Think like a beaver, create a pond - and lose the cat: seven ways to rewild your garden

Rewilding is not just about vast estates. You can - and should - apply its nature-friendly principles to your own gardenMuch of our mailbag at the Knepp rewilding project is from gardeners. Inspired by a visit to the estate, or by hearing about rewilding in general, they want to know if it's possible to apply the principles to their own garden. We think it is.Most gardens are designed primarily for human enjoyment: for beauty, eating and relaxing, playing ballgames, and growing fruit and vegetables. But a growing concern for nature has brought about a rise in gardening to encourage wildlife. A nature-friendly approach to gardening includes not using chemicals or peat; planting nectar-rich plants and fruiting trees; using hedges rather than fences; creating a pond; turning lawns into wildflower meadows; and installing bird boxes, birdbaths and feeders, and hedgehog and bat boxes. Continue reading...