UPON training to be a gardener, the only wildlife that was mentioned came in three forms - pests, weeds and diseases.

Our battle to create perfect gardens often results in the creation of rather sterile habitats. We struggle to nurture all our foreign imported plants at the expense of our wildlife-friendly natives.

Both the Department for Environment and the RHS have declared that our urban gardens are, in fact, a superb environment for supporting our wildlife and that they need not be in conflict with horticulture.

Modern trends of garden are now tending to be more naturalistic with their use of native annuals and perennials.

This not only increases the garden's interest, but can in fact help protect some plants too, since a greater diversity of plants promotes a greater diversity of wildlife.

Gardening with nature appeals for many reasons, mainly because it works.

Cutting out on pesticides and choosing plants for nectar and fruits, installing ponds and tolerating a few more weeds and decay will dramatically increase the number of species living in your plot.

Over time, this will also reduce disease and pest incidents in your garden.

Often tidy gardens have less habitat.

Even by increasing the height of cut on your lawn and not doing the weed and feed' can have a great benefit to bees, particularly the bumble bee.

Much of the more naturalistic approach to gardening makes a lot of sense, but often our rather rigid view of what a garden should be is what gets in the way.

So many gardens are still manicured - bowling green lawns and sparse beds of bedding plants.

In reality it resembles a view of the garden from the 1820s more than the 21st century and it often amounts to us being slaves to our gardens rather than the masters.

The great garden writer and commentator William Robinson wrote extensively on these subjects in the 1890s and has made a huge difference to the way we use and look at our gardens.

He claimed we perverted rather than perfected nature with our use of bedding plants and groups of plants like roses.

I know from experience that any large group like this is always more prone to pest and diseases and it is by mixing planting with different species, and having different shapes and sizes, that will reduce pests and often increase plant vigour.

The old cottage garden idea, that all ground is always covered, is a great starting point for a more natural approach.

The cottage garden was characterised by the mixing of vegetables and flowers and reduces the need for weeding, watering and pest control.

Where soil became vacant after a crop, something always went in such as a potato tuber or a kale plant.

The effect was always charming and immensely practical.

Many of us love gardening but have little time to spend tending them.

A garden is your little view of the world - the subtle interplay of plants and animals, of some plants you enjoy eating, and some viewing.

Gardening with a view to wildlife gives you more time to enjoy being in the garden and that is really what it is all about.

Happy gardening.