How to make your garden wilder
Jobs for November
Plant hedges – If you’re lucky enough to have a little piece of green space, now is the perfect time to plant hedgerow trees. You can buy trees for as little as £1 from a local nursery, and all you need is a shovel. Recommended species include native roses, elder and hawthorn to act as a food store for wildlife. If you have a large garden, try growing hazel (Corylus avellana) for its nuts and attractive catkins.
Finish planting spring bulbs – November is a good time to plant tulips. The hardy summer-flowering bulbs, such as lilies, alliums and crocosmia, are better in September and October (but no harm in trying!).
More tips for gardening for wildlife in November here.
Jobs for December
Plant trees – December is a good time to plant trees (either potted or bare-root in the garden). If you are lucky enough to have a small area to fit a little fruit tree in, now is the time! The People's Trust for Endangered Species have a good tool to help you find a local variety to suit future needs.
Create free plants! – This month is a good time to take a cutting from shrubs, trees and perennials. By taking cuttings from successful plants in your local area you can be confident that they grow well on your local soil types. Please ask for permission first! A good guide on how to successfully take a cutting is here.
Attract the robins – Making bird boxes are a great activity for the whole family. Why not build an open-fronted box for a robin? Some great ideas on how to attract your friendly neighbourhood robin are here.
Sort your cat out – Own a domestic cat? Why not buy them a bell for their collar? A recent study suggests that this can reduce predation on mammals and birds as it acts as an alarm to wildlife. Just remember to make sure it has a quick-release mechanism, just in case it gets snagged.
Spread wildflower seed – As the frost comes in, now is a good time to spread wildflower seeds onto bare soil. The quickest, and by far the easiest way to spread the seed is to get hold of some BeeBombs and throw them on the ground. They do best in full sunlight and low-nutrient soil. No need for digging – just avoid them drying out. Our conservation expert Dan Geerah threw his down four weeks ago and they have germinated. In Bristol, you can buy BeeBombs at Smaller Footprints on Regent Street in Clifton. They'd make a great Christmas Gift!
Jobs for January
As the temperatures drop, snowdrops will begin to bloom, but it certainly isn't the most active month in our Wilder Clifton calendar. But there are a few things that will put you in good stead for the year ahead:
Plant hedging and fruit trees – If you are planting any bare-rooted hedging, fruit trees or shrubs, now is a good time – just ensure that the ground isn't frozen. The plants are tolerant once they are in the ground and will provide good habitat and cover for wildlife.
Prune – For those already with fruit trees established, January is a good time to winter-prune to remove any dead, damaged, congested and diseased branches.
Top up birdbaths with fresh water daily and melt the ice with warm water on frosty days.
Make wildlife boxes – Once again, the cold days are perfect for making wildlife boxes, to put up in sheltered spots, on tree trunks, sheds or walls, well before the nesting season begins.
Remove debris from shed and greenhouse guttering, so winter rain can fill up your water butts.
Jobs for February
As the days are now getting longer, you can start preparing for the bird nesting season beginning. There are several things that can be done to best welcome our feathery friends next month.
For birds:
Other tasks:
Jobs for March
As the seasons change, the temperatures rise and there open opportunities to get your little wild space ready before the buzz of spring begins. March is also the time that birds begin breeding, so there are a couple of tips to ensure that you help out as best you can.
Water is relatively scarce in our urban environments – and wildlife need it! So dig out a new pond, or install a water feature, to attract more wildlife. But remember, do not stock it with any fish as they disrupt the ecosystem. Let nature decide who lives there. A good read about urban ponds is here.
Some more things for March:
Jobs for November
Plant hedges – If you’re lucky enough to have a little piece of green space, now is the perfect time to plant hedgerow trees. You can buy trees for as little as £1 from a local nursery, and all you need is a shovel. Recommended species include native roses, elder and hawthorn to act as a food store for wildlife. If you have a large garden, try growing hazel (Corylus avellana) for its nuts and attractive catkins.
Finish planting spring bulbs – November is a good time to plant tulips. The hardy summer-flowering bulbs, such as lilies, alliums and crocosmia, are better in September and October (but no harm in trying!).
More tips for gardening for wildlife in November here.
Jobs for December
Plant trees – December is a good time to plant trees (either potted or bare-root in the garden). If you are lucky enough to have a small area to fit a little fruit tree in, now is the time! The People's Trust for Endangered Species have a good tool to help you find a local variety to suit future needs.
Create free plants! – This month is a good time to take a cutting from shrubs, trees and perennials. By taking cuttings from successful plants in your local area you can be confident that they grow well on your local soil types. Please ask for permission first! A good guide on how to successfully take a cutting is here.
Attract the robins – Making bird boxes are a great activity for the whole family. Why not build an open-fronted box for a robin? Some great ideas on how to attract your friendly neighbourhood robin are here.
Sort your cat out – Own a domestic cat? Why not buy them a bell for their collar? A recent study suggests that this can reduce predation on mammals and birds as it acts as an alarm to wildlife. Just remember to make sure it has a quick-release mechanism, just in case it gets snagged.
Spread wildflower seed – As the frost comes in, now is a good time to spread wildflower seeds onto bare soil. The quickest, and by far the easiest way to spread the seed is to get hold of some BeeBombs and throw them on the ground. They do best in full sunlight and low-nutrient soil. No need for digging – just avoid them drying out. Our conservation expert Dan Geerah threw his down four weeks ago and they have germinated. In Bristol, you can buy BeeBombs at Smaller Footprints on Regent Street in Clifton. They'd make a great Christmas Gift!
Jobs for January
As the temperatures drop, snowdrops will begin to bloom, but it certainly isn't the most active month in our Wilder Clifton calendar. But there are a few things that will put you in good stead for the year ahead:
Plant hedging and fruit trees – If you are planting any bare-rooted hedging, fruit trees or shrubs, now is a good time – just ensure that the ground isn't frozen. The plants are tolerant once they are in the ground and will provide good habitat and cover for wildlife.
Prune – For those already with fruit trees established, January is a good time to winter-prune to remove any dead, damaged, congested and diseased branches.
Top up birdbaths with fresh water daily and melt the ice with warm water on frosty days.
Make wildlife boxes – Once again, the cold days are perfect for making wildlife boxes, to put up in sheltered spots, on tree trunks, sheds or walls, well before the nesting season begins.
Remove debris from shed and greenhouse guttering, so winter rain can fill up your water butts.
Jobs for February
As the days are now getting longer, you can start preparing for the bird nesting season beginning. There are several things that can be done to best welcome our feathery friends next month.
For birds:
- Trim back ivy, Virginia creeper and other climbers if they have outgrown their space before birds start nesting.
- As always, there is never a bad time to put bird boxes up in sheltered spots, on tree trunks, sheds or walls.
- Make fat-ball feeders and hang them among shrubs and roses to attract blue tits, which will also forage for overwintering pests.
- If it does snow, clear a patch to allow birds to hunt for insects in the lawn.
Other tasks:
- For those with stands of hazel, February is a great time to coppice, cutting to the base, to encourage a flush of new stems that you can use for plant supports in a few years.
- If in January you were lucky enough to have a flourish of snowdrops, divide large clumps of them after flowering and replant to start new colonies.
Jobs for March
As the seasons change, the temperatures rise and there open opportunities to get your little wild space ready before the buzz of spring begins. March is also the time that birds begin breeding, so there are a couple of tips to ensure that you help out as best you can.
Water is relatively scarce in our urban environments – and wildlife need it! So dig out a new pond, or install a water feature, to attract more wildlife. But remember, do not stock it with any fish as they disrupt the ecosystem. Let nature decide who lives there. A good read about urban ponds is here.
Some more things for March:
- Home composting is the most environmentally friendly way of dealing with kitchen and garden waste, plus it produces compost that can be used as an excellent soil improver. Therefore, build or buy a new compost bin, ready to recycle the coming season's garden waste. The RHS has a good "how to" page for those wishing to try composting.
- Last chance to prune any roses that are in the garden, so get this in early in March if needed.
- Keep putting out food for garden birds, as the breeding season gets under way.
- Place insect hotels or bundles of hollow stems in sheltered corners, where insects can lay their eggs.
