Wildlife Gardening

We have a rocky relationship with our wild companions at Beardsworths. Squirrels gnawing through the irrigation lines, rabbits and deer eating the trees, voles chewing on the shrubs is enough to try the patience of the most staunch environmentalist. At this time of year though we can forget all the damage to our pride and pockets as the chicks of our resident swallows have hatched, the Moorhens will soon be running around the nursery with their young and the newts at Hartshead Nurseries can only be described as thriving.

There are several things you can do, even in a small garden to help the wildlife and biodiversity in your area. You also get a reward, much of the wildlife you encourage will help control your garden pests.

Habitat Pile

A habitat pile is just a stack of cut wood which encourages the mosses, lichens, fungii and insects. These in turn provide a source of food for many birds and small mammals.

Your habitat pile can be rustic like ours on the right or you can even make them super neat and symmetrical. The wood needs to be in contact with the soil and in a reasonably shady spot to encourage a slow decomposition.

Wildlife Pond

A wildlife pond can be a huge lagoon or the size of a puddle, just let the algae, aquatic plants and marginals thrive but some thinning to keep everything neat doesn’t hurt though. No Koi Carp or Goldfish though as they will eat your newt larva, dragonfly nymphs and frog spawn.

Our Moorhens live on the lagoon at Whitehall Road and we have ducks on the pond at Hartshead Nurseries.

Nest Boxes and Bird Feeders

There are few things more satisfying than a family of Blue Tits or Sparrows moving in to a bird box erected in your garden. Bill Beardsworth has put dozens of boxes up around our farm and Whitehall Rd Nurseries, if you leave your car parked too long there is a good chance of you finding a bird box fixed to your door.

Don’t be mean with the bird feeders, if you have a variety of foods available all year round you will see a diverse mixture of songbirds visit them. You can find Bill Beardsworth’s tried and tested products in our garden centre.

Keep Bees

Maybe not ideal for the small garden but you could find that keeping bees turns into a consuming hobby. Mrs Beardsworth keeps an apiary at the farm, her bees pollinate our stock orchard and provide a good quantity of Beardsworths honey come the Autumn.

Find out more from the Halifax Beekeepers.