You’ll probably already be aware mosquitoes prefer standing water, making your bird bath a prime spot for these pests. However, I’ve just discovered the best and prettiest way to overcome this issue: adding a solar water fountain (£9.99, Amazon) to a bird bath. It is an easy hack that deters mosquitoes and turns your bird bath into a pretty water feature that birds will still visit.
When attempting to get rid of mosquitoes from your garden, removing all stagnant water is a must. But as it’s also essential to leave water out if you want to help birds in hot weather, you may have found yourself at a crossroads.
Luckily, you don’t have to choose one or the other. Adding a solar fountain to your bird bath helps keep the water moving (deterring mosquitoes from choosing it as a breeding site), whilst still attracting birds to your garden.
The reason why mosquitoes seek standing water is that it acts as a safe nursery for their babies. Moving water risks washing their eggs and larvae away, so mosquitoes instinctively lay their eggs in still water. Larvae also need still water, as they need air to breathe from the surface. It’s easy for larvae to stay at the surface of standing water.
Unfortunately, this means your bird bath is an ideal area for mosquitoes to breed. Birds are just as prone to mosquitoes as we humans, so you should learn how to keep mosquitoes away from a bird bath. Thankfully, adding a solar fountain, or wiggler (£16.57, Amazon), is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to do this.
‘If you have a pond or water feature, mosquitoes will use it. Still water is what they need to breed. A small solar fountain or submersible pump that keeps water moving continuously breaks the breeding cycle completely without any chemicals or harm to wildlife. It costs around £20 to £40 and is one of the most effective long-term interventions for a garden that includes standing water,’ explains Mosh Latifi, Co-Owner, EcoCare Pest Management.
Not only will a solar fountain stop your bird bath from turning into a stagnant breeding ground, but its relaxing trickles also mean it becomes a budget water feature idea for your garden, too. DIY water features have been a huge trend for 2026, and this simple hack feeds beautifully into the trend, whilst keeping your garden birds happy and healthy.
Birds also prefer moving water as it looks more similar to the streams they visit in the wild. Birds not only use bird baths to wash, but to play as well, and a solar fountain makes your bird bath more stimulating.
You still will have to clean your bird bath regularly, and during mosquito season, it is recommended to change the water in your bath every couple of days. I also recommend adding a copper disc to your bird bath (you can get one for £9.98 on Amazon) as this helps reduce algae buildup, which is also harmful to birds.
Solar fountains are affordable, will make your bird bath more visually stimulating for you and your garden birds, and, most importantly, will prevent mosquitoes from breeding. It’s a genuine win-win.
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. You know the saying. But you may not have heard of lemonading, an emerging garden trend that focuses on making your garden’s imperfections work in your favour – and following this summer’s relentless heatwaves, now is the perfect time to get started.
One thing that’s abundantly clear from this year’s garden trends is that resilient, hardy gardens are everyone’s goal in 2026. We want plants that withstand heatwaves and landscaping ideas that can go toe to toe with flood risk, and it needs to look good while doing so.
Interestingly, the lemonading approach is one of the best ways to achieve a resilient garden. By embracing your garden’s flaws, rather than trying to ‘fix’ them, you can build an outdoor space that can withstand the elements and look good all year round.
While a perfectly manicured garden is no more than a dream for most of us. I’m not saying it to be disheartening, but your garden will have flaws, and instead of wasting time, money and energy trying to fix them, why not embrace them? Plus, considering your garden is probably a little battered and bruised after this year’s intense heatwave, there are likely plenty of imperfections to embrace.
‘As a gardener, I think the ‘lemonading’ trend is a really positive approach, particularly after the recent heatwaves. The idea comes from the saying ‘when life gives you lemons, make lemonade’, and in the garden it’s all about turning challenges into opportunities rather than focusing on what’s gone wrong,’ says Luke Newnes, gardening expert at Hillarys.
‘For me, ‘lemonading’ means working with nature instead of against it. If a plant struggles in the heat, I see it as a chance to find a variety that’s better suited to those conditions. If a self-seeded flower appears somewhere unexpected and thrives, I’ll often embrace it rather than pull it out. It’s about being flexible, creative and open-minded.’
Naturally, this trend lends itself to wildlife-friendly garden ideas and rewilding as it encourages us to let nature influence our gardens.
‘Some of the most beneficial things we can do for nature come from allowing our gardens to be a little less controlled. By giving plants space to grow, welcoming wildflowers and creating habitats for insects and other wildlife, we can turn small garden moments into something that has a much bigger impact,’ adds Dr Emily Attlee, conservation scientist and co-founder of the original seed ball company, Seedball.
‘Lemonading in the garden is about working with nature rather than trying to control every element of your outdoor space. It could be as simple as leaving a small patch of lawn to grow longer, allowing wildflowers to self-seed, or planting a mix of native and wildlife-friendly flowers that will provide food for pollinators throughout the seasons,’ says Dr Emily.
‘Instead of removing every plant that appears unexpectedly, take a moment to see what it might be. Many wild plants that are often considered weeds can be incredibly valuable sources of nectar, pollen and shelter for insects,’ she adds.
‘In my own garden, I like to leave room for things to surprise me. Allowing plants to grow naturally and seeing which species arrive brings a sense of discovery and helps create a more varied habitat for wildlife. Every flower, seed and plant plays a role in supporting biodiversity – whether that’s providing nectar for bees, food for birds or shelter for small insects.’
Lemonading looks different in every garden. So I asked our experts and some of the Ideal Home team how they use the lemonading trend in their garden.
‘When I moved into my house, I inherited a garden filled with sedums, which I wasn’t sure that I liked. However, I kept them as they were so well established, and now I love how many bees and butterflies they attract in late summer. Plus, they’re one of the few plants in my garden that have been LOVING this hot and sunny summer, and they haven’t needed any watering.
‘Three years into stewarding this garden, I’ve also discovered that (unsurprisingly) nature is far better at planting than I am. Very few of the verbena I planted have come through, but the ones that have self-seeded have found the exact conditions they need in the garden and are absolutely thriving. I’m definitely discovering successful gardening is often about relaxing control and letting nature do its thing – so I’m fully in favour of lemonading!’
‘I inherited a rather badly paved little courtyard garden, the pavers had no grout between them which means weeds are constantly growing up between them. However this summer I decided to stop fighting the weeds and work with them to create a patchwork patio. I only pull up the particularly tall or out of place ones, but I’ve left any small or ground cover weeks to fill in the gaps in my patio.’
‘In my dog’s puppy stage, she used to dig a lot in the garden and left me with some huge holes that I filled, but they’ve never looked quite right since. Now I’m inspired to create a new flower bed and add some more colour to my garden.’
Attracting bugs to your garden is a great way to create a thriving ecosystem.
Let nature take its course with this wildflower mix – all you need to do is scatter the seed bombs on your beds.
A bird bath is another easy way to make your garden widlife-friendly. Plus, by attracting birds, they’ll eat slugs and other annoying pests.
‘It’s [lemonading] definitely a principle I use in my own gardening. No garden is ever perfect, and some of the best results come from unexpected discoveries or lessons learned when things don’t go to plan. With extreme weather becoming more common, I think gardeners who embrace a lemonading mindset will find it easier to create resilient, beautiful spaces that can cope with whatever the seasons throw at them,’ Luke concludes.
As the climate changes and we seek more resilient gardens, is lemonading an approach you will adopt this year?
