Stocking The Pond With The Right Planting From The Start Makes A Noticeable Difference To How Quickly It Settles. A Good Place To Begin Is A Considered Selection Of pond Plants Suited To The Pond's Size And Depth.

Whole peanuts should be avoided if fledglings are likely to be fed them directly, as they present a choking risk; a mesh feeder that breaks nuts into smaller pieces is the safer option. Hygiene is just as important as food choice: cleaning feeders regularly and moving their position from time to time helps reduce the build-up of bacteria that can spread between visiting birds.

Easy access matters most. A shallow, gently sloping edge lets amphibians move in and out of the water without difficulty, while steep, hard-edged ponds can be surprisingly difficult for them to use. Nearby damp, shady spots, a log pile or a compost heap close to the pond, give them somewhere to shelter and hibernate once they leave the water for the colder months.

Sited well and left in peace, an insect house can become a genuinely busy part of the garden. Many gardeners start by comparing a few insect houses before choosing one to match the space available.

Garden birds face different pressures depending on the time of year, and supplementary feeding is most valuable during two periods in particular: the late winter to early spring hungry gap, when natural food is scarce, and the breeding season, when adults are feeding hungry chicks.

Nematodes are microscopic roundworms that occur naturally in soil, and certain species have been developed for use against specific garden pests. Rather than acting as a broad chemical treatment, each nematode species is matched to a particular pest, seeking it out and interrupting its lifecycle with far less impact on the rest of the Garden Wildlife UK than a chemical spray.

Stocking the pond with the right planting from the start makes a noticeable difference to how quickly it settles. A good place to begin is a considered selection of pond plants suited to the pond's size and depth.