Natural Area- don't be too tidy
From a wildlife point of view, we keep much of our countryside and gardens ‘too neat’ by frequently mowing and trimming lawns and hedges and removing dead plant material. This damages or removes sources of food and shelter ultimately impacting on wildlife breeding.
This area is an intentionally uncultivated ‘wild’ area that lets nature take control. Native plants are allowed to self-seed, in turn providing food and shelter that attracts invertebrates and small mammals.
Though a small area left to its own devices is extremely beneficial, whole so called ‘messy’ areas are not essential. Simply leaving seed heads in place for the birds, leaving leaf litter in the borders, cutting back your hedge less often, and leaving ornamental borders to shrink into themselves in autumn and winter, rather than cutting everything back, will all go a long way to providing food, shelter and overwintering sites for a diversity of species.