In reality, we are all 'wild creatures' amongst other 'wild creatures'... These are some helpful questions to ask yourself, to determine how your exterior spaces can serve both your own desires and 'other creatures' (local wildlife/plant life/bug life/all life) if...
YOU OWN YOUR OWN HOUSE...
A. What do I really want from my garden, to benefit myself/my family/my pets?
B. Are there any spaces that I/we can give up to other species, for them to use?
C. Is there a way to collaborate with other species in these spaces? Eg. Can I install Bird & Bat Bricks / Hedgehog Highways / Let trees grow / Put fresh water out every day & night / Let plants self seed themselves and claim bits of territory for themselves? D. What boundaries do I need to put in place? (Eg. I’d like to have wildlife only use the bottom of my garden and I’d like to keep the grass short near the house, to sunbathe on).
YOU OWN YOUR OWN FLAT (WITH A GARDEN OR A SHARED GARDEN)...
A. What do I really want from my garden, to benefit myself/my family/my pets?
B. Can I give up any of my garden to other species, for them to use? C. Are there any exterior shared spaces that myself and the other flat holders can negotiate with the building authorities to be used or given up to other species, for them to use? D. Is there a way to collaborate with other species in innovative ways, whether in my own garden or by negotiating with the building authorities to make permanent changes? Eg. Can I install Bird & Bat Bricks / Hedgehog Highways / Let trees grow / Put fresh water out every day & night / Let plants self seed themselves and claim bits of territory for themselves? E. What boundaries do I need to put in place? (Eg. I’d like to have wildlife only use the bottom of my garden and I’d like to keep the grass short near the flat, to sunbathe on).
YOU RENT A HOUSE...
A. What do I really want from my garden, to benefit myself/my family/my pets?
B. Are there any spaces that I/we can give up to other species, for them to use?
C. Can I negotiate with my landlord to make a permanent change to the exterior space to either give bits up to other species or share the garden with other species, for them to use? D. Is there a way to collaborate with other species in innovative ways, by negotiating with the landlord to make permanent changes? Eg. Can I install Bird & Bat Bricks / Hedgehog Highways / Let trees grow / Put fresh water out every day & night / Let plants self seed themselves and claim bits of territory for themselves? E. What boundaries do I need to put in place? (Eg. I’d like to have wildlife only use the bottom of my garden and I’d like to keep the grass short near the house, to sunbathe on).
YOU RENT A FLAT...
A. What do I really want from my garden, to benefit myself/my family/my pets?
B. Can I negotiate with my landlord to make a permanent change to my garden (or, if there’s no garden, a balcony or even the bricks of the building itself) to either give bits up to other species or share with other species, for them to use? C. How can I find out if the other tenants in the building would also like to wildscape our exterior spaces? D. How can I reach out to everyone else in the building to share my hopes of a wildscaped exterior space and see if they like my ideas, or have their own ideas?
E. Can I/we negotiate with our landlord or the building managers to make a permanent change to the exterior space to either give bits up to other species or share the garden with other species, for them to use?
[YOU CAN FIND TEMPLATES TO HELP YOU WITH QUESTIONS C-E, IN THE 'WILDSCAPING OUR WORLD HANDBOOK']
F. Is there a way to collaborate with other species within the structure of the building itself or by sharing the exterior spaces by negotiating with the landlord AND the building authorities to make permanent changes?
Eg. Can I install Bird & Bat Bricks / Hedgehog Highways / Let trees grow / Put fresh water out every day & night / Let plants self seed themselves and claim bits of territory for themselves?
G. What boundaries do I (and the landlord and building authorities) need to put in place? (Eg. “We’d all be happy to agree on 3 bird bricks but keeping the garden mown”).
IF YOU OWN OR RENT A HOME WITH A CONCRETE EXTERIOR SPACE...
Can you dig some of it up?
Beneath that concrete are suppressed, dormant seeds: likely aching to explode up into their full potential and reach up into the sunshine. Can you help them? [Find out more in the 'Wildscaping Our World Handbook'.]
