They
say you can tell a lot about a man by the company he keeps. So I hesitate to
tell you this but a friend of mine overwinters his children's rabbit hutch in
their kitchen, along with the rabbits of course.
It's
a slightly unnerving experience to have two pairs of glassy eyes staring at you
as you bring your fork to your mouth. Images from The Curse of the Were-Rabbit go through your mind.
I
also have an artist friend in Spain who rears hares in the bottom drawer of his
living room cupboard before releasing them into the wild.
Wise
gardeners and allotment holders also seem to know which animals are beneficial
for their plots and which are not, as well as how to get the best from
them. Here’s my handy guide to garden friends and foes.
Frogs like to eat slugs so build
a pond, however small and shallow to attract them, but make it is safe if
toddlers are around. If you create gentle slopes to your pond you will also
attract thirsty hedgehogs which will also eat your
slugs.
Bees will pollinate and
cross-pollinate, so plan a wildflower patch with a bee-attracting plant mix.
Even a small area of garden will do the job. You don’t need a meadow. These
seed mixes can be surprisingly cheap if you shop around.
By
keeping a pile of twigs and rocks somewhere in your garden you will create the
ideal habitat for a range of creepy things. Spiders, beetles and woodlice are not everyone's idea of pets but when you start getting ladybirds,
frogs and slow-worms too it gets interesting. Try not to be freaked
out if you see a slow-worm. Yes,
they look like dangerous snakes, but they are harmless. Like a lot of us they
enjoy basking in warm, protected spots and can often be found under discarded
sheets of corrugated iron.
As
the season progresses the ladybirds
will eat the aphids (green and black fly), the frogs
will eat the slugs and the slow-worms will eat anything that is
going. Bird life will add diversity
and interest so keep your bird-bath topped up and your feeders full.
I
would counsel caution when it comes to keeping chickens and rabbits. Foxes and rats will have a go at them and their feed, particularly in the
spring, when they are raising their own young and have hungry mouths to feed.
So you will need serious barriers in place to protect them. This includes
having chicken wire dug 200 mm into the
ground to stop foxes burrowing in. Watch Chicken
Run for tips and beware of holes appearing under fences and sheds.
When
not spooling through your old Wallace and Gromit collection,
now is the time to get stuck into important spring jobs. These include:
•
Straggly Photinia,
Choisya (Mexican orange blossom), Laurel, Santolina ( cotton lavender) and Brachyglottis (Senecio) can be improved with a
hard chop. Take them back to 150mm if you need to.
•
Reduce Cotinus (Smoke tree)
and Sambucus (Elder) to create more dense
foliage as this will best show them off.
•
It should now be mild enough to plant out species
from Mediterranean climates.
•
Dead-head fading daffodil and tulip flowers but
don't touch the foliage as this will feed the bulbs for next season.
•
The weeds will soon start showing their heads, so
mulch, hoe and if you really have to then spray them. Be conscious
that even in a light wind herbicides can drift. So be very discerning
as to where and what you use.
•
Lawn feed can be applied, but avoid moss killer
unless you are committed to re-sowing or laying turf on the bald and black
patches where the moss has died.
•
Bumps and hollows in the lawn can now be repaired
by cutting a cross and peeling back the turf in order to remove or add soil.
•
Late frosts can damage fruit blossom, so cover the
tips with a protective fleece or simply a light sheet.
And
remember - bunnies are not just for Easter. Just ask Gromit if you don't
believe me.
