Drum roll please…it’s time for the big reveal of our Homebase #GardenGoals wildlife friendly garden!

At the beginning of May we were charged with the task of transforming an unloved patch of garden on our allotment into a haven for wildlife as part of Homebase’s #GardenGoals challenge – and the time has come to unveil the fruits of our labour!

Creating a wildlife garden with Homebase #GardenGoals

Creating a wildlife garden with Homebase #GardenGoals: the big reveal!

It’s fair to say that this time last month our allotment was looking pretty neglected what with the arrival of Littlest B, getting used to life with a newborn again and adjusting to being a family of five. Something had to give and as you can see that was gardening!

Homebase #GardenGoals 6 before

But just four weeks later – with the help of handy how-to guides on Homebase’s website – we’ve said bye bye to weeds and hello to a wildlife garden complete with a pond in a pot!

Homebase #GardenGoals after

Let me show you around…

We’ve got a house fit for a hedgehog…

Homebase #GardenGoals

…a bug and bee ‘hotel’…

Homebase #GardenGoals

…and lots of wildlife friendly plants and flowers…

So how did we do it?

They say Rome wasn’t built in a day and nor was our wildlife garden – it was very much (and is) an ongoing project and we did a bit here and a bit there as and when time, the kids and the weather allowed.

You don’t need to be green fingered or even know very much about gardening because the how-to guides on Homebase’s website (split into one hour, half day and full day tasks) feature step-by-step instructions with shopping lists so you really can’t go wrong.

We chose to create a pond in a pot (one hour), encourage bees and butterflies onto our allotment (a half a day task) and attract hedgehogs (a one day task), and were given a £100 Homebase voucher to buy everything we needed.

We started off by clearing a raised bed of weeds and raking it over so it was level, before digging a hole in which to sit the pond in a pot.

Homebase #GardenGoals

We then decided where to place to hedgehog house and bug and bee hotel before building up the plants around them.

Homebase’s plants are all clearly labelled with what they’re good for – for example bee friendly plants feature a picture of a bee (BB loved spotting these) – so we chose bee-friendly lavender, lupin, fuchsia and foxglove, among others, to go in our garden.

BB is also hoping to attract another kind of wildlife too – fairies!

Homebase #GardenGoals

The big question is: have we actually managed to attract any wildlife? The answer is yes!

So far we’ve seen bees, butterflies, snails and ladybirds, although there’s no sign of any fairies…yet!

What I liked most about the #GardenGoals challenge was spending time with BB doing something together, away from screens and the distractions of everyday family life. Being the oldest of three and the one who requires the least attention compared to her little brother and sister I do worry she doesn’t get enough ‘one on one’ time compared to the others, and this was a great way to rectify that.

It was also a great way of getting her to enjoy the allotment again. When we first got our allotment I imagined it being a family affair but everyone quickly lost interest and the allotment became my domain instead (I’ve got a she-shed and everything!) After our #GardenGoals project it’s a different story though – the challenge really captured BB’s imagination and is a great activity the whole family can enjoy.

She was so excited when bees flew onto our lavender and creepy crawlies started making their way into our garden, and I can’t wait to see what it looks like when all the plants are established.

Homebase #GardenGoals

Do you have a garden or allotment and do you try and attract wildlife into it? Have you tried a Homebase #GardenGoals challenge?

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