If you’ve been watching David Attenborough’s Secret Garden on BBC One, chances are you’ve started to see your own garden differently.
The series makes one thing clear: even the smallest outdoor spaces can support far more wildlife than they appear to. From hedgehogs moving through urban plots to pollinators relying on early spring flowers, the average UK garden is far busier than it looks.
As David Attenborough puts it, these are “magical places”, some “almost as diverse as a tropical rainforest”.
With around 80% of Britons having access to a garden, what happens in these spaces adds up. If you’re looking to make yours more wildlife-friendly this April, the principles behind the series offer a clear starting point.
Here are five simple, high-impact changes you can make this weekend suggested in the show and championed by David Attenborough himself…
1. Put down the mower
Letting even a small patch of lawn grow longer creates instant habitat. Longer grass holds moisture, shelters insects and gives ground-nesting wildlife somewhere to hide.
As Attenborough notes: “Many of us are completely unaware of the wild world right under our noses.”
Dandelions, often cut down too soon, feed insects just as they emerge in spring. Leave one section unmown and you’ll start to see the shift: more flowers, more pollinators, more life.
Jan Hakan Dahlstrom//Getty Images
2. Add a pond
Water changes everything. In David Attenborough’s Secret Garden, the Oxfordshire garden’s river edge supports kingfishers, otters, bank voles and Daubenton’s bats, all drawn by a single factor: water.
You don’t need that scale. In the Bristol garden, a simple pond was enough to attract frogs and toads within a short time.
At home, even a small pond, or a sunken bowl with a few native plants, can bring in amphibians and insects quickly. A shallow dish at ground level will also give birds and hedgehogs somewhere to drink during peak breeding season.
Just add a slope or a stone so animals can climb out. Without it, you’re creating risk, not habitat.
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3. Plant for early nectar
April is a critical moment. Pollinators are waking up hungry, and what’s flowering now determines whether they get through the next few weeks.
Planting wallflowers, grape hyacinths or pulmonaria will provide early nectar, while lavender and asters extend the season into summer and autumn.
Night-flowering plants matter too. Evening primrose, honeysuckle and nicotiana support moths, many of which are in decline, while adding scent after dark.
Stick to simple, open flowers in sunny, sheltered spots. They’re easier for insects to access and far more useful than densely packed ornamental blooms.
Thai Liang Lim//Getty Images
4. Fit your cat with a bell collar
In Secret Garden, one practical step is to add a bell to your cat’s collar, which can reduce hunting success by around a third.
It’s a small change, but one that gives birds a better chance. Use a quick-release collar for safety.
5. Create a hedgehog highway
ACHIM SCHNEIDER//Getty Images
Hedgehogs can travel up to two kilometres a night, but solid fences stop them completely.
A small gap, around 13cm x 13cm, at the base of a fence is enough to reconnect gardens and create a wildlife corridor – also affectionately now known as a ‘hedgehog highway’.
Check for netting or debris that could trap them, and consider leaving out water at dusk. Small changes like this can support an entire local population.
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