How to Rewild a Small Garden by Creating Mounds and Microhabitats

Rewilding a garden doesn't require acres of land, major landscaping or even a particularly large garden. Sometimes, changing the shape of the ground beneath your feet can make a surprising difference.

A recent Guardian article highlighted the idea of creating mounds in gardens using existing soil, rubble, branches and organic material , drawing inspiration from our good friends at Knepp in West Sussex. At Knepp, material that could have been removed as waste was instead reused to form an undulating dry garden, providing planting opportunities and habitat for insects.

It's a simple idea with an important principle behind it: the more varied the habitat, the more opportunities you can create for nature.

And it's something you can try in even a relatively small urban garden.

Why a Flat Garden Isn't Always Best for Wildlife

Most conventional gardens are designed around flat lawns, straight borders and clearly defined spaces.

Wild landscapes rarely look like that - they contain slopes, banks, fallen branches, bare ground, sheltered hollows, exposed sunny areas and countless small variations in height, moisture and temperature.

These variations create microhabitats - small areas offering slightly different conditions for plants, insects and other wildlife. Introducing even a small mound can therefore increase the variety within your garden.

How to Create a Wildlife-Friendly Garden Mound

You don't need to undertake major landscaping. Start with materials you already have.

1. Save surplus soil

If you're digging a pond, installing a path or creating new planting areas, don't automatically dispose of the soil. Consider using it elsewhere in the garden to create gentle mounds or raised planting areas. Rather than sending excavated soil away in a skip, it can become part of the garden itself.

2. Add logs and branches

Dead wood is one of the most useful materials in a wildlife garden. Instead of cutting branches into small pieces and removing them, place some underneath your mound. As the wood gradually decomposes, it helps create a richer structure beneath the soil.

This approach is similar to "hugelkultur " , a long-established gardening technique in which mounds are created using decaying wood, branches and other organic material covered with soil.

3. Use turf rather than throwing it away

If you're removing sections of lawn, turn the turf upside down and incorporate it into your mound. The grass will break down over time and return organic material to the soil. It is another example of a useful rule for wildlife gardening:

Before taking something out of your garden, ask whether nature could use it somewhere else.

4. Create different aspects

Even a mound less than a metre high can create different conditions. One side might receive full sun. Another could remain cooler and shaded. The top may drain quickly while the bottom retains more moisture. These differences give you opportunities to grow a wider mixture of plants.

Plant Your Mound for Wildlife

Once your mound is established, avoid treating it as another conventional flower bed. Think about layers .

You could combine:

• ground-cover plants
• grasses
• wildflowers
• flowering perennials
• small shrubs
• herbs
• climbing or trailing plants

Aim to provide different heights, shapes and flowering periods. Use repetition alongside different heights, colours and textures when planting a mound. From a wildlife perspective, variety can also extend the amount of time your garden provides useful food and shelter.

Don't Make Everything Too Tidy

A wildlife-friendly mound doesn't need to look abandoned but it doesn't need to look immaculate either. Allow some leaves to remain, leave occasional stems standing, keep pieces of exposed wood or let plants seed naturally in places.

A small amount of disorder can provide valuable hiding places and overwintering habitat. The aim isn't to stop gardening. It is to garden with wildlife in mind.

Connect Your Mound to Other Mini Habitats

The real opportunity comes when your mound becomes part of a larger network. Alongside it, consider adding:

A small pond or water container: Even a tiny source of water can add another type of habitat.

A log pile: Stack branches or pieces of untreated timber somewhere sheltered.

A patch of longer grass: Rather than mowing everything at the same height, allow one area to grow.

Pollinator-friendly planting: Choose plants that provide pollen and nectar through as much of the year as possible.

Dense shrubs: Shrubs can provide shelter and potential nesting habitat while creating another layer of vegetation.

You don't need all of them. Adding one new habitat at a time gradually makes your garden more varied.

Rewilding Is About Variety, Not Size

This is perhaps the most useful lesson from the story.

The inspiration may come from Knepp - one of Britain's best-known rewilding projects - but the same principle can be applied in a long, narrow urban garden. You don't have to recreate a giant nature reserve, uou simply create more opportunities for nature within the space you already have.

Where LettsSafari Fits In

LettsSafari is built around the idea that people shouldn't need to own large areas of countryside to participate in rewilding. You can start where you are.

Through LettsSafari, subscribers can learn practical ways to encourage nature back into gardens, balconies and other small spaces while also contributing to wider rewilding activity.

That creates two complementary forms of action:

Rewild at home.
Make small changes that create more space for wildlife around you.

Support rewilding elsewhere.
Help fund larger-scale nature restoration beyond your own garden.

The goal isn't to turn every garden into wilderness overnight.

It's to help thousands of people make one achievable change — and then another.

Five Small Rewilding Actions to Try This Weekend

If creating a mound sounds interesting, start small.

• Leave one pile of logs or branches somewhere sheltered.
• Allow one patch of grass to grow longer.
• Turn an unused container into a miniature wildlife pond.
• Create a small mound from spare soil, turf or organic material.
• Plant one additional wildlife-friendly plant.

The best small-scale rewilding projects often begin with something surprisingly simple.

Sometimes even a pile of earth can become habitat.

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Frequently Asked Questions About LettsSafari

What is LettsSafari?

LettsSafari helps people take part in rewilding by combining practical ideas for bringing more nature into everyday spaces with support for wider rewilding projects.

Do I need a large garden to take part?

No. Rewilding can begin with a garden, courtyard, balcony or even a collection of containers. The principle is to make whatever space you have more useful for nature.

What kinds of things can I do at home?

Simple actions include introducing wildlife-friendly plants, leaving areas of longer grass, adding water, creating log piles and allowing parts of your outdoor space to become less intensively managed.

Does LettsSafari only focus on home gardens?

No. The idea is to connect individual action with wider environmental impact. What happens in gardens and urban spaces can complement larger rewilding projects.

Do small changes really help wildlife?

No single garden will restore biodiversity on its own. But gardens, balconies, parks and other urban green spaces can collectively create an important network of habitats. The more varied those spaces become, the more opportunities we create for wildlife to find food, water and shelter.

What's the easiest way to start?

Choose one thing rather than redesigning your entire garden. Add water, leave some dead wood, grow one wildlife-friendly plant or allow one area to become slightly wilder. Once that habitat is established, add another.