Creating spaces for wildlife is something we should be thinking about all year around, but it comes to the forefront of our minds as we spend more time outside in our gardens.
We tend to think about nesting birds at this time of year, as the weather begins to warm up, the birds begin to sing, announcing new territories and everything bursts into flower. If you are lucky enough to own a garden, then there are lots of things you can do to help nesting birds and not all of those are by putting up nest boxes.
Think about planting climbers and allowing ivy to grow up some of your walls. Ivy is fantastic for cover and also as a nectar source in the autumn when it flowers and has berries too. Many of these plants will also look great in your garden too, so definitely no sacrifices to create a garden great for wildlife, that looks great. Other climbers such as Oregon grape provide cover, berries and nectar as well and are a great way to cover an unsightly wall or building.
This time of year is great for planting perennials! These plants are always good value for money and will come up each year, hopefully bigger and better than the previous year! The perennials may die right down in winter, but in the spring you will witness fresh new shoots appear and offering promises to blooms to come!
By planting perennials that are good for insects, you will in turn attract all sorts of other wildlife to your garden. All will provide a great visual display and attract pollinators to your garden.
You may want to consider leaving a section of your garden to allow the nettles to flourish. Nettle are the main food source for the caterpillars of Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Red Admiral butterflies, so a great way of helping them along.
You and your wildlife all enjoy plants such as this throughout the growing season, but don’t be too hasty in the Autumn to cut them back. Leave the floors to go to seed. In this way, the birds will have a source of food and. next year, you may have lots of new perennials to grow in your garden!
Don’t forget, our corporate supporters CJ Wildlife continue to offer Froglife’s staff and members a 10% discount across the range of wildlife care products on www.birdfood.co.uk. Use the code UKFROG18 at the checkout or call Freephone 0800 731 2820 to order.