Garden preparation for winter and wildlife.
Before the frost we all like to get the garden tidied up for winter and prepare for spring.
Even though winter is coming your garden can still be a valuable haven for wildlife. Here are seven great tips for natural ways to help wildlife survive in the months ahead.
1. Plant flowers for winter pollinators. Hellebores, winter heather, mahonia, primroses and crocuses are all excellent nectar sources for foraging bees and other pollinators in winter and early spring.
2. Plant berry-bearing plants like holly, hawthorn and crab apple trees. These provide food for birds and add beautiful autumn and winter colour to the garden.
3. Plant berry-bearing plants like holly, hawthorn and crab apple trees. These provide food for birds and add beautiful autumn and winter colour to the garden.
4. Provide log piles or areas of long grass near ponds for amphibians like frogs and newts to shelter in over winter. Clear snow from frozen ponds so that light can get in and plants can photosynthesise, keeping the water oxygenated for pond wildlife.
5. You may not want to leave leaves that are cover for slugs and snails on your flower beds, though a few spots close to hardier shrubs and tougher plants won't do much harm and help insects, or even a hedgehog, to live under cover in the harsh months.
6. Don't cut back ivy in autumn. A mature ivy, being evergreen,is a fantastic winter shelter for birds and insects, and the berries are a high-energy food source. Once spring arrives, you can cut back the ivy to keep it under control.
7. Birds need plenty of food in winter to keep their body temperature up, so fill bird feeders with energy-rich seeds like sunflower hearts or hang-up suet balls. Top up feeders regularly so that birds don't make wasted journeys to find food - and break ice on bird baths to give them access to water.
There is lots of advice for planting a winter garden on the Countryfile website, and advice on winter plants from House & Garden.
*advice on garden preparation from Frosts Garden Centres