gb supp 2018 (1)

MAY
This is a busy month for any gardener,
with frosts well and truly gone, and warm
daytime temperatures.
l Prepare your beds for planting flowers,
shrubs and vegetables by digging them over,
weeding and adding compost if necessary.
This will have side benefits for garden birds that
eat worms, as they’ll be easier to find. Robins
are the best example, of course – their
behaviour around gardeners actually mimics
what they would do with Wild Boar as the large
mammals turn over earth.
l Try planting perennial flowers, which return
year after year, to add colour and to attract
insects. If you haven’t planted
wild flower seed (some species
need to be sown as early as the
previous October), don’t worry
– pot-grown wild flowers are
available at many garden
centres. Make sure you
water them in well, and
keep them moist.
l Prune springflowering
shrubs such
as Forsythia after they
have flowered.
l Plant herbs, herbaceous
plants, and container-grown
shrubs, and make up your hanging baskets.
l Sow salad vegetables, cabbages, etc.,
outdoors. If you have to take measures to
prevent birds from eating too many
(Woodpigeons can be very fond
of peas, for example), don’t use
netting that the birds could get
their feet tangled in – 4cm
netting should be fine,
stretched taut, and you can also
hang up old CDs to act as
bird-scarers (the artist is
irrelevant, of course, but we found
Cliff Richard’s do the trick).
Wiert Nieuman/Alamy
Tim Gainey/Alamy*
Anne Gilbert/Alamy*
Arterra Picture Library; Rob James*/Alamy
JUNE
This is when you may start to notice insect 'pests' such as greenfly
and other aphids on some plants.
You need to avoid spraying them, as pesticides kill 'helpful'
insects such as ladybirds (which are themselves great
controllers of aphids and similar pests), and could
also harm those bird species such as Blue Tits
which feed on the tiny insects.
If such pests are really damaging your plants,
try washing them off with a dilute solution of
washing-up liquid. You may need to repeat this
from time to time, but it is a wildlife-friendly solution.
JULY
Water is vital for the summer garden, of
course. Pot plants will need to be watered
regularly – daily if there’s no rain – and
borders will also need water, so this might be
the time to invest in a rainwater butt. With
water an increasingly precious resource, it
will enable you to keep your garden green
without guilt. Remember, though, to fit
a lid (if your butt fills from a drainpipe), or
a fine mesh, to prevent small animals and
birds from becoming trapped in it.
Looking further ahead, consider planting
Mediterranean plants such as Lavender,
Cistus, Helianthemum (Rock Rose),
Rosemary, Spanish Broom, Salvias, Lambs'
Ears, and Aubrietia – these are used to a
drier climate, and cope well with drought
and generally lower rainfall.
Apply mulch to borders after rain – this
helps retain moisture.
LAMBS' EARS
AUBRIETA
SPANISH BROOM
HELIANTHEMUM
T-B: Christopher Burrows*; Geoff Smith; Wieslaw Jarek; flowerphotos* all Alamy
Arcaid Images/Alamy*
6 Create the Perfect Bird Garden 2018