Wildlife in your Winter Garden

As winter approaches and the days grow shorter we are likely to spend much less time winter gardening - there aren't so many tasks to be done, and staying warm and cosy indoors seems a much more attractive prospect. Similarly, the wildlife in a winter garden is searching out food and shelter to help survive the winter, and there's a lot we can do to assist them in their quest for survival.

As we spend less time in the winter garden, our absence helps to offer wildlife in the garden many desirable winter residences. There was once a time when no respectable gardener could retire indoors for the winter unless the herbaceous borders had been cleared, all the fallen leaves removed and the vegetable patch reduced to bare soil.

Now we realise that both aesthetically and environmentally, the winter garden is far more interesting and diverse if some plants are left untrimmed until the spring. Tufts of ornamental grasses have a haunting beauty, especially when illuminated by the low winter sun, but they are also a important habitat for hibernating ladybugs.

Areas of leaf litter provide shelter for many useful insect species and will shelter delicate plants that may otherwise be killed by the cold weather and frosty nights. The stark angular outlines of berried shrubs and the seed heads of annual and perennial plants give a visual structure for the winter garden, and lots will endure for many months, providing important nutrition for birds and other wildlife in the garden who will eat all the seeds and berries during the cold months.

Additionally, stone walls, log heaps and untidy corners offer ideal homes in our winter garden s for many varieties of wild animals, from field mice to frogs, toads and hedgehogs.

There are also ways we can actively encourage wildlife in the garden, not only into the winter garden, but all year long. Nowdays the domestic garden is a valuable habitat and if we manage it well we will be rewarded with a wide variety of wildlife in the garden that will help to control our less welcome garden pests.

Feeding the birds is a must for pest control, but once you begin, it is vital to be consistent and continue as birds will waste energy visiting your winter garden bird feeder or table fruitlessly if no food is put out for them. In frosty weather they will also need water. This is a good time of year to fix new nesting boxes in place so the birds will have plenty of time to check them out before the spring comes.

Insects also need places to hide in the winter garden and while many will take up residence in existing nooks and crannies, it's a good idea to provide some extra hiding places. These can be home made from simple materials such as a handful of straw or short lengths of cane in a flower pot, but you can also buy commercial versions.

So, why not spend some time making your winter garden welcoming and comfortable for your wildlife in winter? That way both you and they will be rested and ready once the days lengthen and spring arrives.for the lengthening days next spring.

Article Source: http://www.a1-articledirectory.com

Ellie Dixon lives in deepest rural Devon with her husband Mike and two large Newfoundland dogs. She is a keen gardener, and grows most of her own vegetables, as well as keeping chickens and ducks.Ellie Dixon lives in deepest rural Devon with her husband Mike and two large Newfoundland dogs. She is a keen gardener, and grows most of her own vegetables, as well as keeping chickens and ducks. Ellie recommends Self-Sufficient-Life.com which is a growing resource of books, articles and audio/visual sources around the subject of rural and country style living. Click Here to Learn More

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