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Under the boardwalk

Elsewhere on this site, I have argued that 'Wildlife Gardening' should not be thought of as a method of gardening which results in gardens of a particular type, but rather as a group of techniques which can be used to benefit wildlife and people in gardens of all kinds (e.g. Principles of designing gardens for wildlife). The project described in this feature illustrates this concept perfectly.

Making the most of the space under a deck or shed

One of the best ways of making a garden more amenable to wildlife is to increase the number of 'nooks and crannies'One of the best ways of making a garden more amenable to wildlife is to increase the number of 'nooks and crannies' which can provide shelter, breeding and hibernation spaces for all sorts of animals, particularly the invertebrates on which so many of the 'higher' animals, like birds and mammals, depend. A wildlife gardener is always looking for opportunities to do this, no matter what project he or she is engaged inA wildlife gardener is always looking for opportunities to do this, no matter what project he or she is engaged in.

When I recently made a small deck adjacent to my pond, I was mindful that the space underneath it could be used to benefit invertebrates and other animals. I was prompted by an episode of the BBC's Ground Force programme in which they packed the space under a high deck with all sorts of materials for the benefit of the wildlife. Although that was a high deck with plenty of space, the same techniques can be applied on a small scale to any structure with a space underneath, e.g. a low deck or a shed.

In the interests of preventing premature rotting, you should be careful not to allow much contact between the material you place under the deck/shed and the structure itself. It's also a good idea to leave some large spaces which aren't packed with material. This will allow larger animals, like hedgehogs, to make use of the space too.

How the space was used

These pictures illustrate how the space under a deck which partly spans a pond was used to enhance the habitat for wild animals.

This picture shows the frame of the deck in its final position. The spaces underneath and between the joists here are particularly valuable because of their proximity to the pond. Amphibians can move directly from the pond to the covered space under the deck and visa versa. (View bigger image.)

Here's the frame again, but this time I've packed material like rubble, logs and sticks under and between the joists. (View bigger image.)

In the interests of maintaining the longevity of the deck structure, I avoided bringing too much material directly into contact with the wood of the frame where it might hasten rotting. I left one end free of material - as a 'run through' for hedgehogs etc.(View bigger image.)

Because part of the deck bridged the end of the pond, I took advantage of the cover afforded by it to add a 'ladder', made from a scrap of mesh, to make it easier for animals to get in and out of the pond. This is particularly valuable here because this part of the pond is furthest away from the shelving 'beach'. (View bigger image.)

A picture of the finished article shows that the enhancements under the boardwalk have no impact on the aesthetics of the deck whatsoever. (View bigger image.)

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