Basic steps: There are many different ways to create natural habitat gardens. Most emphasise the planting of native plants and the creation of garden features that attract native animals. Below is a basic list outlining steps to create your own habitat garden:

1) Familiarise yourself with the natural environmental conditions affecting your garden

By understanding the physical conditions of your garden, you can make informed decisions regarding the types of plants that are suitable for your land. For example, plants requiring plenty of water will not fare well in a plot of land that is dry for most of the year.

Evergreen, a non-profit environmental organisation, provides a checklist that you can use to help categorise the physical characteristics of your garden. It categorises the moisture and sunlight availability as well as soil type. Apply this checklist on your garden and use it to determine what kinds of plants are appropriate when you purchase plants at your local garden centre. You can download a modified version of the checklist here or you can download the complete Getting Started Guide from Evergreen (note: most of this guide is geared toward Canadian gardeners).

2) Develop a basic idea of what you want your garden to be

It is very important to think about what you want in your garden, in terms of wildlife and other uses or values. What are your garden habitat goals? Do you want to focus on a few species, or attract as many species as possible? What species have you already seen in your yard? What species are present in your community? Keep in mind that you will be managing the habitat, not the wildlife species themselves.

In their "Planning a Backyard Wildlife Habitat" site, the University of Maine suggests you sketch a map of your garden features and plants to help visualise what you already have and what you want to modify. They also provide a printable grid to help you sketch a map of your garden.

3) Incorporate the FOUR basic wildlife needs

In order to attract native species to your garden, your garden must provide the 4 basic wildlife needs:

• food
• water
• cover (shelter)
• space

Each of these basic wildlife needs are discussed in more detail here.

4) Determine the plant species you wish to include in your garden

Once you are familiar with your garden's environmental characteristics, understand your habitat garden objectives, and have at least a rough idea of what you want your garden layout to be, you can begin to make a list of the types of plants you wish to include in your garden.

BirdWatch Ireland provides a list of non-invasive plants that attract birds in Ireland. You can download a summary of this list here. This list is not meant to cover ALL plants that attract birds, just common and easily available plants. Additionally, ENFO provides a short list of plants that attract butterflies in Ireland. Again, this is not meant to be an all-inclusive list. A modified version of the list can be downloaded here.

Irish wildflowers provide food and shelter for many species of birds and a variety of insects including butterflies. If you are interested in growing wildflowers in your garden you can browse Jenny Seawright's Irish Wildflowers Database to see what kinds of flowers are native to your area or aesthetically pleasing to you.

5) Use eco-friendly gardening techniques

Throughout the planning stage of your habitat garden and, equally important, as you maintain your garden, try to use eco-friendly gardening techniques. Whether you use rain water for your plants or build your own compost bin to provide nutrients for your flowers, you can maintain your garden in a sustainable manner for years to come. More on eco-friendly gardening tips here.

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