those new to gardening and to the seasoned gardener.

Part One discusses why there is so little true wilderness left in the UK, including the effects on wildlife of climate change, intensive agriculture, pesticides and herbicides and loss of habitat, particularly wildflower meadows. It goes on to describe the benefits of urban landscapes, wildflower corridors and wasteland sites for nature. The author then highlights the special role that gardens play in providing unusually rich and safe habitats for insects, amphibians, birds and mammals. Finally, there is a chapter on planning a wildlife garden on any scale from a window box to a large garden with outdoor ‘rooms’.

Part Two describes how to create new habitats, such as woodland edge, hedgerows and climber-covered screens, wildflower meadows, garden ponds and other wetlands, green roofs and living walls, and there are helpful wildlife-friendly plant lists for all the major habitats. The effects of flooding and sustainable drainage are also discussed.

Part Three gives a fascinating account of how wildlife habitats can be supplemented – for example, by creating a ‘cottage garden service station’ or a ‘wild kitchen garden’, both of which provide a richer habitat than would normally be encountered in nature. The author also explains how the design and positioning of nest boxes, bug hotels and other habitat boxes, as well as bird feeders, can be used to influence which particular species will utilise these garden features. There are very useful chapters on how to propagate native plants, including the sourcing of wildflower seed, and how to identify, study and record wildlife.

The final chapter is a completely new one. It leaps over the garden wall and suggests how to map the wildlife network in your neighbourhood, so that you can find out where all your wildlife visitors are coming from. Most important of all, it sets out practical ways in which communities can become empowered to promote biodiversity, restore and expand habitats and bring back our lost wildlife.

Reviewer: Jo Hargreaves: Jo worked as a research botanist for a number of years, before moving to Scotland and studying horticulture. She now divides her time between editing gardening and natural history books and designing and maintaining planting schemes for private and community gardens.