Nature and humanity aren’t separate, they’re the same. We live day to day on the doorstep of thousands of cute critters and brilliant bugs, cool cats and delighted dogs. Essentially, garden design that extends your love for the outdoors and everything in it is key. Even if you have a large space that you want to capitalize on with a hot tub or outdoor decking with a mini-bar (sounds good to me), you can still make those decisions in the best way for both yourself and nature. When adding extravagant and wonderful things to your outdoors space keep in mind these considerations and work with your garden, not against it!
Small Spaces Are Huge Spaces
You probably have that patch of garden or lane of mud against the side of the house that you can’t find a use for, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be meaningful to you and to others. Specifically, others like hedgehogs and insects! A pile of driftwood, a compost heap or a small branch tunnel leading along the side of your home all contribute tiny spaces, but have big impact. What is a small change for us is a world-defining landmark for some of these creatures!
A Patio Can Have Multiple Uses
I can’t blame you for not wanting every inch of your garden to be wild brush, though. So when you have a patio space and some nice furniture for it the best approach is to ask “Well, now that this is here, how can it help?”. Once a set-piece like that has been build up it can be easy to see that as the human-portion of the garden but in reality patios and tables can be set out each night as buffets for a variety of wildlife. With a night-cam and some luck you’ll have recordings of more than just rodents and birds playing in your garden, you’ll get mammals and more! The duality of the space is important when trying to make your patio accommodate both you during the day and nature during the night, so make sure you have access to cleaning and maintenance before creating a dual-use space like this.
Cleanliness and Care
Even when the garden is being used by both you and it’s original inhabitants, the upkeep you provide is vital. If you have opted for a dual space like above and have a hot tub or outdoors bar for example, the safety of the animals is paramount. The bar must be properly locked up and no glass left in a precarious position. Especially hot-tubs and outdoor water features in general are hubs for bacteria and you can’t guarantee it’s the good kind. To that end, water features and hot tubs need hot tub filters. These bits of kit clean the water thoroughly and ensure your shared space doesn’t harm the animals or you. By catching dirt and particulates you can ensure that even established, man-made features like your tub are animal friendly.
CONVERSATION