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Winter is a quieter time of year in the garden with many plants and species going dormant over the cooler winter months.
Yet a garden can still be active and with a few ideas, you can ensure your garden stays a hub for wildlife throughout the winter.
Autumn and winter are typically a time where gardens are cleared of all the fallen leaves especially of the lawn. However, there is no need to get rid of them and there are several things you can use them for. Spreading deciduous leaves onto your borders not only helps to insulate the soil but will also allow the material to be broken down and increase the organic matter of the structure of your soil improving the life of your borders. If you have space you can create a leaf pile which will befit many invertebrates over the winter months as a nice warm and humid space.
Pictured: Fallen leaves can improve your soil and provide shelter for wildlife.
Setting up bird feeders is a great way to attract life to the garden over the winter. Most birds will be looking for fatty foods to see them through the cold months so feeds such as suet are ideal. It is important to remember to clean all your feeder regularly to prevent any risk of disease being spread to birds from dirty feeders. It, not just birds that need to be fed through the winter, if you have squirrels and hedgehogs feeding in your garden over the warm months make sure you keep the food going over the winter. In our slightly warmer climate animals that sleep through the winter will often wake up looking for food occasionally, so its important to make sure some is available. Also, ensure bowls of water are available for your wildlife throughout the winter particularly if we have a freeze.
This is a useful job to do during the winter if you have nesting boxes in your garden. Clearing out the old nests helps to prologue the life of your boxes as well as removing any material that might impact breeding success the following year. When cleaning out your nest boxes you can put back a thin layer of dry hay. Some birds will continue to use the nest boxes over the winter as nigh time roosting sites so a little bit of insulation is much appreciated by our feathered friends.
Pictured: Nest boxes can require a little more insulation in the winter months.
Winter is a great time for doing some improvement works to your garden particularly creating new habitat features for wildlife. This can include installing a pond, putting up new nest boxes or creating log piles in the corner of the garden for wildlife. You can get very creative in how to make new features, such as burying a teapot so the spout is sticking out of the ground for use by bumblebees. Whatever you create your gardens wildlife will appreciate it.
Wishing you all a happy holiday season.
