While we understand the appeal of a neat and tidy garden, many important creatures rely on messy areas, such as piles of dead leaves, long grass, and wood piles, to survive the winter.
From late October/November through to early spring, hedgehogs will need a quiet, protected place to hibernate and must be left undisturbed. Piles of dead leaves are a popular choice for these beloved garden animals, but they will also benefit from a comfortable hedgehog house like our Deluxe Hedgehog House XXL, to keep them safe from predators.
Frogs and toads will search for areas of long grass or piles of wood or stones to hibernate over the winter. So, what might look like an untidy corner of the garden to you is a refuge for them! By making space for amphibians in your garden, you’ll be welcoming handy garden helpers. Frogs and toads like to feed on slugs, snails, and other invertebrates, so they can help to control pests. If you have space in your garden, why not add a frog and toad house?
Many garden birds will enjoy picking out the seeds from seedheads in your garden, so consider leaving them rather than tidying them up ahead of the winter. Standing stems will also provide a home for insects, larvae, and eggs. Sedum, Aster, and Teasels will all develop beautiful seedheads full of nutritious seeds.
Although we recommend doing less in your garden to make space for wildlife, some gardening tasks will give wildlife a boost in spring. If you have fruit trees, these should be pruned in winter when the tree is dormant, to encourage strong growth in spring. Ideally, this should be done during dry weather and when no frost is predicted. By looking after your fruit trees in the colder months, you’ll have lovely healthy fruit trees in spring and hopefully some beautiful blossom for the bees.
With bugs in mind, adding an insect hotel to your outdoor space will give bees and other insects a dry place to shelter from the rain and cold, and provide a safe place to nest in spring and summer. We hope we’ve inspired you to leave some areas of your outdoor space ‘wild’ to support local wildlife! Now you can put your feet up and relax (until you need to top up your feeders again!)
Many garden birds will enjoy picking out the seeds from seedheads in your garden, so consider leaving them rather than tidying them up ahead of the winter. From late October/November through to early spring, hedgehogs will need a quiet, protected place to hibernate and must be left undisturbed. Frogs and toads will search for areas of long grass or piles of wood or stones to hibernate over the winter.
Help Birds
Help Hedgehogs
Help Frogs & Toads