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No Nettles Required
Encouraging wildlife is entirely compatible with ordinary gardening. This book shows how easy it is to fill our gardens with everything from foxes, frogs and mice, to butterflies, ladybirds and thousands of fascinating creepy-crawlies.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 23, 2006
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220 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 11, 2010
Ken Thompson is a plant ecologist and a lecturer at the University of Sheffield. He’s also a keen gardener. His book ‘No More Nettles’ is subtitled ‘The Reassuring Truth About Wildlife Gardening’ and is very different from other wildlife gardening books that you might have read because it is based on scientific research undertaken by the BUGS project in Sheffield.
The BUGS project surveyed the wildlife present in a wide range of Sheffield gardens, and tested out several commonly held beliefs about wildlife gardening. And what they found was that the evidence just doesn’t support much of the conventional wisdom about what makes gardens good for wildlife.
No More Nettles is divided into 9 chapters. The first asks the question ‘What is garden wildlife’, and you might be surprised at the answer. The second chapter describes the BUGS experiment itself, what it looked at and what it couldn’t look at and how the wildlife surveyed was identified. It’s not written in science babble, so it’s easy to follow and adds a lot of weight to the conclusions that the book reaches.
The third chapter uses data from the experiment to counter some of the worries you might have about whether your garden could be good for wildlife. A wildlife garden doesn’t need to be big, or in the countryside. Ken reiterated this last point in the talk I attended. Much of the wildlife in your garden doesn’t know it’s in a garden, let alone whether that garden is on the edge of the countryside or in the middle of a city. It’s too small to notice, and may well live out its entire life in your garden.
After explaining what you don’t need to do to make your garden attractive to wildlife, the rest of the book covers the factors that really did make a difference – many of which are easily and cheaply implemented. It also recommends that you don’t look at your garden in isolation, but rather at gardens as a whole in your neighbourhood – because garden wildlife doesn’t see fences and hedges as boundaries in the same way that we do. There doesn’t need to be a pond or a big tree in every single garden, a mix of habitats is important.
I’m not going to ruin the book by giving away all its secrets. It’s enough to say that if you have a genuine interest in increasing the value of your garden to wildlife then this is indispensable reading.
The BUGS project surveyed the wildlife present in a wide range of Sheffield gardens, and tested out several commonly held beliefs about wildlife gardening. And what they found was that the evidence just doesn’t support much of the conventional wisdom about what makes gardens good for wildlife.
No More Nettles is divided into 9 chapters. The first asks the question ‘What is garden wildlife’, and you might be surprised at the answer. The second chapter describes the BUGS experiment itself, what it looked at and what it couldn’t look at and how the wildlife surveyed was identified. It’s not written in science babble, so it’s easy to follow and adds a lot of weight to the conclusions that the book reaches.
The third chapter uses data from the experiment to counter some of the worries you might have about whether your garden could be good for wildlife. A wildlife garden doesn’t need to be big, or in the countryside. Ken reiterated this last point in the talk I attended. Much of the wildlife in your garden doesn’t know it’s in a garden, let alone whether that garden is on the edge of the countryside or in the middle of a city. It’s too small to notice, and may well live out its entire life in your garden.
After explaining what you don’t need to do to make your garden attractive to wildlife, the rest of the book covers the factors that really did make a difference – many of which are easily and cheaply implemented. It also recommends that you don’t look at your garden in isolation, but rather at gardens as a whole in your neighbourhood – because garden wildlife doesn’t see fences and hedges as boundaries in the same way that we do. There doesn’t need to be a pond or a big tree in every single garden, a mix of habitats is important.
I’m not going to ruin the book by giving away all its secrets. It’s enough to say that if you have a genuine interest in increasing the value of your garden to wildlife then this is indispensable reading.
December 31, 2014
This book debunks the myths and common misunderstandings surrounding wildlife and urban gardens and on good grounds.
It is essentially a write up of a three year ecological study of gardens situated in Sheffield, U.K in a very accessible style and format.
Witty, informative, erudite and well written.
A must for all gardeners and amateur naturalists.
January 5, 2017
Practical book on gardening with wildlife in mind but at the same time reassuring you that there are no strict rules, given the results of his BUGS project in Sheffield. If there are things that will help the most though, it is ponds and compost heaps. A very accessible book by someone that managed to find the right balance of detail with it being overly technical or patronising.
December 1, 2010
This is a very informative book - well presented and easy to read. It encouraged me to look carefully at my little garden to see if there were any changes that we could make to promote the well being of wildlife in and around our urban home.Well worth reading.
December 30, 2017
After reading Dr Thompson's excellent book "Where do Camels Belong?" on invasive species, I turned to this earlier work about our gardens and the creatures which inhabit and visit them. This formula, mixing science, good humour and a lot of (often debunking) common sense makes for an entertaining and informative read.
For those of us who are romantic gardeners, dreaming of the havens for birds, bees and butterflies, many of our illusions and aspirations are gently but firmly shattered. Instead we are encouraged to get down and dirty - lots of plants of any kind (the current fashion for "native" plants - for reasons of our position and histories both geological and horticultural - is shown to be an elusive and not particularly well-defined concept), trees particularly, rotting wood, compost heaps should all play their part in encouraging the creepy-crawlies and invertebrates that signify a healthy and well-munched garden. Above all, the obvious truth that our gardens' wild life is blissfully unaware that our gardens are anything special (other than the bird table as a source of winter protein), clears the decks (literally, Dr Thompson is firmly against hard landscaping and pro-planting), and helps us formulate our wildlife strategies - which should be long-term ones.
The basis of the book is from a major research survey of Sheffield gardens, in turn drawing from the natural history of one Leicester garden over more than thirty years, chronicled by Jennifer Owen. As this is very much my neck of the woods, it enhanced the interest of the book for me.
For those of us who are romantic gardeners, dreaming of the havens for birds, bees and butterflies, many of our illusions and aspirations are gently but firmly shattered. Instead we are encouraged to get down and dirty - lots of plants of any kind (the current fashion for "native" plants - for reasons of our position and histories both geological and horticultural - is shown to be an elusive and not particularly well-defined concept), trees particularly, rotting wood, compost heaps should all play their part in encouraging the creepy-crawlies and invertebrates that signify a healthy and well-munched garden. Above all, the obvious truth that our gardens' wild life is blissfully unaware that our gardens are anything special (other than the bird table as a source of winter protein), clears the decks (literally, Dr Thompson is firmly against hard landscaping and pro-planting), and helps us formulate our wildlife strategies - which should be long-term ones.
The basis of the book is from a major research survey of Sheffield gardens, in turn drawing from the natural history of one Leicester garden over more than thirty years, chronicled by Jennifer Owen. As this is very much my neck of the woods, it enhanced the interest of the book for me.
March 16, 2019
Offers some good insights, an accessible account of the study undertaken in Sheffield by the BUGS project. I will point out that his research should not be considered the be all and end all. He did not study moths and has a weird view on what is actually valid as wildflife. In truth, the only things to draw from this book in my opinion is that trees, water and slight untidyness help wildlife whilst it doesn't matter whether native or non native plants are used. This doesn't mean that native plants should be used though. His dismissal of nettles as worthless because his three to five bathtub experiment didn't work doesn't really count in my book because it wasn't done on a large enough scale.
March 11, 2018
A really interesting read, recommended to me by a friend from the RSPB. No matter how big or small your garden this book will help you understand the connection between your garden and the wildlife it can and does support.
Useful tips and planting lists are helpful but the overall encouragement for the gardener is more important.
I always felt my untidy garden was helping wildlife, but now I know it's true.
Useful tips and planting lists are helpful but the overall encouragement for the gardener is more important.
I always felt my untidy garden was helping wildlife, but now I know it's true.
September 14, 2021
A very interesting book and a very sensible one-written in a light and engaging style that, without relying too heavily on technical language while at the same time not dumbing down complex issues, is very easy to read. Also includes , and I appreciate that, an extensive bibliography and set of references that is really useful if want to dwell deep in the topics exposed in the book.
If you're fostering and interest in urban ecology or wildlife gardening, this is a very good first book
If you're fostering and interest in urban ecology or wildlife gardening, this is a very good first book
September 17, 2019
Down to Earth
Highly readable and fascinating, with what turns out to be simple, practical things to do in ordinary gardens to benefit all the vital levels of wildlife. Very interesting and understandable but authoritative explanations of why. It's also a relief to find that it's not just me that finds some sources inconsistent. Ken helps to cut through some of that.
Highly readable and fascinating, with what turns out to be simple, practical things to do in ordinary gardens to benefit all the vital levels of wildlife. Very interesting and understandable but authoritative explanations of why. It's also a relief to find that it's not just me that finds some sources inconsistent. Ken helps to cut through some of that.
January 29, 2020
If you want to garden for wildlife this book is a really positive read. As well as giving a few solid ideas of things to include if you can, like ponds, long grass, log piles and compost heaps, and one golden rule - don’t use pesticides - it also shows that your garden doesn’t have to do everything. Plus my favourite piece of advice ever - be less tidy. Not a problem.
August 11, 2019
Absolutely brilliant.
February 11, 2021
A pond is the aim for 2021 !!
March 28, 2023
Sensible, clear, concise and amusing - an excellent read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2024
A lovely little book packed full of common sense.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews