How to make a wildlife shelter

How to make a wildlife shelter

Find out how how to make a dead hedge, or a similar wildlife shelter for smaller gardens, in our how-to guide.

A table displaying which months are best to sow, plant and harvest.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
To do
To do

Do To do in January

Do To do in February

Do To do in March

Do not To do in April

Do not To do in May

Do not To do in June

Do not To do in July

Do not To do in August

Do not To do in September

Do To do in October

Do To do in November

Do To do in December

If you’ve accumulated various cut branches and stems over the year, it’s easy to turn them into a great habitat for insects, small mammals and roosting birds. Known as a dead hedge, it can make an attractive feature if you lay the branches in the same direction and add different coloured stems such as dogwood. The wood and leaves will rot down at different rates, and you can add more at any time. Here’s how to make one.

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You Will Need

  • Sturdy poles (several)
  • Long branches
  • Woody prunings
  • Fresh leaves

Total time:

Step 1

Push or knock several sturdy poles firmly into the ground in two staggered rows. Leave a gap of about an arm’s length between them, to be filled with prunings.

Pushing stakes into the ground
Pushing stakes into the ground

Step 2

Lay the pieces of prunings sideways in the same direction, with the cut ends on top of each other, to create the base. Pile more branches and twigs on top.

Adding prunings to the pile
Adding prunings to the pile

Step 3

Fill any gaps with leaves, which will slowly rot down, then pile on the rest of the stems, in the same direction. Top up with more material as you accumulate it all year round.

Adding leafy material to the pile
Adding leafy material to the pile
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Kate Bradbury

You can create mini versions of these using smaller branches and twigs, which you can position at the back of ornamental borders. They will be unlikely to attract birds, but insects will take shelter among the decaying matter, and may even set up home there.

Kate Bradbury