You’re not the only one who enjoys your garden. There’s a whole host of creatures living in it, helping to create a balanced ecosystem. Here are a few to look out for and some tips on encouraging wildlife in your garden.
Ladybirds
These small, black-spotted red bugs eat huge amounts of aphids, the tiny green or black insects that infest new shoots in spring. A single ladybird can eat around 5000 aphids in its lifetime, so it’s no wonder gardeners love them! Ladybirds also eat pollen, and if you grow some pollen-rich plants, they'll encourage ladybirds to lay their eggs in your garden, helping to ensure a good population of future ladybirds.
Bees
Bees are enormously important pollinators, vital for the health of our ecosystem, and so the more we can do to help them, the better. One of the best things we can do as gardeners is to have at least one plant in flower in the garden in each season. As well as all the summer-flowering plants, you could plant Japanese Anemones for the autumn, winter-flowering shrubs like Sarcococca and Mahonia, and crocuses for early spring flowers.
Earthworms
Earthworms do wonderful things for the soil, consuming leaf litter and working it into the soil, improving structure and nutrient levels. If you mulch your soil annually with leaf mould, the worms will reward you by producing beautifully rich, crumbly soil that plants will thrive in.
Birds
Birds add life and music to the garden with their song, and many birds are also great at pest control. Small birds like blue tits and sparrows eat aphids and other insects, and song thrushes will even eat slugs and snails.
To encourage more birds into your garden, plant berry-bearing shrubs and trees like holly and hawthorn. These provide food in autumn and winter and shelter for nesting birds in spring and early summer. Put up a bird feeder in a sheltered spot, and keep it topped up to encourage more birds into your garden.
If you’d like to make your garden more wildlife-friendly, visit Merryhatton to see our great range of plants and garden accessories. Our friendly staff will be happy to help and advise!
