Project Hedgehog

I'm feeling your joy Mizzle. I first spotted a hedgehog a couple of years back and hadn't seen it since. My son was putting my niece's bike away the other night and he told me he saw one under the hedge.
I know they live next door in Jim's compost heap. The messier the better it seems :)
Hold up on slug control too, they like to eat them.

Try bluebells and lily of the valley. Euonymus fortunii isn't a wild plant but it keeps its leaves all winter and spreads out, making shelter for small creatures. Rather than try for wild flowers I'd go for perennial geraniums - there are varieties that are happy in semi shade and a few are evergreen.They covef the ground well and many varieties self seed. They all have attractive flowers, usually blue or pink. Long Acre plants have a website with some and will also give you advice on varieties if you describe the site.. For those that aren't evergreen the spaces between them would be good for the bluebells and some snowdrops and perhaps a few daffodils.

It's nice you've seen a hedgehog. They used to be very common, but I haven't seen one for a few years. I've got plenty of slugs they could eat :)
I hope you find some suitable plants for your wild patch ...

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. I'm also considering investing in a compost bin so a hedgehog garden with a compost bin would serve 2 purposes! I'll let yous know the outcome!

I still get excited if I see one, we always used to see the hedgehogs in our garden but now although we know they are in the neighbours garden its very rare that they venture into ours, its our own fault as when we changed the fencing a few years back we closed off their run, I've been around opening up a few spaces for them to get under the fence so hopefully they'll eventually make their way back...

Lucky you seeing a hedgehog!! we had one on the patio regularly last year drinking from the bird bath but haven't seen any this year yet, did see my first bat of the year last night though :-)