Westminster Wild Gardens Challenge

You're invited to take part in the Westminster Wild Gardens Challenge. Whether you have a window-box, an allotment, driveway, or balcony, a little wilding goes a long way for nature.

Nature-centred gardening for wildlife, the climate and us

The wild gardens initiative forms part of our commitment to contribute to natural recovery and the wellbeing of all our residents.

It can often feel like the ecological crisis is too large for our individual efforts to make a difference. But little changes to lifestyles, behaviours and how organisations do business all add up to benefit the planet. That is why we're inviting residents to have a go at wilding their own gardens, as even the smallest of changes will make a difference.

The change you make could range from a section of your garden that you dedicate to supporting wildlife, insects or wild meadow seeding, or adding a planter to your balcony. Whatever you decide, it will make a positive difference in helping our planet and the collective life force upon its surface to flourish.

Winners will be announced for the following categories:

• Best garden: best overall garden based upon wildlife friendly plantings and methods.
• Best small garden: best small space for – courtyard, balcony, green roof, window-sill, driveway, or garden under 20 square meters – for wildlife and planting.
• Most improved: best garden space that can demonstrate being in transition towards being a haven for flora and fauna using ecologically sound methods.
• Best kitchen garden: using organic techniques to produce fruits vegetables and herbs.
• Young gardener award: special category for a young person who can demonstrate the knowledge, skills and behaviour of a wildlife friendly gardener.

Judging

With the help of local experts, gardens will be marked on how many wildlife friendly features they have, the richness of species, with particular merit awarded for native species and pollinator friendly planting and other ecologically sound methods employed such those listed in the suggestions.

Suggestions

There are many sources of information available online to help steer people towards more wildlife friendly gardens.
We can particularly recommend the following webpages for inspiration and information:

• Garden for a living London from the London Wildlife Trust
• Gardening For Wildlife, from The RSPB
• Go Wild in the Garden with these Gardening Jobs, from Plantlife

Ideas to get you started

Planting

• Rewild an area of garden to attract insects and invertebrates, which will in turn attract animals higher up the food chain.
• Stop mowing an area of lawn to let wild flowering plants spread across it, seeds can lay dormant for years in the soil, just waiting for a chance to germinate.
• Plant wildflowers from seed. Choose bee and other pollinator friendly seeds.
• Swap artificial turf for grass. Nothing can live in artificial turf.
• Plant specific herbs to deter certain insects from eating your vegetables.
• Join others in community seed and plant swaps.

Garden maintenance

• Use porous paving for your patio to prevent flooding after heavy rain.
• Swap fences for hedges, as they can shelter nesting and over-wintering birds, and provide food for birds and insects.
• Use a rainwater butt, saving water.
• Compost garden waste.
• Don’t use compost on wild plants, as they thrive on unimproved soil.
• Don’t use any chemical weed-killers, insecticides or slug and snail-killing chemicals.
• Don’t use peat-based compost, peat is an important carbon sink and should not be dug up.

Supporting animals

• Provide bird-feeding stations and water, make sure to keep them clean to prevent infections in wildlife.
• Provide insect hotels to provide shelter in winter.
• Provide bird and bat boxes for nesting.
• Leave gaps under fences for hedgehogs to travel between gardens and for newts and frogs to travel to and from your pond.

How to enter

To enter the challenge, please email to [email protected] including your name, address, and the category that you wish to enter.

Entries close at 23:59pm on Sunday 30 September.