Recycling in your Garden

a heap of plastic pots

Why not make a New Year’s resolution for your garden that’s easy to keep, good for your purse and good for the planet?

Recycling, although a better phrase for it may be ‘re-using’, is easy to accomplish with minimum effort, certainly once you’re in the habit. So if you were to start today, it would be a habit by the end of the month, and so virtually second nature. Smug expressions all round?

To begin then; lets outline a few different types of recycling.  Composting is the most obvious method of re-using ‘waste’ and turning it into something useful. Rather than repeat myself, our blog with more details on compost can be found here and in the archives, and there’s more in our eBook “In Your Winter Garden” too. Briefly then, compost is where waste food, dead flowers, prunings, lawn clippings and so on, are turned by worms into a rich substance that improves and enriches your soil and enables you to grow food crops for your table and flowers for adornment.

compost bin made of resycled plastic

All you basically have to do is layer green, nitrogen rich items (grass, vegetable peelings) with brown, carbon rich ones (paper, dead twigs) in  a compost bin (bought or made); add worms and wait.  However if you don’t have the room for a compost bin, many local councils now both offer food and garden waste collections, so you can still develop the good habit.

Cardboard egg boxes can be added to your compost or paper recycling, but why not use them as containers for chitting your seed potatoes first? Placing the potatoes, bud uppermost, in the egg compartments keeps the delicate newly formed buds on the potato safe. Chitting, by the way, is where you start off your early potato crop before planting them in the ground by encouraging little shoots and roots to form from the buds or ‘eyes’ on the potato tuber first.

egg boxes waiting to be re-used

Another use for egg boxes is as mini plant pots, once the seedlings get going, the seedling and ‘pot’ can be transplanted together into a bigger pot or seed bed. Watering the seeds and seedlings will of course cause your egg boxes to get soggy and potentially fall apart, even if you use the lid as a base. The answer? Put the egg box into an empty plastic meat or mushroom container – the perfect drip tray and another method of re-using items! Naturally these plastic trays can be used as drip trays for pots and plastic seed trays too. They’re also useful when you go away on holiday (ski-ing anyone?) as they can act as water reservoirs for house plants and in the greenhouse.

Ok, you’re sitting there, reading this and thinking “that’s all very well, but what do I do with that teetering pile of plastic plant pots?” One solution coming up: sort through them, putting split, or really dirty ones to one side in a recycling box as they are recyclable, either collected from your house or taken to your local depot. Then go through what’s left, being ruthless about how many you really need. Those you don’t need put in a bin liner, then go onto a recycling site such as Freecycle and offer them to others who may need them; or offer them to a local charity, school or church that does plant sales. If nobody wants them then recycle with the broken pots: sorted.

These are only a couple of ideas – we have plenty more! But ‘little by little’ or ‘every little positive action helps’ are not bad principles. So if you’d like us to share some more of our re-using tips – just ask/ comment below – we’ll be happy to oblige.
Continue to email us with your queries at info@plewsgardendesign.co.uk and we will continue tohelp resolve your gardening issues, on and off site in 2013.

Berberis

Fireworks in the Garden

From a design perspective, all those hours spent deciding which plant should go where can be ruined in a few seconds by a runaway Catherine wheel firework…

…but many people prefer to see an organised display. This is good news for your plants, your pets and the wildlife in your garden.

If you are planning a bonfire and some home fireworks, and have covered the safety for humans and have shut away the dog and cat with radio 4, what else might you need to think about? Let your neighbours know – so they can be sure their cats and dogs are indoors (listening to classic fm: the rebels). But so that pet rabbits and guinea pigs can be moved to a quiet and safe place too. these days there are quite a few urban and suburban hens; they too need to be encouraged to roost early, and perhaps treated to a blanket not so much for warmth as extra sound insulation; leaving a radio or cd with soothing music may help.

fireworks night and comfort blanket sprayed with chamomile

As for the plants, well firstly if you have some common herbs in your garden, they can be used to soothe all these domestic beasts. Lavender, hop (Humulus lupus) or chamomile flowers added to the bedding offer a subtle relaxant. You may still have some lemon balm (Melissa officianalis) growing in the garden; this also works. Hens, rabbits and guinea pigs generally enjoy eating this so give them a little mixed with lettuces (also soporific) for supper. Catnip (Nepeta) is often found in cats’ toys. I’ve only once known it to ‘chill’ a cat; they generally go crazy, so maybe skip this. A light room spray using any of the above herbs can also help calm pets and livestock.

As for the plants themselves, the obvious solution is to aim fireworks away from your prized specimen. If you’re not sure that the person in charge of setting the fireworks knows a Daphne mezereum from a nettle then taking preventative action is required. Covering very-probably-at-risk prized border plants with kitchen foil is best, this can be loosely draped over the plant or over the frames used to support tall herbaceous perennials; a plastic bell cloche works unless the sparks are close.

As for bonfires, I’m sure you’ll remember to check for hedgehogs, frogs and toads. But can I point out that a bonfire on a lawn will leave a large patch of earth and burnt grass roots; the grass is extremely unlikely to regrow. So protect your lawn. On the plus side, if you have charge of the wood being used, make sure it’s all untreated wood, set your bonfire in a container with a tray underneath to catch the ash. Then when the ash has cooled you can add it to your compost heap to increase the potassium; preferably layering it with some leafy cuttings. Alternatively, if you’ve ordered some bare root roses or fruit trees keep the ash in a dry place (a bag in the shed will do) until you come to plant and add it around the roots as extra organic matter. Your bare root trees and bushes will say thank you.

Interesting how things turn out – I had originally thought I’d write about fireworks in the garden and tell you which colourful beauties you could plant to give you living fireworks – oh well, we’ll keep that one for another time…

For planting ideas or lessons to grow your own fireworks or herbs for next year, why not drop us an email? info@plewsgardendesign.co.uk

Pumpkins, Hallowe’en and the Three Sisters Garden #2

Are you ready for the ‘trick or treat’ mob? Maybe this year you should quiz them in the uses of pumpkins and apples before handing out the sweets…or should I say turnips?
In the last post we looked at cultivating pumpkins, in this we look some of the links between pumpkins, apples and Hallowe’en.

Jack o’lantern is a term commonly used for the carved pumpkin faces seen at Hallowe’en. It originally described the eerie lights seen over marshes and peat bogs. These are also known as will o’ the wisp or ignis fatuus, literally ‘foolish fire’ or ‘false fire’. The lights are actually gases (including methane) caused by decaying organic matter – but I don’t think you’ll see them over the compost heap!

The origin of Hallowe’en dates back at least 3,000 years to the Celtic celebration of Samhain. This celebration, the Feast of the Dead, was held on October 31st and was a not a morbid festival, but one that honoured those loved ones who had died. It was one of the turning points of the Celtic year, the change from light to dark, from summer to winter. This was an agricultural society and the changing seasons were important markers in the year.

On the night of Samhain, glowing jack-o-lanterns, carved from turnips or gourds, were set on porches and in windows to welcome deceased loved ones and to act as protection against malevolent spirits. If you’re wondering why turnips, this is because pumpkins were introduced from the ‘New World’ by Christopher Columbus in the late 15th century, whereas turnips were grown throughout most Europe from Roman times or earlier. Oh and ‘jack o’ lantern’ when applied as a description to the carved out pumpkins dates from the 19th century.

Games were played, including one similar to the apple bobbing we indulge in now. The apple was important in Celtic mythology, an apple tree was found on the Isle of the Blessed. And the ‘bobbing’ may have reflected the heroes journey to obtain the magic apples. More prosaically, the apple harvest would be finished by Samhain so there would be plenty of apples to eat.

Pumpkins – winter squash – are an excellent crop for storing and will keep until February in the right conditions, cool, dark and frost free. As for what you do with the flesh scooped out from your Hallowe’en lantern, you could try pumpkin soup; a recipe we use can be found here.

For planting ideas to grow your Jack o’ lanterns for next year, why not drop us an email? info@plewsgardendesign.co.uk

Spring into bulb buying

Bulb purchasing and planting is an autumn task, but it involves thinking back to last spring and forward to next. A lot of gardening and garden design, if not most, is about planning the future and bulbs epitomise that aspect of gardening.

So, when faced with packets of bulbs with a close up picture of a tulip on the front what are you thinking? When flicking through bulb catalogues, what are you planning? Unless you have a large garden or lots of different areas to fill with bulbs, your main thought is probably how many spring flowering bulbs can you fit into your pots and borders. Or it should be. Be tempted by colour and from when you know how many you need.

Take the time before you buy to plan. Some questions you may like to ask yourself: are you planting in borders, containers, naturalising in grass? How many containers and how big are they? If in the borders, let’s be practical, consider how many bulbs you have the time to plant. Oh yes, and is there currently room in the border where you’d like to plant or do you still have late flowering Helenium and dahlias in full bloom?

Let’s find some answers. If your borders are still full and looking lovely, then congratulate yourself on a having a fine late display of colour. Make a note to look for and buy later flowering tulips and narcissus (daffodils). These could be planted when your Heleniums have gone over and still flower when they should next year. Another option is to buy the early flowering varieties you covet but plant them in pots. A further choice is to accept that they are likely to flower a bit later as you’ve planted them later.

At Plews we don’t generally plant too many bulbs at one go. Planting hundreds in one day is a chore we leave to friends who work in National Trust gardens. However, we do offer bulb planning and planting as part of our service to regular clients, as well as part of an overall design. Designing and planting containers whether for seasonal variation or a special occasion is one of those tasks which is pleasant to add into a regular routine maintenance schedule.

Planting bulbs in the border requires thought as to what else will be on show at that time of year when the bulbs are flowering and also when the foliage is dying down. When designing a border to include bulbs, where the client’s brief is for easy maintenance, the bulbs are part of a long term planting scheme, so we will often plant herbaceous perennials for the bulbs to grow through. These won’t have much if any foliage the bulbs are in flower, but will help distract the eye from the bulbs’ foliage after flowering. They will live quite happily together for some years.

Alternatively, the bulbs can be treated as annuals, and dug up after flowering and composted if virus free. Where the space utilised is edged or framed with evergreens this is a good, if more labour intensive option. Hardy and half hardy annuals can fill the same space as the bulbs but at a later time.

Thinking back to the previous spring; this is an opportunity to review what worked and what didn’t in your garden. Taking photos helps with the process, which is why I tell my students to take photos of their own gardens on a regular basis. Perhaps you visited gardens in the spring and were inspired by their bulb displays, or combinations of colours? Much of that can be tweaked to fit your own garden.

Remember to protect your bulbs once planted, so the squirrels or neighbourhood cats don’t dig them up.

If you’d like to know more about our design, maintenance or teaching services, why not get in touch?

Apples:Designing the Garden of Eden?

Designing a garden to include lots of fruit is always satisfying: at this time of year my imagination leaps off the page and sees next year’s mini orchard in full harvest. Apple trees are especially popular – did you know that Britain is “apple monarch of the world” with over 2000 varieties available?

This year’s weather has affected the apple harvest, by reducing the quantity and quality, and generally giving a later harvest. A single apple tree can produce up to 200 apples and live for 100 years, so there is time for another harvest, a better harvest.

Not sure when to pick your apples? If they’re dropping to the ground as ripe rather than unripe ‘windfalls’ then it’s time to start picking. Cup the apple in your hand and twist gently; they should drop easily into your hand. Not all the apples may be ripe at the same time, so it may take 3 ‘goes’ at picking before the whole tree has been cropped.

What if you don’t have an apple tree of your own? If you’re thinking of buying one or two, now is an excellent time to taste different varieties and see which you prefer. You may find a good selection of apples at your local farmers market or farm shop. If you fancy them fresh off the tree why not find out if there’s an apple tasting day near you?

There are apple festivals aplenty – including one at Brogdale, home of the National Fruit Collection, where they’re also celebrating their diamond jubilee this year, just like Queen Elizabeth II. The National Fruit Collection at Brogdale houses the world’s largest collection of temperate fruit on a single site. To see row upon row of apple trees is an impressive sight. And then you move on to the pear trees, the quince, the medlar, the plums, the cherries…

Choosing an apple tree isn’t just about taste of course, the size of the tree, whether you’d like a free standing tree or a trained form are also important considerations. Trained forms are particularly suitable for smaller areas as they make use of often overlooked space, for example, training an espalier along a fence. Single cordon apples can be grown in a large pot, ideal for a patio; I remember seeing some of these at Trinity Buoy Wharf many years ago, as part of ‘growing food in the city’ project.

But perhaps you fancy a tree with history? If you’re a scientist perhaps the Isaac Newton tree might appeal? The story an apple landing on his head in 1667 thus leading to Newton’s laws on gravity may tempt you to have an offspring of the same tree. The original tree stood in the garden of Newton’s home at Woolsthorpe manor, in Lincolnshire, and over the years grafts have been taken to grow new Newton trees. It is claimed that the original is still there, having regrown after falling over in a storm.

The Egyptians were among the first people to grow apples – apart from Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, I suppose. But the first person to grow the world famous Bramley cooking apples was Mary Ann Brailsford in the family home in Nottinghamshire in the early 19th century. If you’re wondering why they’re not called ‘MaryAnn’s’ that’s because the family moved away and it was a man called Bramley who owned the tree when some fifty years later a local nurseryman took cuttings and grew the fruit and trees commercially.

So what else do you need to know? Apple trees are sold as scions or grafts onto a rootstock. Basically, the rootstock determines the ultimate size of the tree whilst the scion will give you the variety of fruit. You’ll also need more than one, or need your neighbours to have a tree as well, as apples are not self-fertile.

In the meantime, taste away!

Water & watering

Even small alterations in domestic gardens can make a big difference to the planet. This is one of an occasional series that will give you tips to make being a ‘green gardener’ a lot easier than achieving a gold medal. Last Saturday’s blog was water–orientated and this week continues the theme.

I know we’ve had more rain than we could care for in Britain this summer, but we should be grateful as it’s filling up the reservoirs and underground aquifers that were dangerously low. However much water falls from the sky, fresh, as distinct from salted, water is a finite resource. It is constantly recycled, not just by humans, but by raining on the ground, thence into streams, then taken back up into clouds to fall again as rain. It is a resource which we can easily reduce our use of and recycle ourselves without too much effort.

Water conservation – if you have room for a water butt then you should have one – or two. They come in various shapes and sizes from huge below ground tanks to slim wall hung versions so there should be one to fit your garden. You can also use ‘grey water’ for watering any thirsty non-edible plants. It may be too complicated for you to have a pipe system from your bath/shower, but it’s easy to have a bowl in the basin and use the water from washing dishes and hands. Grey water doesn’t store without treatment so use within a day.

Before you water your garden, ask yourself: is that plant really thirsty?

Established plants and lawns tend not to need extra watering by us humans. There will be some exceptions, flowering herbaceous perennials under the shade of a tree, for example, plus fruit bushes and trees at key times such as pollination & fruit setting. Make sure the water gets down to the roots, which is where it’s needed. Check the soil at root level by gently digging down. If it’s damp then the plant doesn’t need watering.

Dry soil on the surface is fine, so long as it’s not crusting over. This would cause rain to bounce off the surface rather than be absorbed. Break it up with a hoe if necessary. Make a note to add more organic matter in the autumn, as this will reduce the crust effect. Plants in a rain shadow – under trees, against fences, in a porch will possibly need watering even when it rains, so do check. Water thoroughly but not often to encourage the plants to send their roots deep into the soil where there’s more likely to be stored water. Exceptions would be annual vegetables and some annual bedding.

Watering in the evening or early morning reduces evaporation (water loss) so the plants get maximum benefit. If slugs and snails are a problem, which they probably are for most of us as the wet spring sent their population soaring, then you may find watering in the morning rather than the evening is better. This reduces the moistness around the plants overnight, when those gastropods are most active.

If you’re giving your tomatoes, beans or other plants a feed, water them first, they then absorb the feed more efficiently. And on that note, I’m off to water my own tomatoes and sugar snap peas; and hopefully pick a few – if those blinking snails haven’t eaten them…

If you would like some design advice, or a consultancy on how to manage the water – or lack of it – in your garden, we have the inspiration and the know- how

So get in touch

A Weed is a Plant in the Wrong Place

A truism that we gardeners are guilty of quoting too often; I think I prefer the advice we give to ‘newbies’:  “If it pulls out easily, it wasn’t a weed” – generally as they stand there looking as pathetic as the weeded bit of flora in their hand; nature can be cruel…

I posed the question “is it a weed?” in an earlier blog and promised a follow–up – which this is. So what is a weed? It might be a plant in the wrong place; it could be a species native to Britain – a wild flower that attracts bees and butterflies.

But is it a weed? If we assume for now that a weed is a plant growing where it’s not wanted in a garden situation, then we see a lot of weeds during our working week! The’ ‘most wanted’ list includes ivy, bindweed, dandelion, nettle, green alkanet, bramble and ground elder. These are all perennial weeds with strong root systems, which is why they’re successful at colonising less cultivated areas of a garden, and why they’re difficult and time consuming to get rid of.  Let’s look at a couple of the climbers which cause problems.

Ivy

Ivy, Hedera helix, common or English ivy, is native across much of Europe and is often grown as an ornamental. Its berries are

a good winter food source for many birds and the flowers are nectar rich. So why is it a weed? In many parts of Australia and the USA  it is labelled as an invasive species; in the states of Oregon and Washington, sales of it are banned and it is listed as a noxious weed – as Japanese knotweed is in the UK.

Ivy is a survivor, it can spread easily through seed dispersal (birds and small animals are the main agents here). The stems have short root like growths but these only enable it to cling to tree trunks, fences and so on. Although it is not a parasite, the density of growth is what causes the problem. The thick cover of ivy covering the ground prevents other plants from taking root and growing and it has the ability to spread quickly over large areas. Kept in check in a garden situation it can be beneficial, offering evergreen cover to disguise ugly vertical spaces and shelter for wildlife.

Bindweed & Clematis

The bindweed mostly found in gardens is Calystegia sepium, hedge bindweed, rather than Convolvulus arvensis which is the field bindweed. This latter has smaller, pink tinged flowers as compared to the white flowers of hedge bindweed. A pretty looking climber, the common name gives the clue as to why they’re not good to have romping through your borders! The stems can strangle clematis, sweet peas, French beans and the new growth on shrubs. Bindweed is tricky to get rid of because it entangles around other plants, a quick yank can pull up your pea plant as well as the bindweed. A better ploy is to snap the stem off near the ground, let it wilt and loosen its hold and then gently pull. Even then you may need to break the stem in a few places if it’s seriously intertwined with your wanted plant. The roots are white, regenerate from the smallest of pieces and may go down as far as 15 feet.

There are different methods of removal, but these will take two or more years, assuming that the bindweed isn’t coming into your garden from a patch of wasteland the other side of the fence. A week’s holiday could mean you return to bindweed as an uninvited guest. But don’t be disheartened. Painting the young leaves with an organic herbicide early in the season is a start; as is vigilance to pullout stems as soon as they’re spotted in the border. The pulled up and dug out stems, leaves and roots can be turned into a compost tea but remember not to put them directly into your compost bin!

We have other ways of making most weeds turn into something useful as well as getting them out of your garden, but then, you’d expect us to, wouldn’t you?

If you would like some advice, perhaps a consultation visit on how to de-weed and de-pest your garden in an easy, environmental way  giving yourself more time just to sit and enjoy the sunshine, get in touch.

When your Garden goes on Holiday

Wouldn’t that be good? You go to Portugal for 2 weeks; your garden goes on a trip to Cornwall. If only!

Think ahead: 

• Save plastic containers & bottles to use as water trays/ reservoirs
• Purchase capillary matting on which you can place lots of pots together

Nearer the time:

• Deadhead flowering plants 
  
• Weed

• Apply mulch on any bare soil after watering

How to use Plastic squash & pop bottles as water reservoirs: 

• Cut off the bottom and remove cap. This will then be put top end down in the soil next to your thirsty plants – tomatoes, dahlias, for example. 
• Water is poured into the bottle and it slowly soaks through to the plant’s roots. This is actually agood trick if you don’t want to be always watering tomatoes, courgettes and squash in your vegetable area or on the allotment.

Pots:

• Where are the cooler places in the garden? Out of the midday sun is good for most plants. Place on matting or in trays; water well before you leave, so that the plants are “sitting in moistness”.
• However, your pelargoniums (pot geraniums) will not take too kindly to having their roots sitting in water, so water well before you leave making sure the water gets down to the roots. They are fairly drought tolerant, so should be fine if in a shady spot. If in the sun and a porch where they won’t benefit from any rain, put tray underneath.
• Hanging baskets – if in the rear garden, take down and treat as a pot above
• Micro-salads – cut & eat before you go, leave in cool place, sitting in a tray filled with water.

Borders:

• Established planting, eg trees and shrubs, will be fine; if any of them are wilting because we’ve had a heat wave, then give the whole garden a thorough soak a day before you go away. (Guaranteed to make it rain on those of us staying behind…)
• New plants, bedding, thirsty plants like dahlias –if room, use upturned pop bottle (as above) in the soil next to the plant to act as a reservoir. Otherwise thoroughly soak before you go away.

Lawn:

• Domestic lawns don’t need watering unless new. Mow before you go, medium cut, so it’s tidy when you come back.
• Front garden: tidy & water as above; put water reservoirs under pots (if in the sun) well in advance so it looks ‘normal’.

Keyholder:

• If someone is coming in to check the house whilst you’re away, ask them to check the plants for wilting and water if necessary – and to help themselves to any crops/flowers for the house – good for the plant as it encourages more to grow for your return!

On return:

• unpack, put washing on; make tea/ pour wine, sit in garden and enjoy!

There are lots of ways of making your garden easy to maintain all year round; why not contact us for more details!

How not to buy plants

Or to put it another way, when you get to the garden centre or nursery, how to choose the plants that are right for you and your garden! A few tricks of the trade from your friendly garden designer…

Rule 1: know your garden

Before you even get as far as your car, do you know how big the space is you’re filling? Is it just a few plants fill in where the spring bulbs were or is it most of a border? What are the aspect and situation where you intend putting the new plants: for example, sunny/ shady/ dry/ damp? Do you know whether your soil is acid or alkaline? After all, camellia is not going to thrive in a cold, damp spot in an alkaline soil…

Rule 2: make a List

The list should consist of the plant species or cultivars you’ve decided on, plus how many of each you need. If you’re filling in small gaps one may be enough otherwise think in threes or fives. Have a back-up option in case your specified cultivar isn’t in stock and you can’t wait. For example, Heuchera ‘key lime pie’ could be substitute with Heuchera ‘lime marmalade.

Rule 3: soil improver 

Or would you simply paint over the wallpaper that’s peeling? Preparation is all; what would be the point of spending ££££ on new plants if the soil is too poor and they all die? So budget for this too if you haven’t fed your soil with organic matter / compost for some time.

Rule 4: flower power 

So who’s bought the plant with all the flowers already in bloom? Unless you need the plant to look stunning the day you buy it or its at a marked down price, this is money for nothing. By all means have some flowers open, but look for the plant with lots of buds – otherwise the nursery got the benefit of the flowers you’ve just paid for…

Rule 5: is it healthy?

Check out the spots on the leaves. Is it water / fertiliser splash?  Or is it mildew? Look closely at the overall health. Do the leaves look fresh but spotted or are they drooping?  Are there signs of new growth? Have a look at the other plants on the display to see if they’re healthy too.

Rule 6: bigger equals better

Not always: check the soil in the pot, put your fingers in, if you’re feeling soil not roots then it’s probably been transplanted into a bigger pot recently.  Compare the size of that plant with the one in a smaller pot – they may be the same so why pay more?

Also ask yourself what effect do you want and how soon? Often three smaller plants will fill up a space more effectively straight away and spread over a couple of seasons to look more impressive than a single, initially larger, plant would do.

Rule 7: get to the root of the problem

At the other extreme from lots of soil and no roots is the pot-bound plant, where the roots go round and round and there seems to be no soil at all. This plant should have been re-potted a long time ago and is probably also suffering from lack of nutrients. If you still have to have it, do the health checks and ask if the nursery or garden centre will reduce the price; be sure to give it lots of tlc when you get home.

Rule 8: what is it?

Buying an unlabelled plant can give you a nasty shock if the one you bought grows to 10m in 3 years not 3m in 3 years as you were expecting.

Also, there are trends in plants as in fashion and some cost more because of the name. Do your homework beforehand and look for the ‘own brand’ equivalent to compare with before buying.

And most importantly, remember, gardening professionals never, ever, ever indulge in an impulse buy for themselves…well, hardly ever…

Foxes and Friends

If you live in an urban or suburban area, you’re probably thinking mainly about foxes, squirrels, hedgehogs, cats and dogs; you may stretch your list to moles, magpies and rats. But many gardeners on the fringes of suburbia, or those who have allotments, so not fully rural, also have to consider rabbits, badgers, deer, stoats, weasels, rats, bats and owls.

It’s a long list, so we’ll first consider the main offenders that I’m asked about by clients. Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) top the charts; but a lot of the tricks work with, or rather against, other predators, so much of what I suggest below is relevant to Grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) badgers (Meles meles) and brown rats (Rattus norvegicus).

Foxes are more often seen in urban and suburban areas than rural these days, for various reasons, including a reliable food supply. This would probably not bother us if it were not for the great fun foxes then have digging up plants and puncturing footballs left out overnight; not to mention the unexpected ‘present’ they might leave on your doorstep! Watching a pack of cubs playing on your lawn is delightful; and let’s remember that residents who encourage foxes into their gardens by feeding them do the rest of us a service: foxes, sensibly enough, prefer the easy life.

If you are troubled by foxes and friends, what steps can you take? Simple solutions first: make sure there is little to attract them in the first place. For example, don’t leave food out and clean up after the BBQ. Keeping a tight lid on the compost bin and on the food waste bin or rubbish bin is essential. More councils are offering a food waste collection, which takes bones and cooked food.  This is a good thing as it will be turned into compost not landfill, and the containers have secure lids, often more secure than the rubbish bin, so it should decrease the waste scattered around by foxes.

If you’re using a blood, fish and bone based fertiliser in the garden, use sparingly and be sure to dig it in well, as it’s very tempting to foxes, badgers, rats, dogs and cats.

Clear overgrown areas which could provide resting areas. This doesn’t mean clearing up your ‘stag beetle corner’; foxes are more likely to take cover on a garage roof overgrown with ivy: it’s a good vantage point. Block access to underneath sheds and decking, as these make excellent dens (foxes), setts (badgers) and rat nests.

Check where and how the foxes are entering, are they climbing over the fence or digging a hole underneath? There are sprays that can be used to dissuade pests from entering your garden. These are largely based on citrus fruits – you may have noticed that whilst your dog will eat most raw fruit and vegetables, they’re not keen on lemons. Some of these are solutions you mix-up, others are ready made. You can also make your own with essential oils – grapefruit seems to work particularly well of the citrus oils. Hot pepper spray is particularly effective against most pests – even deer, but may ‘burn’ leaf edges of delicate plants.

Spray along tops of fences if that’s how the foxes entering, around the entry holes and potential nest areas. Spreading citrus peel around the holes and runs may have the added advantage of collecting up slugs for you as well.

Many of these garden pests are territorial. This can be another tool in dissuading them from entering your garden as if they think larger predator is in residence, they’ll look elsewhere first. So, apart from borrowing a lion or tiger from the zoo, what else is a larger predator?

Domestically speaking, dogs are the obvious contender. Encouraging both dogs and bitches to scent mark around the boundaries and generally have a presence in the garden does seem to work. ‘Borrowing’ a friend’s dog on a regular basis can also help; ‘regular’ being the key word. We have noticed that where our dog accompanies us to a client’s garden on a fortnightly basis, and is encouraged to do the ‘territorial’ stuff, plus we take action as above, the foxes will leave. If you don’t have access to a dog, having many cats can sometimes work – not so much the size as the number of other predators. Or find a source of testosterone – we’re back to the “ask your adult males to pee around the boundaries” scenario here, so not the world’s best solution!

In some ways badgers are more of a pest than foxes, as earthworms are one of their favourite foods, and worms are among the top of a gardener’s necessary helpers list. Grey squirrels are tricky to deal with but cats and magpies can be helpful predators here, although magpies are also pests…hmm it’s definitely less of a predator hierarchy than a web of choices…
 

If you would like some advice, perhaps a consultation visit on how to de-weed and de-pest your garden in an easy, environmental way  giving yourself more time just to sit and enjoy the sunshine, get in touch.