D-I-Why?
It’s time for the BIG
garden clear-up...
just don’t forget the wildlife, says Pat Crawford
No-one is suggesting the ivy, clematis and other climbers.
garden should be left entirely to Cutting down on outside
its own devices at this time of year lights is another simple way of
– but gardeners who are interested helping wildlife – with the added
in wildlife know the way they do advantage that it will also reduce
the annual clear up can make the household’s carbon footprint!
a huge difference to birds and light pollution creates a major
small mammals during the winter problem in towns and cities for
months when food and shelter all sorts of wildlife – especially
– sometimes water too – are often birds, because it often causes them
in short supply. to be active when they should
the good news is that we can be sleeping. bright and constant
make a difference in all sorts of lights in the garden can have the
T r e
a t m
e n
t s
simple ways. leaving seedheads same effect and so it’s a good idea
f r o
m
j u s
t
and berries on as many plants to restrict outside lights to the
£
1
4
as possible can provide quite a types controlled by sensors.
few meals for seed-eating birds. Virtually every garden centre
windfall apples and pears will has an area devoted to displays of
delight fruit food for birds –
Call in the Professionals!
eaters. a couple and increasingly
of piles of for other wildlife
0800 0111 222
leaves left in too. some
out-of-the-way food is better
www.greenthumb.co.uk
corners could than others
provide winter – and some
quarters for is downright
hedgehogs (but dangerous and
remember not might even
to disturb the kill the birds
leaves whilst the so always buy
hedgehogs might from a reputable
be in residence). source where
by the way knowledgeable
– encouraging advice is
hedgehog available.
residents will Nowadays
produce benefits many ranges
at times of the include specialist
year when slugs items such as
are prevalent: mealworms and
they regard waxworms but
them as a these tend to be
delicacy. expensive. they
this is the are best fed live
time when – but fed dead
hedges normally
Simple ways to make a
or alive, any that
get their final
difference: leaving seedheads and
are a strange
cut of the year.
berries on as many plants as possible
colour should be
leaving even
can provide a number of meals for
discarded.
just a small
seed-eating birds such as robins;
Peanuts are
section of
leaves left in out-of-the way corners
a great source
hedging to grow
can provide a home for hedgehogs
of nutrition for
a little longer
during the winter
a lot of species
and thicker but they can be
and not removing grasses from high in a naturally occurring toxin
around the base – in other words, so it is important to buy from a
allowing it to go a little ‘wild’ reputable retailer – and never feed
– can provide winter shelter for oven-roasted or other types of
birds and small mammals. peanut processed for the human
Plants such as honeysuckle, if market.
allowed to become sufficiently Sunflower seeds are very
rampant, will provide shelter popular and quite cheap: the
during the winter months and all-black variety have a higher
may well attract nesting birds next nutritional value than the black-
spring. the same advice applies to and-white stripy type.
Pat Crawford is from Hadlow College, one of the UK’s leading land-based
 vine November 2008 onlinevine.co.uk
colleges, offering a wide range of career and recreational courses and talks.
www.hadlow.ac.uk / 01732 850551
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