RSPB Give Nature a Home

hi ads, i have a concrete barriet around my garden, but am looking at the possibility of a having a mammal gate somehow. however, i do have a rspb bird feeding station and trying to do my bit that way. think i am as i am spending about £50 per month on birds food. afterall why should my kids have it all.
3 years ago thought i would have a wild flower meadow and the first year it was so pretty. second year i had a garden full of ox-eye dasies, bloody thousands of them. year three is an elimination exercise

I've noticed that about wild flower meadows. Second year there are no poppies or cornflowers. Poppies grow in fields that are recently ploughed.

I would love a hedgehog house but no point here as we have a badger visiting (never seen it, only its footmarks and damage...) It will be interesting to see if anyone has had hedgehogs using a house - its a lovely idea.

I'm not convinced that a commercial hedgehog house is necessary or even useful - just leave a pile of leaves in a corner or two.

I haven't actually bought a hedgehog house, I built my own using pieces of tree boughs and wood piled in a corner against our fence, the roof off an old birdtable as a cover, its hidden away near one of my compost bins, I was hoping for a hedgehog to use it but Mr Toad moved in first, I have gaps under the fence for the hedgehogs to roam between the gardens, for years our hogs have lived under my neighbours hedge, the bottom of their garden is quite overgrown (not their fault just too much for them to cope with) safer than our garden because we have cats and dogs but they come into my garden to search for their food and are often seen wandering at dusk around my shrubs, we are pleased to share them, lol, between them and the frogs I rarely see any slugs which is good for my plants..

We've done the same as Lincs piles of logs with gaps big enough for hedgehogs etc, we also have bird boxes dotted about, a pond which attracts loads of wildlife, this year we even had a pair of mallards , our garden is surrounded by a hedge of hawthorn,blackthorn etc so easy pathways between and food for birds and other creatures, we were woken in the very early morning last summer by what sounded like very heavy breathing looked outside and 5 or 6 hedgehogs snuffling about on the patio lovely to see :-)
I leave all seed heads on perennials over winter for the birds too.

Sadly there are no hedgehogs around here, too many badgers, but bird feeding, frog, toad and newt friendly gardening is the order of the day.

I tend to do half and half as regards the seed heads, lots of birdfeeders dotted around different types and tables with and without roof so everyone gets a look in at mealtimes, a bug hotel one bought as a gift, I started building a stumpery garden in the shade of the willow tree, its still a mini one, work in progress, its home to a multitude of bugs, didn't do that for the little critters but they took it over...

I do alot for the wild life, had one hedgehog many years ago, but we have fox's, badgers etc, but this year we noiced that we had a hedgehog and i hope it will stay

Simbad, would love to have seen your hedgehogs!

Jiffy, your hedgehog is in danger if you have badgers - they eat them given half a chance.

your hedgehog is in danger if you have badgers -

Yes i know Steragram, but there was two of them but one was ran over by car/tractor/horsebox, so this one will have a better change with the badger than the road

Bless, its a dodgy old life when you're little...