Ditch power tools, build a hedgehog highway: how to create a nature-friendly garden

Guardian journalism is independent. We earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. Inspired by David Attenborough’s Secret Garden? Try these easy, enjoyable tips to turn your outdoor space into a sanctuary for wildlife Gardening pros on the tools they can’t live without It’s happening: spring’s stretching and greenness, vibrant and achingly alive. But the last thing your garden needs is to be tidied up in a rush, for soil to be cleared of debris, for rotten, grey, dead and dying bits to be whisked away. For it’s these bits that hold all the life. So many small things – overwinter insects, larvae, pupae and eggs – are still sleeping or waiting for just a few more warmer days. In our attempt to spruce things up, we often whisk away their homes in hollow stems and under layers of autumn leaves, and then wonder where the birds have gone. If you garden with wildlife in mind, everyone benefits. It’s a different mindset for sure, but every time you think, “I’ll just tidy up,” stop, wait a beat, and take a closer look because there’s always something wondrous and magical happening, something far more valuable than neatness. From a pond-in-a-pot to a hedgeh