During the summer months, there's an awful lot of new wildlife babies in the garden. Baby birds, baby frogs, and lots of new growth and new life.
And while the garden is a place for us to enjoy, yes, it's also a home to all these wildlife. So as curators of our open space we need to protect that tapestry and do our best to protect them. Most people want to do this anyway and don't want to do damage if they're aware of what they shouldn't be doing. Things like bird's nests are actually covered under the Wildlife Act which says that you're not allowed to cut your hedges during the summer months from March to September.
Small trees and trees and hedges are where birds will nest. I would encourage everyone not to, but if you did have to do any trimming for any reason during this time, please do check to make sure there are no birds nesting before you do.
Apart from the implications on the birds, you are breaking the law and people do get prosecuted for it. If you’re lucky enough to have a pond in your garden or any baby frogs, try to introduce some ground hugging plants to your garden which will provide a damp, shady environment for any frogs that might be there.
Read more: Garden expert's top tips for growing your own herbs
I'm a great believer in just leaving patches of long grass in your garden if you can at all, so much can go on here. Frogs are protected because it’s cool and damp. Ground nesting birds can nest in long grass for the babies to be born. And by leaving grass to grow you're leading to the emergence of more plant life.
More species will emerge in the long grass which can help pollinators and the flora in the garden. In addition, the long grass will also be there for bees to nest, so that little area of unmowed grass can do a huge amount of good. If you can consider leaving a little bit of food or water out for baby hedgehogs or any baby wildlife to help too. You want to be cognizant of the fact that you don’t draw any vermin in, but you can get little hedgehog feeders to get around this.
For more tips, follow Peter, The Irish Gardener at PeterDowdall.com.
Not sure where to go with your garden? The right place to start is an online garden consultation with garden design expert, Peter Dowdall here.
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