Linda Bingham
Gardening for wildlife
January has been a month to plan and rethink. I started writing these articles in March 2021 and, much as I love writing them, life has got busier for me and for most people as things get back to a new normality. I will continue to write a monthly update, which will be added to my existing articles on the New Leaf website.
In 2020 Sir David Attenborough wrote, “The world depends on an understanding of the natural world. And where does that start? On our doorsteps, in our gardens.” Gardens are mini units of our wider environment and everything we do can make a difference. Whether you have a balcony or a huge garden, you can make changes to help wildlife.
Many of the garden jobs for January and February are similar or the same as for December (see December’s article). The difference is that your garden space will be coming to life! Snowdrops, the flower that for many of us heralds the Spring, are appearing, and the days are getting longer.
Gardening jobs for February
Compost
Turn your compost heap this month – this will aerate the heap and stimulate it. If it’s too dry, continue adding wet kitchen waste and water it occasionally. If too wet, open up and aerate the heap by adding twigs, torn or scrunched cardboard and paper waste. Cardboard egg boxes make a great addition too.
Turning the compost heap
‘No dig’ preparation
The vegetable garden or allotment
The earliest vegetable crops – such as parsnips and broad beans – can be sown this month, but only if the soil is warm enough (5°C or more). I tend to sow these seeds into pots to start them off, keeping them indoors or in a greenhouse.
If you haven’t done so already, prepare the ground for the coming year. I use the ‘no dig’ method of gardening which helps to keep the soil healthy. You can easily start a new veg patch by choosing a bit of ground, putting down a thick layer of cardboard (tape removed) then adding a thick layer of compost on top. You can then plant straight away and no digging is required! I’ve described a simplified version but you can find out more here: https://charlesdowding.co.uk/start-here/
Plants & flowers
Buy new potting compost (peat free and organic) for this year’s sowing and growing.
Start sowing hardy annual flower seeds in clean pots or trays under cover. Choose plants that will attract beneficial insects into your wildlife garden. Clean tap water (not from the water butt) should be provided from below, and ensure watering is kept to a minimum. Seedlings must have plenty of light and ventilation, and not be sown too thickly. Cover them with fleece if a frost is forecast and protect any tender plants.
General tidying up in the borders can begin, but be cautious. Cutting back herbaceous growth and last year’s seed heads too early can expose beneficial insects such as ladybirds, lacewings, and beetles to unexpected cold weather. It may also expose tender new shoots to frosts. If the weather is very cold, wait until the end of the month or the beginning of March before doing too much.
If you still have some pruning or cutting back of shrubs or hedges to do, try to complete this by the end of the month. From March onwards, some garden birds will be building nests and pruning too late would disturb them.
During February and early March you still have time to plant trees and/or native hedging. I have bought these from the Woodland Trust to ensure that they are grown in the UK.
https://shop.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees
Spread compost or bark around shrubs and trees.
Grow wildflowers from seed
It isn’t always easy to grow native wildflowers from seed. The following link gives advice: Growing Wildflowers from Seed
Keep your garden healthy
Remove dead or dying leaves from plants and put them on the compost heap.
Good hygiene is an essential part of keeping the garden healthy.
If there is a warm spell, early aphid colonies can build up on new buds. Squish them off with your fingers to prevent a build-up, or use a diluted neem oil spray.
In the greenhouse
Clean pots and trays thoroughly before starting to sow new seeds. Pests and diseases can overwinter in old potting compost, surviving to damage newly emerging seedlings. Scrub well in hot soapy water.
Clean greenhouse glass of any algae that has developed during the past few months. Sweep out the whole place to get rid of as many overwintering pests as possible.
Lawns
A healthy, organic lawn is not hard to achieve. It just needs some basic care, not chemicals.
In frosty or snowy weather, keep off the grass. This can cause significant damage and lead to disease later in the year.
If areas of the lawn tend to hold puddles, spike with a garden fork to the total depth of the tines.
Use an organic lawn fertiliser to give the grass a good start to the season.
Start to mow pathways through any patches of long grass.
Ponds
If you already have a pond, continue to remove dead leaves, to avoid nutrients building up in the water. Frogs will be looking for water for their spawn in March, but they sometimes spawn in February.
Now is an excellent time to create a pond. You can use a pre-formed liner or create your own size and shape by using flexible butyl liner. The deepest part should be at least 60cm (2 ft).
If you don’t have much space, a pond can be made using a small container.
Wildlife
If you do one thing for wildlife during February, ensure that you continue to feed the wild birds and put out food for hedgehogs. The temperatures can fluctuate hugely, and birds need to build up energy for nest building and breeding.
Continue to clean bird feeders regularly. Food such as suet, sunflower hearts and mealworms are particularly good at this time of year.
Check bird baths and ponds and remove any ice.
Ensure there is always fresh water in the garden.
Clean out old nest boxes and put new nest boxes around the garden or attached to the house if you don’t have much space. Birds will be looking for somewhere to nest.
If you have been putting Hedgehog food out during winter, continue to do this.
Ensure that there are plenty of areas around your garden where wildlife can shelter including log piles, messy areas and longer grass.
Free advice about creating a wildlife sanctuary in your garden
I am a volunteer Wildlife Gardening Champion for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. We are a friendly bunch of volunteers who care passionately about creating wild spaces in gardens. We are not experts but between us we have a fair amount of knowledge to give advice about what you can do, either on a grand scale, or in a small space to help wildlife.
The service is free, and we are currently doing phone consultations, though this may change once Covid rules are relaxed more, and we can visit people in their gardens.
All you need to do is complete an online form, answering a few questions about your space. Some photos are useful while we cannot physically visit gardens.
If interested, you can book here:
Team Wilder gardening consultations | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
Children’s wildlife project for February
Build a Bug Hotel
Follow this link to learn how to build a home for the bugs in your garden:
