In July there is an abundance of wildlife in our gardens and there’s plenty you can do to help it thrive!
Provide food and water for birds
The RSPB recommend that you continue feeding birds throughout the summer. If you have house martins or swallows beware you don’t attract sparrows as they may try to oust your lovely summer visitors from their nests. Move any feeders well away from their nests or stop feeding altogether for safety.
It’s also a good idea to leave water out for birds to drink and bathe in. Large, shallow terracotta pot saucers are ideal but make sure they aren’t positioned too close to hedges where predators may be lurking.
Feed baby hedgehogs
If you’re lucky enough to have hedgehogs in your garden, leave out meat-based dog or cat food and again, a flat dish of water. Contrary to old tales, milk is bad for hedgehogs and should be avoided. Feeding hedgehogs, especially babies will give them the best possible chance to survive hibernation in the winter.
Hedgehogs often can be found in long grass, so don’t forget to check your grass is hedgehog free before strimming.
Finally, if you’re worried about predators, you could invest in/make a hedgehog hotel which will help to keep them safe. The Wildlife Trust, for example, shows you how to make a hedgehog house, click on this link to find out more home https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-build-hedgehog-home
Hedges
If you want to trim your garden hedge, don’t forget to check there are no active nests before cutting. Blackbirds, thrushes, house sparrows, green and gold finches often nest as late as August, so it’s always worth checking before you give your hedge even the lightest of trims.
Ponds
Grow low plants at the edge of your pond to give baby frogs a place to shelter. Top up your pond if the water gets too low to make sure frogs can still climb out. Avoid mowing around your pond if there are baby frogs to help keep them safe.
Planting
There are a wealth of plants that help our bees and other pollinators. Most plants have a symbol that tells you if they are good for wildlife so why not choose the plants that will encourage more wildlife into your garden. You can also prepare for next year by sowing biennial plants such as Honesty, Teasels and Foxgloves that will flower next year.
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