They have to be sheared every May and the wool doesn’t get used much these days. I put the wool in plant pots to keep the slugs away. It can also be used as mulch.
WILDLIFE FRIENDLY GARDENING - TIPS AND STORIES
Across the West of England region, there are people taking action for nature by reducing or eliminating their use of pesticides and introducing more wildlife-friendly methods into their gardening and growing. Get inspired to do the same with their advice and examples!
This campaign is part of the Natural History Consortium-led People for Pollinators project, funded by the West of England Combined Authority’s Community Pollinator Fund.
Ben Barker, BS3 Wildlife Group
No nettles, no red admiral butterflies - rehabilitate weeds!
Butterflies are particular about where they lay their eggs, for example, red admirals lay their eggs only on nettles because their caterpillar feeds on them.
Lyn and Marion, Bath Organic Group
Creating fertile compost from waste plants and weeds
We try to conserve water by collecting rainwater, and to rejuvenate our soil we use our own compost, manure from a local farm, wood chippings and comfrey.
Josephine Slater, Herbalists Without Borders
Leaving dead stems uncut for pollinators over the winter
I’ve stopped cutting down all the dead stems and I leave them for the pollinators to nest inside the stems over the winter.
Mark Wilson & Marta Jachimowicz, Rockaway Park
Banana peel fertiliser tea for fruit growth
Pumpkins have started appearing and so making fertiliser tea out of banana peels, which has lots of potassium, will encourage them to grow.
Mike Feingold, Royate Hill Community Orchard
Taking a truly integrated approach to pest management
By understanding the natural life cycles and getting your timing right, you can avoid pests.
John Mills, Thornbury Orchard Group
Planting privet for the privet hawk moth
We try to use only native plants and match these local plants to the interdependent fauna (wildlife).
Eleanor Fairbraida, The Really Wild Lockleaze Project
Let the grass grow and the wildflowers sow!
These areas only need to be allowed to grow, with a few plug plants added to create a wildflower meadow patch.
Guy Manchester, Alive Activities Allotment
Create a dedicated space for nature
Not only is it great for the wildlife, but it also means we’re encouraging a no end of natural predators for slugs and snails.
Guy Manchester, Alive Activities Allotment
Scented marigolds to deter aphids naturally
To deter aphids naturally, we now deploy an army of scented marigolds. It’s most effective when used to prevent aphid infestation in greenhouses or polytunnels.
Ali Lee, Propagation Place at St Werburghs City Farm
Encouraging natural predatory insects
Other little critters which are incredible plant protectors are lacewings, hoverflies and parasitic wasps.
Jasmine Tidswell, St Werburgh's City Farm
Making the wildlife pond self-sufficient for biodiversity
Instead of telling nature what we wanted it to do, we decided to ask; what does nature need to be more self-sufficient in this space?
Martin Westlake, Personal Garden
Planting bee bombs in your garden
To encourage wildlife I planted a bee bomb. These are small parcels of seeds which are made up of a mix of different flowers which will attract bees.