Aims
- To establish baseline information about the status of wildlife in gardens
- To increase the number and area of gardens and allotments which are managed sympathetically for wildlife
Introduction
Gardens can be defined as "Areas of land adjoining a property, usually grass covered and/or planted with trees and flowers or vegetable plots. They may contain a pond and hard surfaced areas."
Gardens are usually found in front and/or at the back of houses and buildings. However, there are also mini-gardens. These take the form of roof gardens, pots and baskets, window boxes etc. All can support a mixture of artificial feeding stations (e.g. bird tables) and breeding stations (e.g. bird boxes).
Another important type of garden are allotments which are plots of land cultivated by individuals on communal sites. Plots often include small ponds, compost heaps etc with communal areas and boundaries that can be planted to encourage further biodiversity.
Development of the resource
Urbanisation of the Borough began in about 1850 reaching its peak at the end of the nineteenth century. During this period the large estates attached to the original manor houses and eighteenth century country homes of London businessmen in Walthamstow, Leyton and Leytonstone were sold to development companies who constructed high density housing for the growing working classes of the capital. Houses in these areas often have relatively small gardens, particularly at the front. Very little remains of the landscaped gardens of the old estates, although a few large ponds and specimen trees survive.
Further north along a line roughly following the present North Circular road, residential development took place from the 1930s onwards on what was previously open farmland with hedgerows, ponds and a number of small woods. Here gardens were generally larger and often incorporated the old farm boundaries.
Biological value
In the past 150 years London has expanded dramatically, resulting in the destruction of ancient woodlands, wildflower meadows and wetlands. Although important fragments of these natural habitats survive within the Borough, these are often relatively small in size and are under considerable pressure from both development interests and recreational pursuits. Since the 1950s intensive farming in the wider countryside has led to a dramatic loss of wildlife and private gardens can, if managed sympathetically, provide an incredibly rich refuge for wildlife.
Many species now depend on gardens for their survival. Those which are traditionally associated with human dwellings like the house sparrow and swift have been joined by others, like the greenfinch and chaffinch, that are more usually thought of as birds of farmland and open countryside. Blackbirds, robins and hedgehogs, for instance, are much more common in gardens than in more natural habitats.
Gardens are also of greater significance today because a number of species associated with them have recently undergone major national declines, for example the house sparrow and song thrush.
Although not usually thought of as a wildlife habitat, gardens do exhibit many of the features of more natural habitats. From the point of view of a bird, large trees and areas of dense shrubbery are miniature woodlands, rough grass is a small meadow; and a garden pond, from a frog's perspective, is as good as a lake. Special micro-habitats also exist in the garden. Damp crevices in walls are a home to ferns and mosses, the compost heap may house a family of slow worms and a pile of dead wood and leaves can offer shelter to a hedgehog. Even our houses are important: gaps beneath the eaves allow places for swifts and sparrows to nest, and the roof space may provide a roost for a colony of tiny pipistrelle bats.
An individual garden may only support a limited variety of wildlife by itself, but most gardens are only separated from the next one by a small fence or wall. Added together gardens effectively form very large areas of continuous habitat in many parts of the Borough. This green network links together areas of open space, like parks, railway verges, woods and other habitats in the wider environment. More mobile creatures can disperse and move through built up areas more easily, preventing local extinctions of species which can easily occur in isolated habitats. For instance lines of mature trees in back gardens and street trees close to front gardens are particularly important for the movement of birds like great spotted woodpeckers and long-tailed tits, and butterflies like the holly blue.
Many garden boundaries still follow the line of old farm hedgerows or the edges of ancient woods which existed for many hundreds of years before the land was developed. Throughout the Borough these old boundaries are often marked by occasional oak or hornbeam trees, or perhaps a field maple or old hawthorn. Apart from their historical interest these trees contain some very special habitats; standing dead wood, rot holes and sap runs, which can host many different insects such as the greater stag beetle.
Gardens contain other special features: old fruit trees may be of varieties long since dispensed with in our mass production society; old walls can provide a haven for ferns and other uncommon plants; old lawns which have escaped fertilisers and weed killers may support different types of fungi (mushrooms etc.).
Gardens are becoming an increasingly important resource as indicated by the wide range of birds which are becoming regular visitors to urban garden bird-tables, and the high yields of honey that some urban beekeepers are achieving from their hives compared to their rural counterparts, a reversal of the historical position.
Social value
Gardens are the only type of open space in the urban environment which have maximum safety, require no transport and are designed for the needs of the householder. Private gardens in the urban context are therefore vitally important, being aesthetically pleasing areas where people can relax, play, and socialise and where wildlife can enhance these activities.
Gardens are usually the closest point of contact that people have with the natural environment. An environment which is healthy for birds, hedgehogs and mini-beasts is an equally healthy place for humans to live in. Most people have an instinctive attraction for green spaces, and getting 'back to nature' can be an escape from the stresses and strains of modern urban life. For instance, watching birds on the bird table, feeding hedgehogs on the patio and observing frogs in the pond.
Allotments enable people from different cultural backgrounds to exchange ideas and discover produce from other countries. Organic gardening of allotments is increasingly popular with obvious benefits for wildlife. Gardens are important in the way we relate to wider environmental issues e.g. composting reduces the amount of waste that is sent off to landfill sites and rainwater can be collected in butts for watering the garden, saving drinking water.
Gardening is the most popular hobby in the UK, and a significant amount of time is spent growing vegetables, making attractive seasonal flower displays, or simply providing a pleasant area for informal recreation. Although gardens will always reflect the preferences of their owners there are many and varied ways in which gardens can also be made more attractive to wildlife.
Current Status
Gardens constitute approximately 20% of the borough's green space, providing one of the largest single land-uses within the borough. From the air all but the most built-up areas appear green. Private residents are the biggest owners of private garden land, followed by the Council, Housing Associations and private businesses.
Gardens vary significantly in terms of size and distribution throughout the borough. In general, larger suburban gardens are found towards the north (particularly in central and north Chingford). Further south gardens become considerably smaller.
Whilst most gardens adjoin houses and are for the private use of an individual or family, smaller number of communal gardens surround housing estates and blocks of flats, either privately owned or controlled by the Council or a Housing Association. In addition some local businesses have created landscaped grounds around their offices to add to the attractiveness of the buildings and for the use of their staff.
Specific factors affecting the habitat
Development pressures
A shortfall in housing provision is leading to increased development pressure in residential areas. Larger plots of land may be redeveloped to take higher density housing, and there is pressure to build in back gardens. The conversion of front gardens to provide off-street parking has had an overall negative effect on the habitat and on street trees. Hard surfacing of gardens is increasing because of ease of maintenance, aesthetic or cultural reasons.
Trees are often considered a problem when close to buildings because they can reduce light, cause slippery surfaces, block gutters and provide roosts for birds. Building subsidence through the action of tree roots is a more serious concern sometimes involving considerable financial costs. Mortgage lenders and insurance companies often require trees to be heavily pruned or removed when subsidence is suspected.
Lack of appropriate management
Sometimes our efforts at maintaining and improving gardens can reduce their value to wildlife. For example insensitive use of chemicals (e.g. herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers) can lead to the destruction of a whole range of insects and other invertebrates, which in turn reduces the amount of food available for familiar birds such as blue tits, robins and song thrushes. Over tidiness can reduce the variety of habitats available to wildlife. Cutting back vegetation at inappropriate times of the year can also reduce available habitat - for instance pruning shrubs during the bird nesting season. Rapidly spreading species which can cause problems in ponds are still frequently planted.
Current action
Legal status
National planning law and planning policies in the Borough Unitary Development Plan can help to prevent over-development, although current legislation is often not strong enough to prevent an overall loss of garden area. Legislation relating to Conservation Areas and Tree Preservation Orders is used where appropriate to protect trees of particular amenity value (which often means they are also of wildlife value). The Wildlife and Countryside Act protects some species which may be found in gardens and houses, like bats, badgers and great crested newts.
Decisions about the maintenance of communal gardens are usually made by a management committee or residents' group through formal meetings. The maintenance of trees in Council owned gardens is carried out by Councils Tree Officers.
Mechanisms targeting the habitat
There have been a number of initiatives run throughout the borough aimed at raising public awareness of the importance of gardens as a wildlife resource. These have included:
a) A basic wildlife garden survey
b) Free tree for wildlife scheme
c) Free advice to the public on wildlife gardening and trees
d) Veteran Tree Initiative
e) Newspaper articles
f) Backyard Biodiversity Day
Interest in wildlife gardening is increasing, and articles can often be found in the press and on television. There is a huge resource on the internet, including information on flora, fauna, designs, suppliers, techniques, courses and contacts.
Key species
A wide variety of species are associated with gardens. The species to be found in any particular garden will vary significantly according to its design and features, its size, the proximity of other gardens and its closeness to species-rich habitats. The following are considered to be the most important species:
Birds - house martin, house sparrow, and song thrush, great spotted woodpecker, blackbird, chaffinch, greenfinch, great tit and swift, jackdaws and sparrowhawks
Mammals - bats, hedgehogs and foxes
Insects - stag beetle, the holly blue and brimstone butterflies, ladybirds and moths. Ponds may be very important for certain species such as the broad-bodied chaser dragonfly
Reptiles and amphibians - great crested newt, the smooth newt, common frog, toad and slow worm
The Action Plan is concerned with both protecting the rarer species to be found in gardens and promoting appreciation of more common ones. By planting common native trees (e.g. hawthorn, oak) and wild flowers (e.g. vetches, knapweed) we can make a special contribution to conserving and promoting biodiversity because native plants generally support a richer insect fauna than non-native ones. Gardens are especially good for bees and hoverflies during the daytime and moths at night. These in turn attract birds and small mammals. However some non-native species have special attractions for wildlife and should be encouraged, e.g. buddleia is a rich nectar source for butterflies.
Objectives, Action and Targets
| Action | Target Date | Lead | Other Partners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invite key players to a meeting | Oct 2001 | WFBAPP | Gardening groups Neighbourhood Agenda 21 officers Residents Assoc Allotments Officer Allotments Assoc Garden Centres Horticulture Officer Garden Designers |
| Establish priorities | Dec 2001 | WGG | As above |
| Identify partners and funding | Oct - Dec 2001 | WGG | As above |
| Action | Target Date | Lead | Other Partners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Find a corporate sponsor to support and lead a general publicity campaign to raise awareness about wildlife friendly gardening and to highlight key species | Mar 2002 | WFBAPP | WGG Garden centres Large business |
| Produce 1 wildlife gardening poster and 1 leaflet | Jul 2002 | WGG | WFBAPP Garden centres Libraries LWTLB of Redbridge |
| Distribute leaflets through garden centres, gardening publications, local paper, First Stop Shop, libraries and the web. Produce seasonal articles on wildlife gardening (4 per year) | Sept 2002 | WGG | Garden groups Garden centres Libraries |
| Distribute information on Best Practice for pest control, discouraging use of herbicides and insecticides | Dec 2002 | WGG | Sponsor |
| Raise the profile of harmful alien species, especially aquatics and discourage their sale and use in gardens. 1 press article and list of potentially harmful species to be included in leaflet | Dec 2002 | WGG | Garden centres |
| Establish demand for wildlife gardening course. Approach local colleges to supply. | Feb 2003 | Capel Manor | WGG Higher Ed Institutions |
| Promote the Gardens Habitat Action Plan through the councils internet site and link to existing wildlife gardening web-sites | Dec 2001 | WGG | LBWF |
| Action | Target Date | Lead | Other Partners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liase with housing associations to increase amount of native planting and planting which is beneficial for wildlife in communal gardens. | June 2003 | LBWF | Sponsor WGG Housing assoc Landscape architect |
| Draw up a list of native species and wildlife friendly species which are appropriate for planting in different soils throughout the borough | Dec 2002 | WFBAPP | Horticulture WGG Arboricultural officer |
| Require developers to include native planting in landscaping schemes around new developments. At least 40% of new planting to be native. | Jan 2003 | LBWF | Developers LBWF (Arboricultural officer Landscape architect |
| Establish 1 demonstration wildlife garden as an example of good practice. Link to a school project to design a wildlife garden. | Apr 2003 | WGG | BTCV LVRP Higher Ed Institutions Education service |
| Identify boundaries or unused areas within allotments which could be managed as green corridors. | Aug 2002 | Allotment Officer | Allotment assoc Allotments officer |
| Action | Target Date | Lead | Other Partners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distribute a basic survey to enable the public to record species in their gardens/and the measures they take to make their gardens friendly for wildlife. | June 2002 | WGG | LWTW FBAPP |
| Build up a database of garden size and distribution throughout the Borough using aerial photographs. This would provide a baseline for monitoring their extent, the location of green corridors and areas of deprivation. | Dec 2002 | WGG | LBWF |
| Create a Borough nursery for trees and wild flower seed production, or encourage others to do so | Oct 2002 | WGG | BTCV LVRP Horticultural services OSFG |
| Landmark and veteran tree survey | June 2003 | WGG | EN LBWF BTCV Tree Wardens |
| Pond and amphibian survey | March 2003 | WGG | Pondlife Suntrap |
| Set up a House Martins project, based in the Sybourn School area | May 2003 | School | RSPB WGG |
