For beginner gardeners, getting to grips with the fundamentals can seem daunting. But in this 12-part exclusive series, Alan Titchmarsh is sharing his wisdom to help you master the skills that really matter. This month, discover ways to garden that benefit wildlife and, ultimately, you. Follow Alan's advice and you will learn to see your garden as a valuable ecosytem where pests and pollinators all have their place.
You'll learn about:
- Making your garden a wildlife haven
- Identifying creatures
- Separating pests from pollinators
Wildlife-friendly gardening
You walk out of your back door to the sound of silence. The air is still. There is no movement. No birdsong, no stirring in the leaves. No greenfly on your roses; no slugs munching your hostas. It is the perfect garden. Oh no it isn't! This isn't a garden; this is a lifeless desert. Gardens are living organisms that can - and should support many forms of wildlife. Each living thing in your patch is part of a complex food chain that gardeners have a duty to maintain, and that duty comes with many rewards: you will marvel at the blackbird's song, the whirr of a dragonfly across a garden pond and the earthworms that incorporate organic matter into your soil. Greenfly feed ladybirds, slugs feed frogs and thrushes: we learn to tolerate the wildlife that irritates in order to have a vibrant, healthy garden.
The garden ecosystem
This story is from the April 2022 edition of Gardeners World.
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This story is from the April 2022 edition of Gardeners World.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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Your wildlife month
December is a time for reflection in the garden. What worked for wildlife in 2023 and what didn't? How could you do more? Looking at the bones of the garden now, is there space for more plants? Are your fences bare? Are there enough berries and hips? You have until March to plant bare-root trees and shrubs. What would look good? What would better serve wildlife?
The Full Monty
I can, and occasionally do, manufacture jobs in a kind of gung-ho, boy-scout spirit
Expert's choice
Smaller variegated ivies still pack a big punch all year round, says Graham Rice
YOUR PRUNING MONTH
Frances Tophill explains what to cut back now, including grapevines and hardy shrubs
Hardwood cuttings
It's the zero-fuss way to make free new shrubs - just follow our guide from Nick Bailey
Hassle-free harvests
While veg-plot activities slow down in winter, there is still plenty to do, from planting fruit trees, and harvesting sprouts and salads to taking stock of your growing year so you can plan next year's crops, says Jack Wallington
The happy house plant guide
In the first of a seven-part series, Jane Perrone shares expert advice on how to give your house plants the best start to a long and healthy life in your home
The science of soil
Healthy soil is teeming with life - Becky Searle delves below the surface to explore how this fascinating system works and how it can benefit our plants
'It's like another lung - like having oxygen on tap. It makes you breathe in a different way'
Helen Maxwell's garden in rural Carmarthenshire surrounds the house that her husband (who's an architect) designed.
