Heather's Wildlife Gardens

17/04/2026

A really important message! Those ‘natural’ pesticides can be disastrous for wildlife and soil ecology.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1330792882223440/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

20/03/2026

We've had some beautiful weather this week and I've loved seeing plants in bloom and insects emerging. It's also been rather nice not to be drenched and frozen at the end of the working day! Hello, Spring.

08/03/2026

This International Women’s Day I’d like to celebrate Marine Biologist and pioneer of the environmental movement Rachel Carson.

Her book ‘Silent Spring’ brought her into direct conflict with the agriculture industry and the established culture of widespread and devastating pesticide use (particularly DDT). In response, public attacks were levelled at her work, her personal life and her gender.

Carson’s meticulous research and powerful writing style blazed a trail that couldn’t be erased, however. Her work eventually led to the establishment of clean air and water legislation in the USA, as well as wildlife protections and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. It also ignited a public outcry and increased awareness of the harm that pesticides were causing.

Carson’s powerful legacy lives on, in spite of what often feels like slow progress (or even regression…)

Her words are as relevant today as they were over sixty years ago: “The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”

Read ‘Silent Spring’. Ditch the synthetic chemicals in your garden. Speak out.

11/02/2026

Free plants, anyone?

Take hardwood cuttings before the end of March and increase your plant stocks! It's incredibly easy, can be done with a variety of plants and the nearest to specialist equipment you need is a pair of sharp secateurs.

Choose a healthy stem of mature but pliable woody material from your chosen plant, about the thickness of a pencil and 10-25cm long. Make a slanting cut just above a bud as the top of your cutting. Make a straight cut just below a bud as the bottom of your cutting. Push the stem into the soil so that about two-thirds is submerged. And.... that's it!

This is essentially the method for taking hardwood cuttings, which should start to root in the spring. Cuttings can be placed directly into the soil or into a pot of free-draining, peat-free compost. Make sure they're in a sheltered spot, with labels to remind you who's growing where! It's worth leaving them where they are for about a year before transplanting as they can be delicate during the rooting period.

So many plants can be used for this method of propagation, including those pictured. Throw in some Willow, Kerria, Forsythia, Weigela and Philadelphus and you'll have a bountiful supply to plant out or give to friends next year.

Let me know how you get on!

23/12/2025

The days are getting longer! The winter solstice has been and gone and now it’s time to look forward. I took this photo in one of my gardens yesterday, of a truly spirit-lifting little plant. A perfect Winter Aconite emerging like sunshine from the bare soil to wish everyone a joyful, peaceful festive season.

31/10/2025

Happy Halloween! At this time of year a slew of misinformation appears on social media about leaving your discarded pumpkins out 'for wildlife.' Pumpkins can actually be extremely harmful to wildlife (particularly Hedgehogs) and in some cases ingesting them can be fatal. As long as they are free from wax, composting is the best option for old pumpkins.

Woodland and forestry managers are urging the public not to discard Halloween pumpkins in the mistaken belief they are helping wildlife.

14/09/2025

In praise of slugs!

The gastropods (slugs and snails) in our gardens get a bad press - but the truth is they are absolutely essential to a healthy garden and a healthy ecosystem.

There are around 40 species of slug and 100 species of snail in the UK, and very few of these cause damage to our plants and crops. Most species are detrivores, meaning they only eat decayed organic matter. These are the creatures who recycle dead plant material and make it into nutrient-rich soil. They are composting heroes, as well as being an important food source for other wildlife.

As always, the kind of poisons on offer to kill slugs and snails do not discriminate between the 'pest' species and the many, many other species of beneficial gastropod. A healthy garden will find its balance. A garden full of poison will always be out of balance (requiring more work), as well as being a toxic environment for every single visitor - including humans.

Pictured here are a couple of gorgeous detrivores spotted on my travels this week - a Green Cellar Slug and a Leopard slug.

22/07/2025

Time to count some butterflies! The Big Butterfly Count is underway again, and the more people who take part the more we understand about butterfly populations, habitat health and how to best protect our threatened species. There are loads of resources and an app to help with identification. Spend 15 minutes in the sunshine and do your bit for nature - what's not to like? 🦋
https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/

29/05/2025

It's 'Chelsea Chop' time!

This is a great gardening technique for a selection of flowering perennials, helping to make plants bushier with less need for staking, as well as prolonging their flowering season. It essentially means cutting back a selection of stems by up to half and it is done around this time (when Chelsea Flower Show is usually in full swing).

There are lots of plants that respond well to the Chelsea Chop, including Rudceckia, Echinacea and Penstemon, but my favourite is the Hylotelephium. This is a mouthful of a plant in more than one way, having had a name change from the much simpler 'Sedum' whilst also being edible.

Commonly known as 'Ice Plant,' Hylotelephium really benefits from being cut back by a third to half at this time of year. I tend to chop about half of the overall clump, leaving the stalks at the back taller. This means the overall flowering display will last longer and the stems at the front will be less likely to flop over. You can eat the leaves that you cut off - they have a slightly lemony taste and work brilliantly in salads.

When they do flower they are an absolute favourite for the bees, so it's a great plant to have in your pollinator-friendly garden!