Wildlife gardening has come a long way in the 30 years since Chris Baines built the Chelsea Flower Show’s first wildlife garden in 1985.

Along the way, we can pick out some key studies that have revolutionised the way we think about wildlife in gardens. One was certainly the Sheffield Bugs project, described in my book No Nettles Required, and more recently the RHS Plants for Bugs project, which I’ve written about in this newspaper. Head and shoulders above these, however, was the completion of Jennifer Owen’s 30-year study of the wildlife in her Leicester garden, described in her book Wildlife of a Garden: A Thirty-Year Study.

When Owen began recording the wildlife in her garden, in 1972, “wildlife gardening” scarcely existed, even as an idea, and plenty of people didn’t believe there was much wildlife in ordinary private gardens. By the time she finished, we knew her garden was home to at least 2,673 named species of plants, fungi and animals, and almost certainly many more whose names we don’t know.

Owen’s study also led us to suspect, and subsequent research has confirmed, that a good wildlife garden doesn’t need to be large, scruffy and overgrown, or composed only (or even mainly) of native plants. Owen’s garden was none of these things, or as she put it: “There is nothing special about the Leicester study garden: most gardens must harbour as diverse a fauna.”

Wildlife gardening is important to make sure that lots of different species have a habitat Credit: Alamy

Indeed, we now know, or at least strongly suspect, that the absolute requirements of a good wildlife garden are remarkably few: perhaps only a permanent framework of woody plants (trees, shrubs, hedges), plus an owner not fatally addicted to scorched-earth tidiness.

And yet, despite advances in our understanding of garden wildlife, there was a feeling that some of this might not be reaching the average gardener. This feeling led, 10 years ago, to the founding of the Wildlife Gardening Forum (wlgf.org), a charity that aims to “make everyone more aware of – and excited by – the importance of our gardens for wildlife, people and society”. Initially, funding was provided by Natural England, but more recently the charity has benefited from a generous grant from the Patsy Wood Trust.

The forum’s large (and growing) website aims to provide answers to almost any question about wildlife gardening, offer information that can help, or – as a last resort – explain that you have a question to which we do not yet know the answer.

There are still a surprisingly large number of such questions, and one of the forum’s aims is to promote research into all aspects of biodiversity in gardens, including benefits to human health and wellbeing. The RHS Plants for Bugs project was a direct result of the recognition by the forum of how little we knew about the use of non-native plants by native animals in gardens.

Something as simple as putting out a bird feeder can help birds through winter Credit: Alamy

For several years now, the forum has held two conferences every year, usually but not always at the Natural History Museum in London. These are often themed around a hot topic, and are a great chance to catch up with the latest ideas and research, and to meet and talk to like-minded people.

But the forthcoming 10th anniversary conference, on November 17, promises to be special. It’s an opportunity to look back with satisfaction over 10 years of work, but also forward to the challenges wildlife gardening still faces.

Hedgehogs are important to look after too Credit: Alamy

Speakers will include forum patron Prof Chris Baines; Steve Berry, who established the forum in 2005; and garden designer and television presenter James Alexander-Sinclair.

Keep an eye on the forum website, where you will find the latest information about the conference, together with all the latest developments in wildlife gardening.

