Introduction to Wildlife Gardening - Bury St Edmunds

This four-week course is term time only. Wednesday 7pm - 9pm

As this is a brand new class for adults, we're excited to offer a 10% discount for a limited time. Don’t miss your chance to join and save — book now to secure your place!

"Enrol by 14th September and save 10% on your course fee — no code needed!"

This is a great opportunity to explore the many aspects of wildlife gardening and how you can bring them into your own outdoor space. Whether you're brand new to gardening or already have some experience, you'll come away with ideas and inspiration to try at home.

From attracting more insects and birds, to creating a wildlife pond or setting up your own composting bins — you'll learn simple ways to support nature and make your garden come alive.

Whether you have a large garden, a small patio, or even just a balcony, you’ll come away with ideas and inspiration to help nature thrive right outside your door.

Course Content:

Week 1:

• Welcome to course
• Group Introductions
• What is wildlife gardening
• Creating a wildlife garden in practice
• Group discussion and work on possible wildlife gardening projects

Week 2:

• Food sources for birds
• Facts about bees along with food sources for bees
• Food sources for butterflies, caterpillars and hoverflies
• Wildflowers in the garden
• Wildlife friendly hanging baskets
• Creating wildflower meadows

Week 3:

• · Creating shelter and nesting sites for wildlife
• · Reducing harmful practices in the garden
• · Providing water sources and how to create a wildlife pond
• · Embracing natural processes in the garden
• · Home Composting
• · Group work on wildlife gardening projects

Week 4:

• · What can I compost – a fun quiz along with detailed information
• · The Compost Process – a detailed explanation
• · Wormeries and how to make leaf mould
• · Group discussion on proposed and future wildlife gardening projects

What will I Need to Bring:

• · A4 notebook
• · Pens, pencils, rubber and ruler

• · If possible a rough outline sketch of your garden either A4 or A3 in size, it doesn’t need to be to scale but some dimensions such as length and width would be useful. Mark the main features in your garden (such as borders, paths, patios, trees etc) and note the compass points (N, S, E and W) along with any sunny or shady areas.

• · AND/OR bring along photographs of your garden. It is useful if these are taken from an upstairs window looking down on your garden but whatever you can bring will be helpful when planning and working on your wildlife gardening projects.

Important Information:

All our courses run based on a minimum number of participants.

If you are no longer able to attend, please contact us at your earliest convenience. Cancellations received within 2 days of the course start date are non-refundable.

Missed sessions by individual students are non-refundable.

When purchasing more than one ticket—whether for yourself or on behalf of others—you must provide the correct individual information for each attendee. Duplicate or identical information cannot be used for multiple tickets and may result in registration issues.

If you have any questions, please contact us E: bury@easterneducationgroup.ac.uk

Term Dates:

Autum Term 01.10.25 - 22.10.25

About the Tutor

The course will be led by Cathy Hawes, a qualified horticulturalist and experienced garden designer. Cathy holds a CertHE in Practical Horticulture and Plantsmanship and an NCH in Garden Design and Construction. She trained, studied, and worked full-time at Cambridge University Botanic Garden, and also studied full-time at Otley College.

With over 11 years of experience running her own gardening business, Cathy brings a wealth of knowledge and hands-on expertise. She has been growing plants from seed since her early teens and is a passionate plantswoman with a strong focus on wildlife-friendly gardening.

Cathy looks forward to sharing her knowledge and inspiring others to bring wildlife gardening into their own outdoor spaces — no matter the size.