Happy New Year! Rather than look at things which grow in the garden, I thought we would take a look at things that live, or rather fl y, in the garden. WildBird care has become an important part of our business in recent years and, as such, we have had to become more knowledgeable about the subject.

I don’t consider myself to be an ornithologist, or even a keen bird watcher, but I do really
enjoy putting a range of food out for the birds and watching the different species that are
attracted to the feeding stations. January is both an important time to look after birds, as it is often the coldest time of the year and when their natural food is at it s scarcest, as well as being a good time for us to observe them. The lack of natural food makes birds more bold in their search for food and the lack of foliage on trees and shrubs means it is easier for us to observe them.

So what should we be doing in January and February? If the weather is very cold, the best
thing to do is ensure a good supply of water, as a cold snap will ensure puddles and other
natural sources of waters freeze up quickly; a lack of water can kill birds quicker than a lack of food. If you have a bird table or feeding station, then keep the feeders replenished at regular intervals, the birds will soon get used to when you are putting out the food. Put up bird boxes, although the birds will not be nesting yet, they will be seeking out potential sites, and will not nest in something that has only just been put up when it is time to set up home. Bird boxes should ideally be sited on the north East side of a tree or building, or be positioned where they will receive protection from prevailing winds and direct sun. Tits, sparrows and starlings will nest in boxes 2-4m off the ground with a clear fl ight path, whereas wren’s and robins prefer to nest lower down in dense vegetation. Bird food at this time of year can be more chunky than in the spring as there is not the worry about choking young. Our most popular bird food is a seed mix, this contains maize, peanut granules, sunfl ower seeds, oatmeal, wheat and oatmeal. Different birds enjoy different foods: tits and greenfi nches enjoy sunfl ower hearts, sparrows, dunnets and fi nches enjoy the smaller millet seeds and blackbirds like fl aked maize. Suet balls are a good source of energy in the winter for most 52 birds, and robins and blue tits love mealworms.

There is a great deal more of this information available on the RSPB website; www.rspb.org.uk
As well as buying wild bird food, we can make our gardens more wildlife friendly in several ways: grow berry producing plants such as holly, pyracantha, cotoneaster and hawthorn. Leave piles of leaves in the garden to encourage overwintering hedgehogs. Lacewings and ladybirds shelter in piles of vegetation and in nooks and crannies of sheds and buildings; bats need roosting places such as sheds or even bat boxes, a stack of logs can be a home to dormice, insects and even hedgehogs. In the autumn we ran four trial sessions for our Garden Academy, an informal series of courses designed to help you understand your garden more and how to learn about specifi c areas such as lawns, propagation, bulbs, design & layout. The tutor for these courses is Alistair Peak who has vast experience in practical and hands on  horticulture.

These courses were well received in the autumn, so we are continuing with them into the spring, take a look at our website to fi nd out more details: www.bosworthsgc.co.uk/gardenacademy

BOSWORTH’S Nurseries & Garden Centre
01536 722635
Only minutes from J10 off the A14 and midway between Kettering and Wellingborough

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Bosworths Garden Centre

January & February Garden

January & February Garden

January & February Garden